OUR PRIVACY POLICY
At Chetcuti Cauchi Adwokaci, we are committed to the privacy of every client. We recognise
that our clients entrust important personal information to us, and we take
seriously our responsibility to protect and safeguard this information.
Our long-standing privacy policies and practices are described below.
What type of non-public
personal information do we collect?
The non-public personal
information that we collect relating to individual clients will vary with
the purpose and scope of our representation. When we advise a client on
personal financial, tax or immigration matters, the information we collect will include:
Information that a client
has provided to us
Information about our client or
our client's transactions with others, provided by others whom our client
has requested or authorized us to contact;
Information about our
relationship with and our services to our client
For example, for estate or
succession planning, we will typically collect all relevant personal
information, including information about our client's personal assets,
goals and preferences. For tax return preparation, we will collect
personal financial information relevant to our client's income and
deductions for the relevant year.
What Type of
Information Might We Disclose, and To Whom?
As advocates and members of our
respective professional associations, we adhere to our
professional duty to keep confidential all non-public personal information
relating to a client's representation.
Our strict levels of
confidentiality are backed by Maltese law, namely the Professional Secrecy
Act which has established a high common standard of confidentiality for
all professional practitioners. Those who violate professional secrecy may
be prosecuted under Section 27 of the Criminal Code and on conviction may
be liable to a maximum fine of LM20,000 and/or a 2 year prison sentence.
Therefore, we do not disclose
personal information about any current or former client except if
necessary to carry out, administer or enforce a transaction that our
client has requested or authorized us to perform; in that connection, we
may make such disclosures to:
Our employees or agents who
are assisting us in serving our client
At our client's direction or
with his or her consent, the client's financial service providers, such as
the client's accountant, investment advisor, insurance agent, or the
financial institution that our client has designated as trustee of a
living trust;
Any person whom we jointly
represent with our client. For example, if our client and his spouse have
both requested estate planning services from us, we regard our
representation of husband and wife as joint and may share information
provided by one with the other, unless otherwise agreed;
Any other person or entity to
whom our client has authorized our making a disclosure, or to whom
disclosure is required by law or applicable rules of procedure.
How Do We Protect the
Security & Confidentiality of Client Information?
Within our firm, we retain
records relating to our professional services, accessible to our staff, to
assist us in effectively representing you and, in some cases, to
administer our business or to comply with professional standards. We
maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards for your personal
non-public information that comply with our professional standards.
If you
have further questions regarding the confidentiality of your personal
information, please contact any Chetcuti Cauchi Adwokaci lawyer with whom
you have worked.