Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Silverthorne ("we", "us", "our") is committed to protecting the privacy of individuals who use our website and engage our inheritance law services. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal data in compliance with the Personal Data Protection Act 2010 (PDPA) of Malaysia.

This policy applies to all personal data collected through our website, contact forms, email correspondence, and in-person consultations. If you have questions about this policy, please contact us at [email protected].

2. Data We Collect

We may collect the following types of personal data:

Information you provide directly: Your name, email address, phone number, mailing address, and any details you share through our contact form or during consultations. This may include information about your family structure, property holdings, and estate planning needs when relevant to the services you engage.

Information collected automatically: When you visit our website, we may collect data such as your IP address, browser type, pages visited, and the time and date of your visit. This data is collected through cookies and similar technologies as described in our Cookie Policy.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

Service delivery: To provide the legal services you have engaged us for, including preparing documents, filing court applications, and communicating with you about your matter.

Communication: To respond to your enquiries, send appointment reminders, and provide updates on your case or estate plan review.

Legal obligations: To comply with applicable laws, regulations, and professional conduct requirements, including those set by the Malaysian Bar Council.

Website improvement: To understand how visitors use our website and to improve its functionality and content.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

Under the PDPA 2010, we process your personal data based on one or more of the following grounds: your consent (provided when you submit a form or engage our services), the performance of a contract between us, compliance with a legal obligation, or our legitimate interest in operating and improving our services.

5. Data Sharing

We do not sell your personal data to third parties. We may share your data with:

Courts and government bodies: When required for the legal proceedings or registrations related to your matter (e.g., Syariah Court filings, Land Office submissions).

Professional service providers: Such as document storage services or IT support providers, who are bound by confidentiality agreements.

Analytics services: We may use third-party analytics tools (such as Google Analytics) to understand website usage patterns. These services collect anonymised data.

6. Data Protection Measures

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal data from unauthorised access, loss, or misuse. Our measures include encrypted communications for sensitive documents, restricted access to client files, secure physical storage at our office, and regular review of our data handling procedures.

In the event of a data breach that may affect your rights, we will notify you and the relevant authorities as required by Malaysian law.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined in this policy, or as required by law. For client engagement records, we typically retain data for seven years after the conclusion of a matter, in line with professional obligations and the Limitation Act 1953.

Website analytics data is retained for up to 26 months. You may request earlier deletion of your data, subject to our legal and professional obligations.

8. Cookies

Our website uses cookies to improve your browsing experience and to gather anonymous usage data. For full details on the cookies we use and how to manage your preferences, please refer to our Cookie Policy.

9. Your Rights

Under the PDPA 2010, you have the right to:

Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.

Correction: Ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete data.

Withdraw consent: Withdraw your consent for data processing at any time, though this may affect our ability to provide certain services.

Object: Object to the processing of your data for specific purposes, including marketing communications.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at [email protected]. We will respond within 21 days as required by law.

10. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites and encourage you to read their privacy policies before providing any personal information.

11. Children's Privacy

Our services are directed at individuals aged 18 and above. We do not knowingly collect personal data from minors. If we become aware that we have collected data from a person under 18, we will take steps to delete it promptly.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last Updated" date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

13. Contact Information

Data Controller: Silverthorne

Address: 10, Persiaran Tropicana, 47410 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia

Email: [email protected]

If you are not satisfied with our response to a privacy concern, you may lodge a complaint with the Department of Personal Data Protection Malaysia (JPDP) at www.pdp.gov.my.