Introduction

This policy explains how International Expert Witness, referred to as “IEW”, “we”, “us” or “our”, processes personal information in connection with:

• our public website and expert directory;
• expert registration, assessment, vetting and profile listings;
• client searches, enquiries and expert matching;
• accounts, dashboards and access controls;
• secure case rooms, instructions, agreements and communications;
• expert-report review, audit and controlled release workflows;
• expert joint-report mediation and related communications;
• invoicing, direct bank payments and transaction records;
• support, security and essential service communications; and
• marketing and optional analytics where permitted.

These services are collectively referred to as the “Platform”. This policy should be read with our Terms and Conditions, Cookie Policy, Disclaimer and any additional notice shown when information is collected.

Who Is Responsible for Your Information?

The organisation responsible for deciding how and why personal information is processed for its own Platform purposes is:

Depending on the activity, LegateHub Limited may act as a controller or may process information on documented instructions for a client or another authorised organisation. Clients, experts and other professional participants may also act as independent controllers for their own professional records and decisions.

Personal Information We Collect

Identity, Contact and Account Information

• name, title, contact details, address, country and time zone;
• organisation, employment details and professional role;
• username, account identifier, account type and permissions;
• authentication, login, security and account-change records; and
• communication and accessibility preferences.

Expert Registration and Professional Information

• professional CV, biography, photograph and work history;
• certified identification and business-registration documents;
• qualifications, core certifications, licences and memberships;
• disciplines, micro-specialities, languages and service locations;
• sample reports, judgments, publications, articles and media features;
• verified court appearances and procedural experience;
• professional references, insurance, availability and fee information;
• court-compliance, procedural-fluency and relevant standards information; and
• assessment, peer-review, verification, tier and approval records.

Client, Enquiry and Conflict-Check Information

• matter type, discipline required, jurisdiction and deadlines;
• party and organisation names needed for conflict checks;
• instructions, scope, availability and matching requirements;
• communications concerning an enquiry or engagement; and
• joint-report mediation, audit or trial-readiness service requests.

Case, Report and Communication Information

When an authorised user deliberately uses a Platform case room, messaging service, audit, report or joint-report workflow, we process the information submitted through that feature. This may include instructions, contracts, reports, drafts, professional opinions, correspondence, evidence, images, supporting documents, deadlines, revision histories, signatures and audit records.

Private communications exchanged solely between users through independently selected services, without involving IEW systems or personnel, are outside our control. Communications sent to IEW email accounts or support channels are processed by us.

Billing and Transaction Information

• billing name, address and invoice details;
• service, amount, currency and payment status;
• bank-payment or processor transaction reference; and
• credit-note, refund, correction and cancellation records.

We do not ask for online-banking passwords, PINs or complete card-security credentials. If a payment provider is used, it processes payment credentials under its own privacy terms.

Technical and Usage Information

• IP address, browser, device and operating-system information;
• approximate location, referral source and pages viewed;
• session, error and diagnostic information;
• cookie identifiers and consent choices; and
• security, fraud-prevention and audit records.

How We Collect Personal Information

We may collect information directly from you when you register, submit documents, make an enquiry, use a Platform feature, communicate with us or pay an invoice. We may also receive information from:

• your employer, law firm, client or authorised representative;
• another authorised participant in a matter;
• references and professional bodies;
• public registers, judgments and professional websites;
• identity, credential, security or payment providers; and
• technical service providers supporting the Platform.

Where another person supplies information about you, they are responsible for ensuring that they are authorised to provide it. Where reasonably practicable, we will identify the source or category of source when providing privacy information to you.

How We Use Personal Information

• operate, maintain, administer and secure the Platform;
• create accounts and provide role-based access;
• assess identity, credentials, experience and expert applications;
• peer-review submitted reports where applicable;
• create and maintain approved public expert profiles;
• classify and filter experts by relevant professional criteria;
• support searches, conflict checks, enquiries and introductions;
• manage instructions, agreements, case rooms and communications;
• provide expert-report audits and trial-readiness workflows;
• provide neutral expert joint-report mediation focused on structure and language rather than determining or rewriting the science;
• manage invoices, direct bank payments and accounting records;
• respond to support requests, complaints and rights requests;
• send essential service, security and account communications;
• send marketing where permitted and respect opt-out choices;
• improve performance and functionality;
• prevent fraud, misuse and security incidents;
• establish, exercise or defend legal claims; and
• comply with legal, regulatory, tax and accounting obligations.

Legal Bases for Processing

The lawful basis depends on the particular purpose and relationship. We principally rely on:

Where we rely on legitimate interests, the relevant interests include operating a secure professional platform, assessing professional applications, facilitating appropriate expert engagement, preventing misuse and improving our services.

Where information is required to create an account, assess an application, conduct a conflict check or deliver an agreed service, failure to provide it may mean that we cannot process the request, approve an account or provide the service.

Expert Profiles and Registration

We may assess information and supporting documents supplied by an applicant against applicable Platform criteria. Approval is discretionary and registration does not create, confer or guarantee expert status.

If approved, selected information may be made public, including name, title, photograph, biography, disciplines, qualifications, professional memberships, languages, locations served, selected experience, publications, verification indicators and approved enquiry options.

Identification documents, private references, insurance documents, sample reports, confidential judgments, assessment notes and internal verification records will not ordinarily be displayed publicly.

Experts must keep published information accurate and notify us of material changes.

Special-Category and Criminal-Offence Information

Legal and expert matters may contain health, biometric, racial or ethnic, religious, political, trade-union, sex-life, sexual-orientation, criminal-allegation, conviction, child or vulnerable-person information.

We process this information only where an Article 6 lawful basis and any additional condition required by applicable data-protection law apply. Depending on the circumstances, this may include explicit consent, legal claims, substantial public-interest conditions or processing required by law. Where required, we maintain an appropriate policy document.

Users should not send this information through general enquiry forms. It should only be supplied through the appropriate protected workflow, when necessary and lawfully authorised.

How We Share Personal Information

Where reasonably necessary and lawful, information may be shared with:

• clients, experts, reviewers and authorised case participants;
• authorised members of a client’s organisation;
• hosting, storage, backup and security providers;
• email, messaging and support providers;
• payment, banking, invoicing and accounting providers;
• identity, credential and professional-verification providers;
• analytics providers where permitted;
• electronic-signature and video-conferencing providers;
• professional advisers, auditors and insurers;
• courts, regulators, tax authorities and law-enforcement bodies;
• transaction advisers or successors in a lawful business transaction; and
• another party at your direction or with your authorisation.

Service providers must process information for authorised purposes and under appropriate contractual, confidentiality and security requirements. Access to case workflows is limited to authorised participants and the providers necessary to operate the relevant feature.

We do not sell personal information for money.

International Data Transfers

Because IEW operates internationally and may use service providers in different countries, information may be accessed, stored or processed outside the country in which it was collected.

Where UK data-protection law requires a safeguard, we use an applicable adequacy regulation, the UK International Data Transfer Agreement, the UK Addendum to approved standard contractual clauses, or another lawful mechanism. You may contact us for information about the safeguard relevant to your data.

Payments

Under the launch payment model, amounts due for instructions and services are paid into the nominated LegateHub Limited bank account against an authorised invoice. The Platform does not operate an escrow service.

We retain information reasonably required to reconcile payments, maintain accounting and tax records, prevent fraud, address complaints and comply with law. Banks and payment providers process information under their own terms and privacy notices.

Cookies and Similar Technologies

We may use cookies and similar technologies for essential functionality, authentication, security, preference storage and, with the required permission, analytics, embedded content or marketing.

Non-essential technologies are controlled through our consent tool where required. You can change available choices through that tool and your browser settings.

Marketing Communications

Where permitted, we may send Platform news, professional opportunities, service information, resources, events or publications. You may unsubscribe through a message link or by contacting us.

Your objection to direct marketing will be honoured. We may still send necessary account, security, transaction and service communications.

Search, Matching and Automated Processing

The Platform may use user-selected filters and administrative classifications—such as discipline, location, language, verified experience, procedural fluency and availability—to identify potentially relevant experts.

Results and suggested profiles assist discovery only. They do not guarantee suitability, appointment, approval or professional performance. IEW does not currently intend to make decisions based solely on automated processing that produce legal or similarly significant effects. If this changes, we will provide the required information and safeguards.

Data Security

We use proportionate technical and organisational measures designed to protect information against unauthorised access, unlawful disclosure, loss, alteration, misuse and other unlawful processing.

Measures may include encrypted connections, access controls, role-based permissions, secure authentication, backups, logging, audit records, data minimisation, confidentiality obligations and incident-management procedures. The measures used depend on the system, information and risk involved.

No online service can guarantee absolute security. Users are responsible for protecting their passwords, accounts and devices and must promptly report suspected unauthorised access.

Personal Data Breaches

We assess suspected personal-data breaches and take proportionate containment, investigation and remedial action. Where required, we notify the appropriate regulator and affected individuals within the applicable legal timeframe.

Please notify us promptly about compromised credentials, unauthorised account access, misdirected communications, lost devices containing Platform information or another suspected security incident.

How Long We Keep Personal Information

We retain personal information only as long as reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose and applicable legal, tax, accounting, security, professional and dispute requirements. The criteria include the account or matter status, sensitivity, contractual requirements, legal limitation periods, regulatory duties and active legal holds.

We may retain anonymised information that no longer reasonably identifies an individual for statistics, research, security and service improvement.

Your Privacy Rights

Depending on the applicable law and circumstances, you may have rights concerning access, correction, deletion, restriction, portability, objection, consent withdrawal and safeguards around certain automated decisions.

Rights are not absolute and may be limited by exemptions, identity-verification needs, privilege, professional obligations, court restrictions and lawful retention requirements. Contact us to exercise a right. We may request information reasonably necessary to verify your identity and understand the request.

Complaints

Please contact us first so that we can try to resolve your concern. You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office:

If another country’s data-protection law applies, you may also have the right to complain to the competent authority for your location.

Children’s Privacy

The Platform is intended for adults and professional organisations. You must be at least 18 years old, or the minimum legal age required in your jurisdiction, to create an account or enter an agreement.

A lawful legal or expert matter may contain information about a child. The person submitting it must have appropriate authority and must limit the information to what is necessary. Contact us if you believe a child submitted information directly without proper authorisation.

Third-Party Websites and Services

The Platform may link to or integrate with independent websites and services. We do not control their privacy practices. Review the relevant provider’s privacy notice before submitting information to an external service.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this policy when the Platform, service providers, processing activities or applicable requirements change. The revised policy will be published on this page with a new effective date. Where appropriate, we may provide additional notice by email or through the Platform.

Contact Us

For privacy questions, complaints or requests concerning your personal information, contact:

Contact International Expert Witness