Wentzel wagener Inc

 POPI & PRIVACY POLICY

Introduction:

Wentzel Wagener Inc owes our clients a professional and ethical duty of confidentiality, regulated by the Legal Practice Act and the Legal Practice Council’s Code of Conduct.  We are also subject to the Protection of Personal Information Act (“POPI”), which governs how we handle Personal Information.  This Policy explains how we collect, use, protect and retain Personal Information in relation to our services and our website, www.wwlaw.co.za.  By providing us with Personal Information, you agree to this Policy.

What we Collect and Why:

We collect Personal Information you voluntarily provide to us in order:

• to provide legal services under your mandate to us, to communicate with you directly, or indirectly via one of the service providers assisting in your matter;
• to verify your identity, including for FICA and other regulatory purposes;
• to respond to enquiries, issue invoices, and communicate with you;
• to comply with our legal, regulatory and LPC obligations; and
• to respond to lawful requests from courts, regulators or the Information Regulator.

We collect only what is reasonably necessary for these purposes, use it only for the purpose collected, and take reasonable steps to keep it accurate and up to date.

Sharing Information:

We do not sell or share your Personal Information other than:

• With third-party service providers assisting your with your matter (e.g. counsel, correspondent attorneys, expert witnesses, couriers, etc.), who are bound to confidentiality;
• Where required by law, regulation or the LPC;
• Where necessary to establish or defend our legal rights;
• Where third-party service providers assist with services for you or us or on our behalf, including but not necessarily limited to payment processing, data analysis, communication delivery, hosting services, customer services, and marketing assistance; or
• With your explicit instruction.

Any transfer of information outside South Africa is done in accordance with POPIA’s cross-border transfer requirements.

Security:

We maintain reasonable administrative, technical and physical measures to protect your Personal Information from unauthorised access, loss or misuse, and access is limited to authorised staff.  No system is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute protection against any interception or other type of misuse.

Retention:

We retain Personal Information only for as long as necessary for the purpose collected or as required by law.  In line with LPC and Companies Act requirements, client files and related records are generally retained for a minimum of seven years from the last entry on file.

Your Rights:

Under POPIA, you may request to:

• Access the Personal Information we hold about you, including requesting copies of your Personal Information (Subject to the fee structure as set by the Information Regulator from time to time);
• have your Personal Information corrected or updated;
• have your Personal Information deleted (subject to our legal retention obligations);
• object to or restrict the processing of your Personal Information;
• have your Personal Information which we have collected transferred to another organization, or directly to you (subject to certain conditions); and
• withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details below (we may require proof of identity first, and an access request may attract a reasonable fee.)

Changes to this Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time, and such changes will be posted on this page.

Contact us:

Wentzel Wagener Inc

Attention: Udo Wagener
Email: popi@wwlaw.co.za
Tel:063 253 5935
Address: 3^rd Floor, 28 Wale Street, Cape Town

If unresolved, you may contact the Information Regulator:

Website: www.inforegulator.org.za/contact-us/
Emai: enquiries@inforegulator.org.za
Tel: 010 023 5200
Toll Free: 0800 017 160