This notice explains how AB Legal Incorporated collects, uses, shares and protects personal information, and what rights you have in relation to it. It is issued in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA).
Who is responsible
AB Legal Incorporated is the responsible party for the personal information described in this notice. Our Information Officer is Aleisha Sophia Bezuidenhout.
- Information Officer
- Aleisha Sophia Bezuidenhout
- aleisha@ablegalonline.co.za
- Telephone
- +27 83 395 0500
What we collect
We collect personal information in two contexts.
When you contact us through this website
The enquiry form on this site collects your name, email address, an optional telephone number, the practice area you select, and whatever you choose to write in the message field. We ask you not to send confidential or privileged material in a first enquiry.
When we act for you
Acting in a legal matter requires considerably more. Depending on the matter this may include identity and address verification required by the Financial Intelligence Centre Act 38 of 2001 (FICA), marital status and matrimonial property regime, financial and banking details, information about your assets and liabilities, and information about other people connected to the matter, such as beneficiaries, heirs or counterparties.
Why we process it, and on what basis
- To respond to your enquiry. We rely on your consent, given when you submit the form, and on our legitimate interest in answering people who approach the firm.
- To provide legal services. Processing is necessary to perform the mandate between us.
- To comply with the law. FICA verification, tax reporting, and the record-keeping obligations that apply to legal practitioners are legal obligations rather than choices.
- To run the practice. Accounting, billing, conflict checking and file management.
Who we share it with
We share personal information only where the matter requires it or the law compels it. Depending on the matter, that may include the Deeds Office, the Master of the High Court, SARS, municipalities, banks and bond originators, the Legal Practice Council, correspondent attorneys, sworn appraisers, and the other party's attorney.
We do not sell personal information, and we do not share it for marketing purposes.
Where it is stored
Enquiries submitted through this website are delivered to a mailbox hosted on our own service provider's infrastructure. This website is served as static files and sets no tracking or advertising cookies.
How long we keep it
Legal practitioners are required to retain files and accounting records for prescribed periods after a matter is concluded, and we retain records for at least as long as those rules and the applicable prescription periods require. Enquiries that do not become matters are kept only as long as needed to deal with them, and are then deleted.
How we protect it
We apply reasonable technical and organisational safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information, including access controls, secure storage and confidentiality obligations on everyone working with the firm. Much of what we hold is additionally protected by legal professional privilege.
Your rights
Under POPIA you have the right to:
- ask what personal information we hold about you, and request a copy;
- ask us to correct or delete information that is inaccurate, irrelevant, excessive, out of date or unlawfully obtained;
- object to processing that relies on legitimate interest;
- withdraw consent where processing relies on it, without affecting anything done before the withdrawal;
- complain to the Information Regulator.
Some of these rights are limited where we are required by law to retain records, or where information is subject to privilege. If a request cannot be met in full, we will tell you why.
A request for access is made under the Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000. Our PAIA manual sets out how.
Complaints
Please raise any concern with our Information Officer first — most are resolved quickly. You also have the right to complain directly to the Information Regulator (South Africa), whose contact details are published at inforegulator.org.za.
Changes to this notice
We review this notice periodically. The date at the top reflects the most recent review.