Chavin Immigration Law Office and Melissa Chavin, Attorney, frequently hold personal data for natural persons. The Firm is based in the United Kingdom, part of the European Union. As such, the Firm is disclosing the protections that it offers under the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) adopted of April 27, 2016 and effective 25 May 2018.
Introduction and Definitions from the GDPR
Personal data is any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (‘data subject’).
Processing is any operation which is performed on personal data.
Controller. Chavin Immigration Law Office and Melissa Chavin, Attorney (collectively, the “Firm”) are the controller at the law practice of Chavin Immigration Law Office. A controller determines the purposes and means of processing personal data. Contact information: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (email) and +44 7546 456-068 (tel.).
Recipients. The personal data gathered by Chavin Immigration Law Office and Melissa Chavin, Attorney, are frequently sent to the following recipients as part of the services requested by our clients: the US immigration agencies, known by their acronyms: USCIS, ICE, CBP and the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of State and related agencies in the United States Government: the Social Security Administration, the US Internal Revenue Service. Other recipients may be immigration judges at the Attorney General. A recipient is any natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body, to which the personal data gathered are disclosed.
Third Parties. Occasionally the Firm will use the services of Heller Immigration Law Office and Steven D. Heller, Attorney, as Mr. Heller and Ms. Chavin have a reciprocal Of Counsel relationship established by contract between them. Heller Immigration Law Office and Mr. Heller are a “third party” that may receive the personal data. A third party is any person other than the data subject, controller and processor who is authorized to process personal data.
Clients of the Firm consent by affirmative acts (like payment on an invoice or email request for payment, or by signing an engagement agreement) to use of their personal data to receive the Firm’s immigration, visa and citizenship legal services. Consent is any freely given, specific, informed and unambiguous indication of your wishes by which you signify agreement to the processing of personal data related to you.
Conditions for Consent and Withdrawal of Consent. Ongoing consent to processing your personal data by engaging me as your attorney or the Firm as your law firm is not that easy. It involves an initial consultation at which you are informed about the strategy to obtain the benefit that you would like. It involves my drafting of an engagement agreement for more involved matters. It involves your review of that agreement and signing of it. It involves your payment of a security retainer or fixed fee, as appropriate. Withdrawal of consent to process your personal data will be of similar complexity.
Fundamentals
Your personal data is processed by the Firm for the reasons that you hire me – either for an initial consultation or a further engagement. To the extent that your personal data is covered by attorney-client confidentiality, the Firm’s holding of your personal data is covered by the attorney professional conduct rules of New York (Attorneys Chavin and Heller) and Connecticut (Attorney Chavin).
You give your consent for the Firm to process your personal data for a specific purpose, usually to perform services for which you hire me. I do not use your personal data for any other purpose. All assistants at the Firm are trained in keeping your personal data safe and confidential.
I may use your personal data, such as your email address, to update you from time to time on developments about the Firm or myself, or about new developments in the field of US immigration, visa and citizenship law.
Special Categories of Personal Data
During an initial consultation, the Firm will often collect special categories of personal data. These include data concerning health and data concerning a natural person’s sexual orientation. Processing such data may be necessary to provide clients with legal strategies that best suit their visa or citizenship goals. It may be necessary to process such data in completion of visa or citizenship applications before the recipients listed in the Introduction. The Firm processes special categories of personal data to establish legal claims. See GDPR, Article 9(2)(f).
Use of the Contact Form or Email to Contact the Firm
You consent to our processing of your personal data by use of the contact form on the Firm website or when emailing or phoning the Firm. Certain rights may apply per Article 13, Section 2 of the GDPR, such as your right to have us delete your personal data upon request.
Other Rights
You have a right of access to your personal data, a right to correct your personal data and a right to erase your personal data, to the extent that
- it is not mingled with attorney work product, including attorney notes and memorandum to attorney files; and
- it has not already been submitted to the recipients described above.