Privacy Policy

Who We Are

Woodcrest — Advocates, Tax & Advisory ("Woodcrest", "we", "us", "our") is a law firm registered and operating in Uganda. We are committed to protecting the personal information of our clients, website visitors, job applicants, and other individuals whose data comes into our possession in the course of our practice.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, disclose, and protect personal information in connection with our website at woodcrest.ug and our related portals and services.

Registered office: 3rd Floor, Mt. Olive Country Mall, Plot 163 Ntinda–Naalya Road, Kiwatule, Kampala, Uganda.

Information We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal information:

• Identity and contact data — your name, email address, telephone number, and physical address, provided when you submit an enquiry, application, or request through our website or portals.
• Professional data — your organisation, role or title, and the nature of the matter or services you are enquiring about.
• Application data — CVs, cover letters, academic transcripts, and other documents submitted in connection with employment or clerkship applications.
• Usage and technical data — your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, and pages visited on our website, collected automatically via server logs and analytics tools.
• Communications data — the content of emails, messages, and form submissions you send to us.
• Client matter data — information provided by or on behalf of clients in connection with legal mandates, including sensitive or confidential information, handled subject to legal professional privilege and our professional obligations.

We do not knowingly collect sensitive personal data (such as health, biometric, or financial account data) through our website unless you voluntarily provide it in the context of a specific matter.

How We Use Your Information

We use the personal information we collect for the following purposes:

• To respond to your enquiries, proposals, and requests for services.
• To provide legal, tax, and advisory services to clients.
• To assess and process employment, clerkship, and internship applications.
• To send our newsletter and legal insights where you have subscribed or consented.
• To operate and improve our website, portals, and internal systems.
• To comply with our professional and regulatory obligations under Ugandan law.
• To maintain conflict-of-interest checks and due diligence records as required by applicable law and our professional rules.
• To protect the rights, property, or safety of Woodcrest, our clients, or others.

We will not use your personal information for any purpose that is incompatible with the purposes for which it was collected, without your prior consent.

Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal information on the following legal grounds under applicable Ugandan data protection law and, where relevant, comparable international standards:

• Performance of a contract — where processing is necessary to deliver services you have engaged us to provide.
• Legitimate interests — where processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, such as improving our website, managing our firm, and preventing fraud, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights.
• Legal obligation — where we are required to process data to comply with applicable laws, court orders, or regulatory requirements.
• Consent — where you have given clear, specific consent, such as subscribing to our newsletter. You may withdraw consent at any time by contacting us at info@woodcrest.ug.

Disclosure of Your Information

We treat your personal information with strict confidentiality. We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data. We may disclose your information in the following limited circumstances:

• Service providers — trusted technology and service providers (such as cloud hosting, email, and CRM platforms, including Zoho) who process data on our behalf under appropriate data processing agreements.
• Professional advisors — barristers, co-counsel, experts, or other professionals engaged in connection with a specific client matter, subject to confidentiality obligations.
• Regulatory and legal requirements — the Uganda Law Society, courts, regulatory authorities, tax bodies, or law enforcement agencies where we are legally required to disclose.
• Business transfers — in the event of a merger, acquisition, or restructuring of our firm, subject to appropriate confidentiality protections.

Any third parties with whom we share personal data are required to handle it in accordance with applicable data protection laws and our instructions.

International Transfers

Some of our technology service providers (including Zoho Corporation) may process personal data on servers located outside Uganda. Where this occurs, we take appropriate steps to ensure that such transfers are subject to adequate safeguards, including contractual protections consistent with applicable data protection standards.

By submitting information through our website or portals, you acknowledge that your data may be transferred to and stored outside Uganda in connection with the services described in this policy.

Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, and in accordance with our professional and legal obligations:

• Client matter files — retained for a minimum of seven (7) years following the conclusion of a matter, or as required by applicable law or professional rules.
• Job and programme applications — retained for up to twelve (12) months following the conclusion of a recruitment process, unless we have obtained your consent to retain for longer.
• Website enquiries and correspondence — retained for up to three (3) years from the date of last contact.
• Newsletter subscriptions — retained until you unsubscribe or withdraw consent.

When personal data is no longer required, it is securely deleted or anonymised in accordance with our data management procedures.

Your Rights

Subject to applicable Ugandan data protection law, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data held by Woodcrest:

• Right of access — to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification — to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
• Right to erasure — to request deletion of your personal data where it is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, subject to our professional and legal obligations.
• Right to restrict processing — to request that we limit the way in which we use your data in certain circumstances.
• Right to data portability — to receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format where processing is based on consent or contract.
• Right to object — to object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing purposes.
• Right to withdraw consent — where processing is based on consent, to withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@woodcrest.ug. We will respond within thirty (30) days. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

Cookies

Our website uses minimal session-based storage to remember user preferences (such as whether you have dismissed the newsletter prompt). We do not currently use third-party tracking cookies or advertising cookies.

If you disable cookies or session storage in your browser, certain features of our website (such as navigation preferences) may not function as expected. Our use of storage does not involve the collection of personally identifiable information beyond that which you voluntarily provide.

Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include access controls, secure data transmission protocols, and regular review of our information security practices.

However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure. While we take reasonable precautions, we cannot guarantee the absolute security of information transmitted to us electronically. If you believe your data has been compromised, please contact us immediately at info@woodcrest.ug.

Third-Party Links

Our website and portals may contain links to third-party websites, including our service providers such as Zoho. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.

Children's Privacy

Our website and services are not directed at children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If you believe that a minor has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will take steps to delete that information promptly.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or applicable law. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last reviewed" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

Your continued use of our website or services following the posting of changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.

Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests relating to this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us: