At VennLaw Advisory, we are committed to safeguarding the privacy of our clients, visitors to our website, and all individuals with whom we interact.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information, in compliance with Nigeria’s Data Protection Regulations (NDPR) and other relevant data protection laws.

By engaging with our services, accessing our website, or providing us with your personal information, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect various types of personal information from you, depending on the nature of your interaction with VennLaw Advisory:

  1. Personal Identification Information: Your name, address, email address, phone number, occupation, and other identifiers.
  2. Professional Information: This includes your job title, business contact details, and, in some cases, employment history.
  3. Legal Information: Information relating to legal cases, consultations, documents, and other materials pertinent to our legal representation or advice.
  4. Financial Information: Payment details, banking information, and transaction history, primarily for billing and payment purposes.
  5. Technical Information: Such as IP addresses, browser types, operating system, device information, and browsing patterns are collected when you visit our website or interact with us online.
  6. Communication Records: We may retain records of your communications with us, including emails, phone calls, and any correspondence related to your legal matters.

2. How We Collect Your Information

We collect personal information through various methods, including:

  1. Direct Interactions: Information you provide to us directly, for instance, during consultations, meetings, and through forms on our website.
  2. Online Interactions: Information collected when you visit our website, including through cookies and tracking technologies.
  3. Third-Party Sources: Information from publicly available sources, government databases, or third parties where relevant to legal services.
  4. Client Referrals: Information provided to us by third-party referrers or your representatives.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for legitimate purposes, including:

  1. Provision of Legal Services: To provide, manage, and improve our legal services, including assessing and advising on legal matters.
  2. Communication: To update you on your case, we send newsletters, legal updates, and relevant announcements.
  3. Billing and Payment Processing: This is for invoicing, accounting, and processing payments related to our services.
  4. Legal and Regulatory Compliance: To comply with legal obligations, including anti-money laundering, regulatory requirements, and other legal obligations.
  5. Website Improvements: To enhance user experience on our website through analytics, understanding user patterns, and improving functionality.
  6. Client Relationship Management: To maintain our relationship with you, gather feedback, and provide services tailored to your preferences and needs.

4. Legal Basis for Processing Personal Data

Under Nigeria’s data protection laws, we rely on the following legal bases for processing your personal information:

  1. Performance of a Contract: Processing is necessary for the performance of a contract, such as providing legal services or fulfilling a retainer agreement.
  2. Legal Obligation: Where processing is required to comply with a legal obligation, including regulatory requirements.
  3. Legitimate Interests: Where processing is necessary for our legitimate interests, such as improving our services, security, and client management.
  4. Consent: In cases where your consent is required, we will seek and obtain your consent before processing your personal data.

5. Disclosure of Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade personal information. We may share your information in the following instances:

  1. Legal Purposes: When disclosure is necessary to comply with legal proceedings, court orders, or regulatory requirements.
  2. Service Providers: With trusted third-party service providers who assist us with data processing, payment processing, IT services, and other administrative tasks. These providers are bound by confidentiality agreements and are prohibited from using your information for any purpose other than assisting us.
  3. Professional Advisors: With auditors, legal consultants, and other professional advisors to comply with legal and regulatory obligations.
  4. Business Transactions: In the event of a merger, acquisition, restructuring, or sale of VennLaw Advisory, your personal data may be transferred as part of the transaction.

6. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorized access, loss, misuse, alteration, or destruction.

This includes secure data storage, restricted access to sensitive information, and encryption of data where necessary.

Despite these measures, no method of electronic storage or transmission is 100% secure; therefore, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.

The retention period will vary depending on the type of data and the specific legal or regulatory obligations involved.

Once your data is no longer required, we will securely dispose of or anonymize it.

8. Your Rights

Under Nigerian data protection law, you have the following rights:

  1. Access: To request access to your personal data held by us.
  2. Rectification: To request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
  3. Erasure: To request deletion of your data when no longer necessary for legal purposes.
  4. Restriction: To restrict the processing of your data in certain circumstances.
  5. Portability: To request a copy of your data in a machine-readable format.
  6. Objection: To object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, please contact us through the details provided in Section 12.

We may request additional information to confirm your identity before processing your request.

9. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience.

Cookies help us analyze site usage, remember your preferences, and improve our services.

You can modify your browser settings to decline cookies, though this may affect your access to certain features on our website.

10. International Transfers

In cases where we transfer your personal data to a country outside Nigeria, we will ensure that such transfers comply with applicable data protection laws.

We may rely on legally recognized transfer mechanisms, such as standard contractual clauses, to ensure your data is protected.

11. Third-Party Websites

Our website may contain links to third-party sites.

Please note that we are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of external websites.

We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party websites you visit.

12. Contact Us

For questions, requests, or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:

VennLaw Advisory
Email: [email protected]
Website: vennlawadvisory.com

13. Policy Updates

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements.

Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date.

We encourage you to review this policy regularly to stay informed about how we protect your information.

Last Updated: November, 2024.