Privacy Policy - Serle Court

Introduction
1. Serle Court is a set of Barristers’ Chambers, constituted as a Trade Protection Association by its barrister members (“Members”) to assist them in the conduct of their practices at the independent Bar.
2. In order to perform the functions of a set of barristers’ Chambers, Serle Court needs to collect and hold personal information. This may be personal data or information relating to our applicants for pupillage and employment, permanent and temporary staff, Members and pupils, the spouses and next of kin of staff and Members, consultants, suppliers, visitors or contracting parties, or it may come from Members’ clients if, for example, they make a complaint to Chambers.
3. We will take all reasonable and proportionate steps to protect personal information. We will ensure that we do not do anything that may infringe your rights or undermine your trust.
4. This Privacy Policy describes the information Chambers collects about you, how it is used and shared, and your rights regarding it.
Data Controller Details
1. 2.1 Each Member is the data controller in relation to the processing of personal information relating to their own client work. They accordingly have their own Data Protection and Privacy Policies, and ancillary documentation, as well as their own bases for processing. For ease of reference, Members can be contacted about their own processing activities using the details below:
  1. Address: FAO: [insert name of the relevant Member], Serle Court, 6 New Square, Lincoln’s Inn, London, WC2A 3QS.
  2. Telephone number: +44 (0) 20 7242 6105.
  3. Email address: either to the email address of the Member, or to data@serlecourt.co.uk (please include “Personal Data enquiry– [insert name of relevant Member]” in your subject heading to ensure it receives the correct attention).
2. Chambers is the data controller in relation to the processing of the personal information that is referred to in paragraph 4.2 below. Chambers is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) as a Data Controller for such personal data under registration number ZA694225.
3. Chambers also acts as data processor insofar as it processes client data on behalf of its Members in the course of administering their legal practices.
4. Chambers does not have or need to have a Data Protection Officer, but the Chambers Director is our nominated Data Protection Lead (“DPL”). The DPL can be contacted about this Policy or about your data using the details below:
  1. Address: Serle Court, 6 New Square, Lincoln’s Inn, London, WC2A 3QS.
  2. Telephone number: +44 (0) 20 7242 6105.
  3. Email address: data@serlecourt.co.uk (please include “Personal Data Request – Chambers” in your subject heading to ensure it receives the correct attention).
Data Collection
1. The vast majority of the information that we hold about you has been provided to us by you or your agents.
2. In addition to the information you may provide to us, we obtain information from other sources as follows:
  1. Information that is available publicly, for example in registers, online or in the media
  2. Chambers staff or Members
  3. Regulatory, public or administrative bodies
3. The data we collect is for the most part digitally held and is kept within our Microsoft 365 tenant on cloud servers in the United Kingdom and the EU. We will first ask your permission before recording or transcribing any video meeting and the lawful basis for so doing will be the lawful basis applicable to you set out in the Data Processed Register in Schedule 1. The transcription service we use is within our Microsoft 365 tenant, acting as a data processor pursuant to a data processing agreement compliant with Article 28 of the UK GDPR.
4. If you supply physical data to Chambers the appropriate staff member will store it and take reasonable steps to store it securely.
Our Processing As Data Controllers
1. To make this information clear, we have created a Data Processed Register, which is also set out in Schedule 1 and gives the particular category of information we collect and retain; where we obtain the information from; the purpose and legal basis of processing and to whom we will (if applicable) disclose the information.
2. The Data Processed Register is divided into 5 sections:
  - Section 1 – Data about individuals who apply for employment, pupillage or work experience with Chambers.
  - Section 2 – Data about Members and staff of Chambers, consultants, secondees, those on work experience, temporary staff, former Members and staff, next of kin, spouses, beneficiaries.
  - Section 3 – Data about suppliers and supplier personnel.
  - Section 4 – Data about visitors to Chambers’ offices.
  - Section 5 – Data supplied in the course of a complaint under our Complaints Policy including data within any case if relevant to the complaint
  - Section 6 – Data about our marketing contacts
International Transfers
We will not transfer personal data relating to you to a country which is outside the European Economic Area (EEA) unless it is necessary to do so and:
1. the country or recipient (if a separate controller or processor, which is legally distinct from us) is covered by current UK adequacy regulations; or
2. appropriate safeguards have been put in place under Article 46 of the UK GDPR and that the risk assessment first required shows that for the data subjects of the transferred data, either the relevant protections of UK GDPR will not be undermined or one of the exceptions of Article 49 applies.
  The Article 49 derogations include (in summary):
  1. the transfer is necessary to perform, or to form, a contract to which we (as applicable) are a party:
    - with you; or
    - a third party where the contract is in your interests.
  2. the transfer is necessary for important reasons of public interest or the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims
  3. you have provided your explicit consent to the transfer; or
  4. the transfer is a one-off transfer and is necessary to meet our compelling legitimate interests.
Retention Of Personal Data
1. Our Data Retention and Deletion policy can be found at Schedule 2.
Your rights in respect of your personal data
1. We are not required to give you information in certain circumstances – for the detailed position, reference is made to our Subject Rights Request Policy.
2. Generally, however, you have certain rights under data protection laws, including the right to (upon written request) obtain a copy of your personal data that we are processing. Our Subject Rights Request Policy is available on request, but in accordance with the GDPR and subject to the Exemptions:
  1. you will have the following rights:
    - right to access: the right to access and receive a copy of the personal information about you that we (as applicable) are holding (please note that you are entitled to request one copy of the personal information that we (as applicable) hold about you at no cost, but for any further copies, we (as applicable) reserve the right to charge a reasonable fee based on administration costs); an
    - right to rectification: the right to have your personal information rectified if it is inaccurate or incomplete, subject to some exceptions and limitations; and
  2. in certain circumstances, you will also have the following rights:
    - right to erasure / “right to be forgotten”: the right to withdraw your consent to our processing of the data (if the legal basis for processing is based on your consent) and the right to request that we (as applicable) delete or erase your personal information from our systems (however, this will not apply if we are required to hold on to the information for compliance with any legal obligation or if we (as applicable) require the information to establish or defend any legal claim);
    - right to restriction of use of your information: the right to stop us from using your personal information or limit the way in which we (as applicable) can use it;
    - right to data portability: the right to request that we (as applicable) return any information you have provided in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format, or that we (as applicable) send it directly to another company, where technically feasible; and
    - right to object: the right to object to our use of your personal information including where we (as applicable) use it for our legitimate interests or for marketing purposes.
3. Please note that if you withdraw your consent to the use of your personal information for purposes set out in our Privacy Policy, we may not be able to carry out our contractual obligations to you or process your data for the purposes for which you have supplied it.
4. If you consider our use of your personal information to be unlawful or inappropriate, you have the right to complain to us using our Data Complaints Policy 2026. If you are not satisfied with our response to your complaint, you may be able to pursue your complaint with the UK’s supervisory authority, the Information Commissioner’s Office. Please see further information on their website: www.ico.org.uk.
Automatic decision making
1. We do not make decisions based solely on automated data processing, including profiling.
Security
1. We keep your information protected by taking appropriate technical and organisational measures to guard against unauthorised or unlawful processing, accidental loss, destruction or damage. Full details are contained in our Information Security Policy but for example:
  1. where appropriate, data is encrypted when transiting on our system or stored on our databases;
  2. we have implemented safeguards in relation to access and confidentiality in order to protect the information held within our systems; and
  3. we frequently carry out risk assessments and audits to monitor and review threats and vulnerabilities to our systems to prevent fraud.
2. However, whilst we will do our best to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of your information which is transmitted via an internet or similar connection. If you have credentials for accessing our IT environment it is critical that these are kept confidential by you and should not be disclosed to or shared with anyone.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
1. Subject as follows, AI tools may be used by Chambers for data processing purposes, but all the provisions and protections of this Privacy Policy apply to such use.
2. Chambers has an AI Governance Policy which:
  - mandates a process for the formal approval of AI tools to be adopted for use in conjunction with Chambers Microsoft tenancy and configured appropriately, which will include enterprise-level security and settings that prohibit the use of inputted data for AI model training purposes;
  - prohibits any unapproved AI tools being used in conjunction with Chambers Microsoft tenancy;
  - prohibits the entry of (inter alia) confidential or sensitive data into any unapproved AI tool;
  - requires the completion of an AI DPIA and a long form acceptable use checklist where it is proposed to process personal data using an approved AI tool. The checklist specifically draws the user’s attention to the question of whether there is a less intrusive or lower-risk way to address the task in question (ie, whether the data can be anonymized).
Changes to this Privacy Policy
1. We may amend this Privacy Policy from time to time for any reason, but most typically, to keep it up to date, to implement minor technical adjustments and improvements or to comply with legal requirements. We will always update this Privacy Policy on our website, so please try to read it when you visit the website (the “last updated” reference below tells you when we last updated our Privacy Policy).

Last updated: June 2026

Schedule 1 – Data Processed Register

Section 1

Data about individuals who apply for membership, employment, pupillage, mini-pupillage or work experience with Chambers.

	What We Collect	Source	Purpose	Legal Basis	Recipients
Contact information	Name Home and work addresses Landline / mobile phone or fax numbers Email addresses Previous addresses	Individual themselves sometimes via recruitment portal Recruitment agency	For contacting individuals where required For obtaining/verifying evidence of identity	Our legitimate interest in processing such information in respect of their prospective visit, pupillage, employment or membership	UK regulatory and law enforcement bodies, where required of us under UK law or regulation Our service providers (such as data storage, typing, administrative support and audit) Our members acting as processors
Employment information	Position/Title Employment history and CV References from previous employees Professional specialisms Education and qualifications Practising certificate details and caveats Practising certificate status Test scores on psychometric or situational judgment test Salary and benefits, income Disciplinary record Date of birth Health data in limited circumstances”	Individual himself or herself Recruitment agency Previous employers Bar Standards Board/The Bar Council External testing/assessment body External testing/assessment body Individual himself or herself Recruitment agency Previous employers Individual himself or herself Recruitment agency Previous employers Individual himself or herself	For assessing their suitability for the role For considering potential package and offer	As above	As above
Interests	Professional and personal interests Languages spoken	Individual himself or herself Recruitment	For assessing their suitability for the role	As above	As above
ID document information	Information contained in or provided to us as part of our recruitment or take on process. This includes details included in copy personal photo and residential ID documents we receive Visa documentation (right to work in the UK)	Individual himself or herself Recruitment agency	For obtaining/verifying evidence of identity In order to confirm that the individual is entitled to work in the UK Security and prevention of crime	As above Compliance with a legal obligation	As above

Section 2

Data about Members and staff of Chambers; those in Chambers temporarily such as pupils, consultants, secondees, those on work experience, and temporary staff; former Members and staff; and the next of kin, spouses, beneficiaries of Members, pupils and staff.

	What We Collect	Source	Purpose	Legal Basis	Recipients
Contact information (work)	Name Work address Landline/mobile phone or fax numbers Email addresses	Individual himself or herself Employer Recruitment agency	For contacting individuals where required in the individual’s capacity as visitor, employee, member or former member Security and prevention of crime	Our legitimate interest in processing such information in the course of their visit, engagement, employment or membership Performance of a contract of employment or engagement	Clients Other professional advisers of Clients Other parties and/or their professional advisers involved in matters where required as part of the conduct of matters Other Members Government bodies (such as HMRC) Courts, tribunals, local authorities, where required as part of the conduct of matters UK regulatory and law enforcement bodies, where required of us under UK law or regulation Our service providers (such as data storage, typing, administrative support and audit) Compilers of legal directories (where you have agreed to be a referee)
Employment information	Position/Title Employment history and CV References from previous employers Professional specialisms Education, qualifications and qualification certificates Disciplinary records Performance records Appraisals Performance feedback Interview notes Languages spoken Practising certificate details and caveats Professional indemnity and compliance information Various test scores as appropriate – psychometric, situational judgment, professional qualifications Working patterns (days worked and non-work days)	Individual himself or herself Recruitment agency Previous employers Bar Standards Board/The Bar Council External training portals and testing/assessment bodies	In order to keep appropriate employment records For assessing continued suitability for their role For planning progression For compliance with any professional requirements relating to qualification or regulation and for the governance or regulation of Chambers	Our legitimate interest in processing such information in the course of employment or membership or practice management Performance of a contract of employment or engagement	Clients Other professional advisers of Clients Other Members Other parties and/or their professional advisers involved in matters where required as part of the conduct of matters Our service providers (such as data storage, typing, administrative support and audit) Compilers of legal directories (where you have agreed to be a referee) Regulatory bodies that require to have compliance evidenced
Financial information	Bank details Transaction history Salary and benefits Life insurance Statement of wishes – death in service Pension Tax-related information National Insurance number Payroll documentation – P45 / P60 / P11D	Individual himself or herself	To pay or compensate the individual In order to keep appropriate employment records In order to allow the individual to receive pension and other benefits In order to allow nominated family members or beneficiaries to receive benefits or insurance funds	Our legitimate interest in processing such information in the course of their employment or membership The individual’s legitimate interest in being paid as an employee or membership Performance of a contract of employment or engagement	Our bank Accountants/auditors Third party payroll processors Government bodies (such as HMRC)
ID document information	Information contained in or provided to us as part of our recruitment or take on process. This includes details included in copy personal photo and residential ID documents we receiveVisa documentation (right to work in the UK)	Individual himself or herself Recruitment agency	For obtaining/verifying evidence of identity In order to keep appropriate employment records In order to confirm that the individual is entitled to work in the UK Security and prevention of crime	Our legitimate interest in processing such information in the course of their employment or engagement Compliance with a legal or regulatory obligation	Our bank Government bodies (such as HMRC) UK regulatory and law enforcement bodies, where required of us under UK law or regulation Our service providers (such as data storage, typing, administrative support and audit)
Criminal record	DBS check (basic disclosure)	Third party service provider	To satisfy our legal and regulatory obligations Security and prevention of crime	Our legitimate interest in processing such information in the course of their employment or engagement Compliance with a legal obligation	Third party service provider UK regulatory and law enforcement bodies, where required of us under UK law or regulation
Photographic or video images and security card reports	Images via CCTV, including work areas or via photography at marketing events Entrance/exit dates/times Movement within the building via security card system	Individual himself or herself Any CCTV Our door access control system Our staff or engaged photographers	Security and prevention of crime Marketing	Our legitimate interest in maintaining a safe environment and in preventing and detecting crime Our legitimate interest in processing such information in the course of their employment or engagement	Law enforcement authorities Those engaged to create marketing collateral involving our imagery

Section 3

Data about suppliers and supplier personnel

	What Chambers Collect	Source	Purpose	Legal Basis	Recipients
Contact information	Business addresses Landline/mobile phone or fax numbers Email addresses Previous addresses	Individual himself or herself Individual’s employer or contracting organisation (the Supplier)	For contacting individuals in relation to goods or services For providing references and recommendations about the individual	Performance of contract with the individual Chambers’ legitimate interest in requesting, purchasing or administering contracts for the supply of goods or services The legitimate interests of the individual	The supplier concerned Our service providers (such as data storage, typing, administrative support and audit) Those at our clients charged with procurement Our bank and accountants
Employment information	Position/Title Employment history Professional specialisms Qualifications	Individual or Supplier	For assessing the individual’s skills and experience For providing references and recommendations about the individual
Financial information	Bank details Transaction history		Captured when we receive or make a payment to/from an individual, or make payments on behalf of an individual and retained as evidence of the transactions

Section 4

Data about visitors to Chambers’ premises

	What Chambers Collect	Source	Purpose	Legal Basis	Recipients
Visitors meeting rooms and functions	Names, employer and contact details Images via CCTV Entrance/exit dates/times Dietary preferences	Individual or others acting on their behalf CCTV system Our door access control system	Security and prevention of crime For use where catering is arranged	Chambers’ legitimate interest in maintaining a safe environment and in preventing and detecting crime Vital interests of the individual concerned	Our Members Building management and law enforcement authorities External caterers
Contractors and other visitors to Chambers’ premises	Names, employer and contact details Images via CCTV Entrance/exit dates/times Movement within the building via security card system	The individual or their employer or agent Chambers’ CCTV and door access control system	Security and prevention of crime Confirming attendance/location of the individual for determining contract performance and duration of visit	Chambers’ legitimate interest in maintaining a safe environment and in preventing and detecting crime, and in ensuring and measuring performance of contract obligations by suppliers	Our members Building management and law enforcement authorities The individual’s employer or agent

Section 5

Data supplied in the course of a complaint

	What Chambers Collect	Source	Purpose	Legal Basis	Recipients
Complainants	Whatever data which may be personal to the Complainant, or the Member or employee complained of, that the Complainant has supplied, or that the Member or employee supplies in their defence of the complaint	Complainant or others acting on their behalf, or Members or employees	To make out or rebut a complaint	Chambers’ legitimate interest in maintaining a professionally run Chambers	Members, staff or Complainants
Case data	Any personal data about or within the case that is contained in a complaint or relevant to the defence to it	Complainant or others acting on their behalf, or Members or employees	To make out or rebut a complaint	Chambers’ legitimate interest in maintaining a professionally run Chambers	Members, staff or Complainants

Section 6

Data obtained for marketing

	What Chambers Collect	Source	Purpose	Legal Basis	Recipients
	Names Email addresses Firm name and address Departments Professional expertise	Client Internet Other public resources	To receive targeted marketing from Chambers	Consent Chambers’ legitimate interest in maintaining a professionally run Chambers	Members and staff

Category of personal data	Period for which personal data will be stored.
Data about Clients	Contact details for marketing purposes: Contact information relating to clients and contacts will be held for so long as we believe the information to remain accurate and the individual concerned remains a genuine connection of Chambers or any Member. We have a programme for reviewing our contacts regularly, and removing any information which is considered to be out of date or no longer relevant. Contracts and general correspondence (emails, post and other communications) obtained in the course of Members providing our services (where Chambers is processor): In line with Members’ own retention policies such information will be stored for 15 years following completion of the services or termination or expiry of the contract with the Client (whichever is later) except in circumstances that require the data to be retained for a longer period of time.
Data about Chambers’ suppliers and supplier personnel	Contracts and general correspondence (emails, post and other communications) obtained in the course of providing your services: Such information will be stored for 3 years following completion of the services or termination or expiry of your contract (whichever is later).
Data about individuals who apply unsuccessfully for employment, tenancy or pupillage or work experience with Chambers.	Personal data obtained from these applications will be deleted as follows: Unsuccessful in securing employment – within 18 months Unsuccessful in securing mini-pupillage/work experience – within 18 months Unsuccessful in securing pupillage – the BSB requires the retention of “recruitment records”, including for the “application process” and “assessor records” for a period of 5 years -all application data will be deleted 5 years after the application was determined Unsuccessful in securing tenancy – the names only of unsuccessful applicants for tenancy will be retained for 10 years but all application data will be deleted within 18 months
Data about Members and staff of Chambers, former Members and staff and other individuals who spend time at Chambers (such as consultants, pupils and secondees).	The retention and deletion of Diversity Data supplied will follow the detailed provisions of Serle Court’s Diversity Data Policy – raw data will be deleted as soon as possible after processing save that processing includes placing the data on Lex where it will be retained subject to updating for the duration of membership or employment unless consent is withdrawn. Human resources (HR) records will be destroyed 6 years following employment. Data relating to PAYE, pay during maternity or parental leave or SMP will be destroyed 3 years following employment. For the purposes of administration this will be actioned annually in December of each year. Personal data stored in private workspaces created for HR purposes (including for appraisals, promotion and probation reviews, pupillage training records, feedback and outcomes) will be deleted 6 years after creation.
Data about visitors to Chambers	We will delete our call and visitor logs no more than 1 month after creation.
Data provided in the course of making a complaint	Data provided to Chambers for the purposes of making or rebutting a Complaint under our Complaints Policy will be retained no more than 6 years.