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Data retention policy

The firm

Your Data will be kept for certain periods after your retainer with us has terminated. The periods for which we will retain Your Data depends on the practice area under which we provided our services to you. The periods are as follows:

Practice areaRetention period
Abortive transaction/matter did not proceedDiscretionary decision by Legal Staff and Supervising Partner (for example, if no engagement letter was sent or received) – 1 year as a guide.
Beneficiary information/data7 years, unless there is a will trust, in which case until the trust end date plus 7 years.
Corporate Commercial12 years or longer if it involves complex issues.
Criminal7 to 15 years (depending on the seriousness of the crime) or longer if a life or indeterminate sentences have been imposed.
Docusign, Inc. dataDocument and draft envelope retention periods 30 days.
Employment7 years.
Family15 or 21 years (for example, if children are involved).
Leasehold and Tenancy (including leasehold extension)15 years.
Litigation12 years or longer if necessary (for example, if you are disabled).
Medical Negligence15 years or longer if it involves children or complex issues (for example, lifetime or provisional damages being awarded).
Personal Injury7 to 15 years or longer depending on the complexity of the case (for example, lifetime or provisional damages being awarded), the seriousness of the injury or if children are involved.
Private Client (non-litigious)7 years.
Property Purchase and Mortgage15 years.
Property Re-Mortgage15 years.
Property Sales12 years.
TrustsFor the duration of the trust and then an additional 7 years.
Wills and ProbateIndefinitely (if in keeping with a will or trust) or 21 years.

Any data held to comply with our obligations under anti-money laundering regulations as may be in force will be held for five years from the date of the last active matter’s file closure, with a long stop date of 10 years.

Please note that we may keep Your Data for longer than the above periods if necessary. However, this will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. If we determine that it is necessary to keep Your Data for longer than the periods listed above, we will confirm this to you in writing at the end of our retainer with you and explain why it is necessary.

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What they say...

  • Ian, April 2025
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