Privacy Policy

Personal Data

In the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Personal Data is defined as “…any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person ("data subject"); an identifiable person can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, online identifier or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that person.” 

How we use your information

The following privacy policy will outline how Fern Wills & Trusts will collect and use your data. This is done so that we can: 

• Offer tailored advice.
• Prepare your documents.
• Contact you with reminders.
• Contact you in future if you have asked for more time.
• Give you updates and newsletters if not unsubscribed.
• Inform you of changes that may affect the services and products offered.
• Consult with other professionals to ensure that the service matches your needs.

Why do we need to collect and store personal data?

To do any of the above, we must first collect and store your data for correspondence purposes. We will ensure that the information collected is only used for its intended purpose and does not constitute an invasion of your privacy. Fern Wills & Trusts may wish to contact you for marketing purposes; however, if you have not already given consent, we will contact you for that purpose. 

Will we share your data with anyone else?

We may need to pass your details on to third parties contracted to or part of the Fern Wills & Trusts group of companies. Any third parties we pass your details onto must store them securely and only process them if they respond to providing estate planning and associated services on our behalf. When the time comes for them to no longer require your data, they will dispose of this accordingly and in line with our company policy. If we wish to pass your data to a third party, we will only do so with your explicit consent unless we are legally obliged otherwise. 

How will we use the personal data we collect about you?

Data processing consists of collecting, storing, and using it. We will process this data in accordance with the GDPR. We will do our utmost to keep your information accurate and up to date and not keep it longer than necessary. Fern Wills & Trusts may issue occasional reminders to all customers to keep their contact details up to date and will update them accordingly. Please be advised that we must keep certain information per the law, such as information needed for tax and audit purposes. Personal data may be held longer than these periods; however, this will depend on the company's needs. 

Under what circumstances will we contact you?

We will only ever contact you when necessary or when you have requested that we do so. We do not mean to be intrusive or ask for unnecessary information at any point. We will do our best to ensure that our data is as secure as possible to minimise the risk of unauthorised access or disclosure. 

Can you find out about the personal data that we hold about you?

If you want to see what personal data we hold on to you and how it is processed, you may contact us to request this. This is known as a Data Subject Access Request (DSAR). You must request this in writing (either by post or email), providing the necessary identification before releasing any information. If Fern Wills & Trusts do store any of your personal data, you may request information on the following: 

• The identity and contact details of the person or organisation that has determined how and why to process your data. In some cases, this will be a representative in the EU.
• Contact details of the GDPR owner, where applicable.
• The purpose of the processing and the legal basis for processing.
• If the processing is based on the legitimate interests of Fern Wills & Trusts or a third party, information about those interests.
• The categories of personal data collected, stored and processed.
• Recipient(s) or categories of recipients to whom the data is/will be disclosed.
• If we intend to transfer personal data to a third country or international organisation, information about how we ensure this is done securely. The EU has approved sending personal data to some countries because they meet a minimum standard of data protection. In other cases, we will ensure specific measures are in place to secure your information.
• How long the data will be stored.
• Details of your rights to correct, erase, restrict or object to such processing.
• Information about your right to withdraw consent at any time.
• How to complain to the supervisory authority.
• Whether the provision of personal data is a statutory or contractual requirement or a requirement necessary to enter into a contract, whether you are obliged to provide the personal data and the possible consequences of failing to provide such data.
• The source of personal data if it wasn’t collected directly from you.
• Any details and information of automated decision-making, such as profiling, any meaningful information about the logic involved, and the significance and expected consequences of such processing.

What forms of ID will you need to provide to access this?

Fern Wills & LPAs will accept the following forms of ID when information on your personal data is requested: Passport; Photo Driving Licence; Utility Bill (from the last three months)

Contact details of the GDPR Owner

If you wish to submit a DSAR or have any questions regarding this privacy statement, you must do so in writing using the following information. Address: Fern Wills & LPAs, 7 Fern Close, Rugby, Warwickshire, CV23 0UQ Email: info@fernwills.com Telephone: 07500 866123 

Use of cookies on the website

Small data files are placed on your computer to simplify this site. These are known as cookies. Most big websites do this, too. They improve things by: 

• Remembering settings, so you don’t have to keep re-entering them whenever you visit a new page.
• Remembering the information you’ve given (e.g. your postcode) so you don’t need to keep entering it.
• Measure how you use the website so we can make sure it meets your needs.

Our cookies aren’t used to identify you personally. They’re just here to make the site work better for you. Indeed, you can manage and delete these small files as you wish. You can opt out of Google Analytics cookies for all sites. To learn more about cookies and how to manage them, visit AboutCookies.org. i) First-Party Cookies
These are cookies that are set by the website directly. We may use Google Analytics to collect information about how people use this site. We do this to ensure it meets users’ needs and understand how we could improve. Google Analytics stores information about what pages you visit, how long you spend on the site, how you got here, and what you click on. We do not use cookies to collect or store your personal information (e.g., your name or address), so this information cannot be used to identify who you are. Cookies also store basic data on your interactions with Site 123, the website's CMS. ii) Third-Party Cookies
These are cookies set on your machine by external websites whose services are used on this site. Cookies of this type are the sharing buttons across the site, which allow visitors to share content on social networks. Cookies are currently set by Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. Instructions to prevent sites from setting third-party cookies are here. 

iii) Log Files

Log files allow us to record visitors’ use of the site. These logs are automatically generated from all our visitors, and we use them to improve the layout of the site and its information based on how visitors move around it. Log files do not contain any personal information about you. 

Links to other websites

Our website contains links to our partners and other external sites. You should note that if you click through to any of these external sites, we do not have control over that site (unless it is a website that forms part of the Fern Wills & Trusts Group of companies). We cannot be responsible for the protection of any information that you provide to these other websites, as this privacy statement does not govern them. You should always exercise caution and look at the privacy statement of whichever website you visit. 

Policy Changes

Fern Wills & LPAs reserves the right to change this privacy policy and will post any revisions on this website. Your continued use of this website will be subject to the then-current privacy policy.