Last updated: September 2026
1. Who we are
EFC Legal is a trading name of Edward Forbes and Company Limited.
Edward Forbes and Company Limited is the data controller responsible for the personal information described in this notice.
Our contact details are:
Edward Forbes and Company Limited trading as EFC Legal
International House
101 King’s Cross Road
London WC1X 9LP
Telephone: 020 8036 1009
Mobile: 0781 3016 930
Email: albert.forbes@efclegal.co.uk
This notice explains how we collect, use, store and share personal information when you visit our website, make an enquiry or use our legal consultancy and advisory services.
2. Personal information we may collect
Depending on the nature of your enquiry or matter, we may collect and use:
- your name, address and contact details;
- information you provide through our website, email, telephone or other communications;
- information about your enquiry, circumstances or legal matter;
- documents, correspondence, dates, events and other information relevant to the work you ask us to undertake;
- information about other people where relevant to your matter;
- records of our communications with you;
- engagement, invoicing and payment records;
- technical information associated with use of our website, such as IP address, browser or device information, where collected by the website or its service providers.
We ask that you do not send more personal information than is reasonably necessary for us to consider your enquiry.
3. Sensitive personal information
Some legal matters may involve information classed as special category personal data, such as information concerning health, racial or ethnic origin, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership or sexual life or orientation.
We will only use such information where it is relevant and necessary and where we have a lawful basis and an appropriate condition under data protection law.
Where information is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal rights or claims, we may rely on the legal-claims condition under data protection law.
A matter may also occasionally involve information relating to criminal allegations, convictions or offences. We will process such information only where it is necessary and where an appropriate legal condition permits us to do so.
4. How we obtain personal information
We normally obtain personal information directly from you.
Where relevant to a matter, we may also receive information from:
- another person acting on your behalf;
- another party involved in the matter;
- professional advisers or service providers;
- public bodies or authorities;
- publicly available records or sources.
Where we receive information from another source, we will handle it in accordance with applicable data protection requirements.
5. Why we use your information and our lawful bases
We may use personal information to:
Respond to enquiries and assess whether we can assist you.
This may be necessary to take steps at your request before entering into an engagement.
Provide services you have instructed us to provide.
This will normally be necessary for the performance of our contract with you.
Manage our relationship with you, including correspondence, administration, invoicing and record keeping.
This may be necessary for performance of our contract, compliance with legal obligations or our legitimate interests in operating and administering our professional services.
Review documents, evidence and circumstances relevant to your matter and provide advice or assistance within the agreed scope.
This will normally be necessary to provide the service you have requested.
Establish, exercise or defend legal rights or claims where relevant.
We may rely on our legitimate interests and, where special category information is involved, the applicable legal-claims condition.
Comply with legal, regulatory, tax, accounting or other obligations applicable to us.
We may process information where this is necessary to comply with a legal obligation.
Maintain the security, integrity and proper operation of our website, systems and records.
We may rely on our legitimate interests in protecting our business, clients, systems and information.
Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider whether our interests are necessary and proportionate and whether your rights and interests override them.
6. Who we may share personal information with
We do not sell personal information.
Where reasonably necessary, we may share information with:
- IT, website-hosting, email, cloud-storage and other technology providers;
- accountants, insurers and other professional advisers;
- banks or payment providers used in connection with invoicing and payments;
- other legal or professional specialists where their involvement is necessary and appropriately authorised;
- courts, tribunals, public authorities, regulators or law-enforcement bodies where required or permitted by law;
- other persons where you have authorised us to share the information or where sharing is reasonably necessary for the agreed service.
Where another EFC service may be relevant, information will not automatically be transferred merely because it forms part of the wider EFC business. Appropriate scope, confidentiality and data-protection considerations will be applied.
7. International transfers
Some technology or service providers may process or store information outside the United Kingdom.
Where personal information is transferred internationally, we take reasonable steps to ensure that an appropriate lawful transfer mechanism or other safeguard required by UK data protection law is in place.
8. How long we keep personal information
We keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected.
The appropriate retention period will depend on factors including:
- whether an enquiry becomes a client engagement;
- the nature and duration of the matter;
- contractual, legal, tax and accounting requirements;
- the need to maintain appropriate professional and business records;
- applicable limitation periods;
- whether information may be required to establish, exercise or defend legal rights or claims.
We periodically review the information we hold and will delete or anonymise information when there is no longer a reasonable need to retain it.
9. Security
We take reasonable organisational and technical measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, loss or destruction.
Access to client and enquiry information is restricted to those who reasonably require it for legitimate business or professional purposes.
10. Cookies and website information
Our website may use cookies and similar technologies necessary for the operation, security and performance of the website.
Where non-essential cookies or technologies requiring consent are used, appropriate information and consent mechanisms will be provided as required.
11. Your data protection rights
Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:
- ask for access to the personal information we hold about you;
- ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
- ask us to erase personal information in certain circumstances;
- ask us to restrict the way we use your information;
- object to certain processing;
- receive certain information in a portable format;
- withdraw consent where our processing is based on consent.
These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal exceptions.
To exercise a data protection right, contact us using the details above.
12. Complaints
If you have concerns about how we use your personal information, please contact us first so that we have an opportunity to address the matter.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection.
Further information is available from the ICO at ico.org.uk.
13. Changes to this notice
We may update this Privacy Notice from time to time to reflect changes in our services, systems, legal obligations or data-processing activities.
The date at the top of this notice indicates when it was last updated.