Introduction 

We, The OECS Bar Association, functioning through our registered company,  OECS Bar Association Inc., take privacy, and the security of personal data, very seriously, and we are committed to ensuring that we safeguard the privacy and personal data of our website visitors and those with whom we communicate through that website, whether by email or electronically, at all times and in the best way possible. 

This privacy policy (together with any other documents referred to on our Website or which we have sent you) tells you: 

• Who we are. 
• How we collect, use, store and share your personal data. 

Please note that this Website includes links to third-party websites and applications. Clicking on those links, or enabling those connections, may allow third parties to collect or share data about you. We have no control over these third-party websites and applications and are not responsible for their privacy statements. You must therefore make sure that you understand how those websites and organisations will use your personal data and not rely on this policy. 

Please read this privacy policy, and any other privacy notice or policy that we may have provided to you. We want to be sure that you are fully aware of how and why we are using your data. 

Please note that this website is not intended for children, and we do not knowingly collect data relating to children. 

Who are we? 

We are an umbrella group for the nine Bar Associations of the Eastern Caribbean States and Territories which comprises Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, the Territory of the Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. We function legally as a Nevis-incorporated non-profit company. Our objectives include  the promotion of the administration of justice, the promotion, maintenance and improvement of the interests and standards of Legal Practitioners; and the making of recommendations with respect to legislation, law reform, Rules of Court and the business and procedure of Courts.

Please note that we may update this privacy policy at any time. Any changes we may make to our policy in the future will be posted on this page. Please check back frequently to see any updates or changes made. 

Complaints 

Should you have any complaints or queries about anything relating to the privacy of your personal data, or any other data protection issues, please let us know using the contact details above and we will do our best to deal with them.  

Personal data we collect about you 

The term ‘personal data’ means any information about an individual from which that individual may be identified. It does not, therefore, include data where the identity has been removed (anonymised data). 

We may collect, store and use some or all of the following categories of data about you. 

When you use our website, we may record: 

• technical information, including the type of device you use to access our website, the Internet Protocol (IP) address, your login data, the type and version of your browser, your time zone setting and location, browser plug-in types and versions, operating system, platform and mobile network information; and 
• your usage of our website, including the full Uniform Resource Locators (URL), the pages you viewed, the page response times, any download errors, the length of time you were on a particular page, how you interacted with the page (such as scrolling, clicks and mouse-overs), and how you browsed away from the page. 

When you contact us or use any of our services: 

• your name and contact information, including email address and telephone number; 
• business/company details if you have contacted us on behalf of a business/company; 
• your gender information, if you choose to give this to us; 
• your personal or professional interests; 

• your professional and/or personal online presence (e.g., LinkedIn or Facebook profile); 
• information about how you use our website, IT, communication and other systems; and
• your responses to surveys and promotions; and 

How we collect your data 

We will collect most of your personal data directly from you, whether in person, by telephone, text or email and/or via our website. write to us with information.  However, we may also collect information: 

• from publicly-accessible sources (for example the internet, LinkedIn or a Corporate Registry); or

• technologies or interactions with our website through the use of cookies and similar; and 
• via our systems (for example door entry systems and reception logs, CCTV and access control systems, communications systems, email and instant messaging). 

How we use your data 

We will only use your personal data when the law allows us to do so, and where we have a proper reason for doing so. Most often, we will use your personal data in the following circumstances: 

• Where you give us your consent to using your personal data; for example, when you correspond with us or request information. 
• Where it is necessary for our legitimate interests (or those of a third party); for example, we have a business or commercial reason for using your personal data and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests. 
• Where we need to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation. 

Normally, we will only use your data for the purposes for which we collected it, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another related reason, and that related reason is compatible with the original purpose. If we need to use your data for an unrelated purpose, we will seek your consent to use it for that new purpose. 

Sharing your data 

We may need to share your data with third parties where they provide services on our behalf. We require that all our third-party service providers take necessary security measures to protect your personal data. We do not permit your personal data to be used by those third parties for their own purposes, and they may only process your data for specified purposes, and in accordance with our instructions. 

We may share your personal data with third parties if we are under a duty to disclose or share your personal data in order to comply with any legal obligation, to enforce or apply our site terms of use, or to protect the rights, property or safety of our site, our users and others. We will, however, ensure that sharing of your data is kept to a minimum. 

If you have given your consent to being sent information or marketing materials you may at any time, ask us to stop sending these to you simply by contacting us.

We may be required to disclose and exchange information with law enforcement agencies and regulatory bodies to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations. 

Storing and retaining your data 

Personal data is stored on our secure servers, secure servers that we lease from third party vendors and/or at our premises. We will keep your personal data only for as long as is necessary. In working out how long we need to keep your personal data we consider the amount, nature and sensitivity of the personal data, the potential for harm to arise from its unauthorised use or disclosure, the purposes for which we process it, and as to whether those purposes may be achieved by other means, and the applicable legal requirements. Since retention periods will differ for different types of personal data, please contact us for further details. 

Please bear in mind that the transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure, and whilst we will do our best to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee the security of data transmitted via our website, or by email, and any such transmission is at your own risk.