Your privacy matters to us. EqualJustice handles sensitive personal and legal information. We take data protection seriously. All email correspondence is conducted via ProtonMail (end-to-end encrypted). WhatsApp communications are end-to-end encrypted. We do not share your information with third parties for marketing or commercial purposes — ever.
Contents
- Who we are
- What personal data we collect
- How we collect your data
- Why we use your data — lawful basis
- Special category data
- How we protect your data
- How long we keep your data
- Who we share your data with
- Transfers outside the UK
- Cookies and website data
- Your rights under UK GDPR
- How to exercise your rights
- Complaints to the ICO
- Changes to this policy
1. Who we are
The data controller for the purposes of UK GDPR is:
Eugene Pienaar trading as EqualJustice
[INSERT ADDRESS]
Email: eugene.pienaar@proton.me
Website: equaljustice.legal
EqualJustice is a small sole-trader business and is not required to register with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) solely by virtue of processing personal data for the purpose of providing professional services to clients. However, we comply fully with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 in all our data processing activities.
If you have any questions about how we handle your personal data, please contact us at eugene.pienaar@proton.me.
2. What personal data we collect
Depending on the nature of your enquiry and instruction, we may collect and hold the following categories of personal data:
Contact and identity information
- Full name
- Email address
- Phone number (including WhatsApp number)
- Postal address
- Preferred method of contact
Case and legal information
- Details of your legal proceedings, including court name, case number, and parties
- Documents relating to your case (court orders, correspondence, statements, etc.)
- Information about the other party or parties in your proceedings
- Details of hearings, dates, and directions
- Your account of the facts of your case
- Voice notes and audio messages you send to us
Financial information
- Payment records (we do not store card details — payments are made by bank transfer)
- Invoice records
Communications
- Emails, WhatsApp messages, and voice notes exchanged with us
- Notes from scoping calls and consultations
3. How we collect your data
We collect personal data in the following ways:
- Contact and intake forms on our website (equaljustice.legal)
- Email to eugene.pienaar@proton.me (end-to-end encrypted via ProtonMail)
- WhatsApp messages and voice notes to our business number (end-to-end encrypted)
- Speakpipe voice notes recorded via our website
- Calendly booking when you schedule a scoping call
- Telephone calls (scoping calls and consultations)
- Documents you share with us in connection with your case
We only collect personal data that is necessary for the purpose for which it is collected. We do not collect data speculatively or for any purpose unrelated to providing our services.
4. Why we use your data — lawful basis
Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. The table below sets out the purposes for which we process your data and the lawful basis for each:
| Purpose | Lawful basis |
|---|---|
| Responding to your enquiry and conducting the scoping call | Legitimate interests (to assess whether we can assist you) |
| Providing McKenzie Friend services to you under an Engagement Confirmation | Performance of a contract |
| Preparing legal documents on your behalf | Performance of a contract |
| Attending court hearings as your McKenzie Friend | Performance of a contract |
| Issuing invoices and processing payments | Performance of a contract; legal obligation |
| Maintaining records of work done and fees charged | Legal obligation (HMRC record-keeping requirements) |
| Handling complaints about our services | Legitimate interests (to resolve complaints and improve our service) |
| Professional Indemnity Insurance claims and notifications | Legitimate interests (legal protection) |
We do not use your personal data for marketing, profiling, or automated decision-making. We do not sell, rent, or share your data with third parties for commercial purposes.
5. Special category data
Because EqualJustice assists with legal proceedings, the information you share with us will often include special category personal data within the meaning of UK GDPR — including information about health, family circumstances, financial situation, or matters that are inherently sensitive.
We process special category data on the basis that:
- Processing is necessary for the establishment, exercise, or defence of legal claims (Article 9(2)(f) UK GDPR); and/or
- You have given explicit consent to the processing of that data for the purpose of receiving our services
We handle all special category data with the highest level of care. It is stored only in encrypted form, accessed only by Eugene Pienaar, and is never shared with any third party except as described in clause 8.
6. How we protect your data
EqualJustice takes the security of your personal data seriously. The following measures are in place:
Email — ProtonMail
All email is handled via ProtonMail (Proton AG, Geneva, Switzerland). ProtonMail provides end-to-end encryption for emails between ProtonMail users, and zero-access encryption for all stored email. This means that your email content cannot be read by Proton or any third party, even in the event of a data breach at Proton's servers. When you email us from a non-ProtonMail address, the email is encrypted when it arrives at Proton's servers. For maximum security, you may wish to create a free ProtonMail account before contacting us.
All WhatsApp messages and voice notes are end-to-end encrypted by default. This means that only you and EqualJustice can read or listen to the content of your messages — they cannot be read by WhatsApp, Meta, or any third party in transit.
Documents and case files
Documents and case files are stored on password-protected, encrypted devices. We do not use cloud storage services that do not provide end-to-end encryption for client documents.
Access control
Your personal data is accessed only by Eugene Pienaar. No staff, contractors, or third parties have access to client data except as described in clause 8.
7. How long we keep your data
We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, or as required by law. Our standard retention periods are:
| Type of data | Retention period |
|---|---|
| Scoping call enquiries where no instruction followed | 6 months from the date of the scoping call, then deleted |
| Engagement records, correspondence, and case documents | 6 years from the date of the last service provided, in line with the Limitation Act 1980 |
| Financial records (invoices, payment records) | 6 years from the end of the relevant tax year, as required by HMRC |
| Complaint records | 6 years from resolution of the complaint |
At the end of the applicable retention period, your data will be securely deleted or destroyed. You may request earlier deletion of your data — see clause 11 (Your rights).
8. Who we share your data with
EqualJustice does not share your personal data with any third party for marketing, commercial, or any other purpose unrelated to your instruction.
Your data may be shared in the following limited circumstances only:
Professional Indemnity insurers
If a claim is made against EqualJustice, we may need to share relevant information with our Professional Indemnity insurers. This is necessary to protect our legitimate interests and yours.
Legal obligation
We may be required to disclose your data where required by law, court order, or regulatory requirement.
Service providers
We use a small number of third-party tools to deliver our services. These are:
| Provider | Purpose | Data processed | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proton AG (ProtonMail) | Encrypted email | Email content, attachments | Switzerland (adequacy decision) |
| Meta (WhatsApp Business) | Encrypted messaging | Message metadata (not content — E2E encrypted) | USA (SCCs in place) |
| Calendly | Booking scoping calls | Name, email, booking details | USA (SCCs in place) |
| Speakpipe | Voice note recording | Audio recordings | USA (SCCs in place) |
Each of these providers is subject to data processing terms that require them to process your data only in accordance with our instructions and applicable data protection law.
9. Transfers outside the UK
Some of our service providers (Calendly, Speakpipe, and WhatsApp) are based in the USA. Transfers of personal data to these providers are made on the basis of Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the Information Commissioner's Office, which provide appropriate safeguards for your data.
ProtonMail is based in Switzerland, which benefits from an adequacy decision — meaning Switzerland is recognised as providing an adequate level of data protection.
Where possible, we minimise the personal data transferred to third-party providers. For example, WhatsApp message content is end-to-end encrypted and cannot be accessed by Meta.
10. Cookies and website data
Our website (equaljustice.legal) uses only essential cookies necessary for the website to function. We do not use tracking cookies, advertising cookies, or analytics that identify individual users.
We do not use Google Analytics or any similar third-party analytics service that profiles individual visitors.
The intake form on our website collects the information you enter and transmits it to us by email via a form submission service. No form data is stored on third-party servers beyond what is necessary for transmission.
11. Your rights under UK GDPR
Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:
| Right | What it means |
|---|---|
| Right of access | You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you (a Subject Access Request) |
| Right to rectification | You can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data |
| Right to erasure | You can ask us to delete your data in certain circumstances — subject to our legal retention obligations |
| Right to restriction | You can ask us to restrict how we use your data in certain circumstances |
| Right to data portability | You can ask us to provide your data in a machine-readable format in certain circumstances |
| Right to object | You can object to processing based on legitimate interests |
| Rights related to automated decisions | We do not make automated decisions — this right does not currently apply |
Please note that some of these rights are not absolute. In particular, we may need to retain certain data to comply with our legal obligations even if you request erasure.
12. How to exercise your rights
To exercise any of your rights, please contact us at:
Eugene Pienaar — EqualJustice
Email: eugene.pienaar@proton.me
Subject line: Data Protection Request
We will respond to all valid requests within one calendar month, as required by UK GDPR. In complex cases, we may extend this by a further two months, in which case we will notify you within the initial one-month period.
We will not charge a fee for handling your request unless it is manifestly unfounded or excessive, in which case we may charge a reasonable administrative fee.
We may need to verify your identity before processing your request. We will ask for the minimum information necessary to do so.
13. Complaints to the ICO
If you are not satisfied with how we have handled your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):
Information Commissioner's Office
Website: ico.org.uk
Helpline: 0303 123 1113
Address: Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF
We would always prefer the opportunity to resolve any concern directly before you contact the ICO. Please contact us first at eugene.pienaar@proton.me.
14. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. The current version will always be available at equaljustice.legal/privacy.html and will be dated accordingly.
If we make material changes that affect how we use your data, we will notify you by email where w
If we make material changes that affect how we use your data, we will notify you by updating this page and, where appropriate, by sending you an email notice.