Data Complaints Procedure

Our data protection complaints procedure

DMH Stallard LLP’s data protection complaints procedure is designed to be fair, accessible, and quick in resolving any problems. Our aim is to resolve any concerns or complaints about how we handle personal data through discussion and dialogue.

All our staff are trained to handle personal data responsibly and in accordance with data protection law. If someone exercises one or more of their privacy rights, the request will be considered and dealt with by the firm’s Data Protection Officer (DPO).

From time to time, a complaint regarding the way in which we have handled someone’s data may be received. This procedure sets out how we will respond to such complaints, and it is made in compliance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK GDPR (as amended by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025), and the guidance issued by the Information Commissioner’s Office. For further information about how we handle your personal data, please see our Privacy Notice which is available on our website at www.dmhstallard.com/privacy-notices.

What is a data protection complaint?

A data protection complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction about how we have handled your personal data. This may include concerns about:

• the way we have responded to a Subject Access Request or other rights request
• the security measures we use to store your information (for example, a data breach)
• how your personal information was collected or used
• the accuracy of the personal data we hold about you
• how long we have retained your personal data
• any profiling or automated decision-making we have carried out

What is not a data protection complaint?

A data protection complaint is different from a complaint about our legal services. If your concern is about the quality of service you have received, rather than how we have handled your personal data, then our Client Complaints Procedure or Third Party Complaints Procedure will apply.

Our data protection complaints procedure

You can make a complaint in a number of ways, including:

• completing our online data protection complaint form
• writing to us at Data Protection Complaints, DMH Stallard LLP, The Portland Building, 27-28 Church Street, Brighton BN1 1RB
• emailing [email protected]

Upon receipt of your data protection complaint, it will be passed to our DPO.

Identity verification

We may need to verify your identity when you make a complaint and ask you to provide proof of identification before we can proceed. Acceptable forms of identification include a valid passport or driving licence.

Complaints made on behalf of others

If you are making a complaint on behalf of someone else, we will need to see a signed letter of authority from that person or an appropriate power of attorney before we can deal with the complaint. Each case will be assessed individually.

What will happen next?

The DPO will be responsible for investigating and responding to your complaint.

The DPO will acknowledge your complaint in writing. You can expect to receive the acknowledgement within five working days of your complaint being received.

We will record your complaint in our Data Protection Complaint Register and open a file straight away.

We will then start our investigation of your complaint. This may involve one or more of the following steps:

• we will review the relevant records and files
• we will talk to the person who dealt with the matter
• we may telephone you to ask you for some more information
• we may write to you to ask you for some more information

We will investigate your complaint without undue delay.

When the investigation is complete, we will write to you to let you know the outcome of our investigation.

We will aim to provide a written response to your complaint within 30 days of us receiving your complaint. If we need to ask you for more information, then it may take a little longer for us to complete our investigation depending on how quickly you tell us what we need to know. If we need more than 30 days to respond to your complaint, we will write to let you know of the progress made and the revised timescale to respond.

We will do our best to resolve your complaint using this procedure. In the unlikely event that we are not able to do so to your satisfaction, we will write to you confirming our final position on your complaint and explain our reasons.

Manifestly unfounded or excessive complaints

We may refuse to deal with a complaint if it is manifestly unfounded or excessive. A complaint may be considered manifestly unfounded or excessive if it:

• is explicitly intended to cause disruption
• makes unsubstantiated accusations against the firm or its staff
• targets specific individuals without reasonable cause
• is one of a series of frequent complaints intended to cause disruption
• repeats the substance of a previous complaint that has already been investigated

If we decide to refuse a complaint on this basis, we will write to you to explain our reasons for doing so and to let you know that you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

If you are not satisfied with the outcome

We hope we can resolve your complaint but if you are not satisfied then you can refer the matter to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

You have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at any time. We would, however, appreciate the chance to deal with your concerns before you approach the ICO so please contact us in the first instance.

If you wish to contact the ICO, you may do so via:

• Website: ico.org.uk
• Helpline: 0303 123 1113
• Postal address: Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF

If at any stage in the procedure you need more information about what is going to happen next then please contact us and we will clarify matters for you.

DMH Stallard LLP

June 2026