Privacy Policy

 

1. Introduction

Piyush Sharma Attorneys & Co. (“Piyush Sharma Attorneys”, “we”, “us” or “our”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information entrusted to us.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, disclose and protect personal information when you:

• visit or use www.sharma.co.bw;

• contact us through our website, email, telephone or other communication channels;

• submit an enquiry or request information about our legal services;

• engage us to provide legal, professional or related services; or

• otherwise interact with us in connection with our business.

We process personal information in accordance with applicable laws of Botswana, including applicable data protection and privacy legislation.

This Privacy Policy should be read together with any engagement letters, terms of business, notices or other agreements that apply to our professional relationship with you.

2. About Piyush Sharma Attorneys & Co.

Piyush Sharma Attorneys & Co. is a law firm based in Gaborone, Botswana, providing legal services including banking and finance, corporate and commercial law, conveyancing and property, digital assets and fintech, intellectual property, litigation, debt collection, wills and estates, regulatory and compliance services and related legal services.

Our principal office is:

Piyush Sharma Attorneys & Co.
Plot 6358, Kgwale Road
Broadhurst
Gaborone, Botswana

Telephone: +267 319 1622
Email: sharma@sharma.co.bw

3. Information We Collect

Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect the following categories of personal information.

3.1 Information you provide directly

This may include:

• your first and last name;

• email address;

• telephone or mobile number;

• organisation or company name;

• postal or physical address;

• information relating to your legal enquiry;

• information contained in documents or correspondence you provide to us;

• information necessary to establish or administer a client relationship;

• billing and payment information;

• information required for regulatory, compliance, anti-money laundering or other legal purposes; and

• any other information that you voluntarily provide to us.

You should avoid submitting highly sensitive or confidential information through a general website enquiry form unless specifically requested by us through an appropriate secure channel.

3.2 Information collected automatically

When you visit our website, certain technical information may be collected automatically. Depending on the configuration of our website and hosting environment, this may include:

• IP address;

• browser type and version;

• device type;

• operating system;

• referring website;

• pages visited;

• date and time of visits;

• approximate geographic information derived from technical data;

• website interaction information; and

• information relating to errors or technical issues.

This information may be used for security, website administration, performance monitoring, analytics and improving the website.

3.3 Information obtained from third parties

Where appropriate and lawful, we may receive personal information from third parties, including:

• clients and their representatives;

• professional advisers;

• business partners;

• government authorities and regulators;

• courts and tribunals;

• financial institutions;

• opposing parties and their representatives;

• publicly available sources;

• service providers; and

• other persons involved in a legal matter.

4. Important Notice Regarding Website Enquiries

Information submitted through the website, including through our contact or enquiry forms, should not be assumed to be confidential or legally privileged.

Submitting an enquiry through our website does not by itself establish an attorney-client relationship between you and Piyush Sharma Attorneys & Co.

Until a formal attorney-client relationship has been established, information submitted through a general enquiry channel may be treated as non-confidential.

This is particularly important where an enquiry relates to a potential dispute, transaction or matter involving another person or organisation.

Please do not submit information through the website that you require us to treat as privileged or confidential unless we have provided you with an appropriate secure method for doing so.

5. How We Use Personal Information

We may use personal information for purposes including:

• responding to enquiries;

• assessing requests for legal services;

• communicating with prospective and existing clients;

• providing legal and professional services;

• establishing and maintaining client relationships;

• conducting conflict-of-interest checks;

• carrying out client identification and verification procedures;

• complying with anti-money laundering and other regulatory requirements;

• preparing legal documents and correspondence;

• managing litigation, transactions, negotiations and other legal matters;

• administering estates, trusts and other legal arrangements;

• processing invoices and payments;

• maintaining professional and business records;

• protecting our rights, property and systems;

• preventing fraud, abuse and unlawful activity;

• maintaining website security;

• improving our website and services;

• sending legal updates, newsletters or other communications where permitted;

• complying with court orders, legal obligations and requests from competent authorities; and

• any other lawful purpose connected with our professional activities.

6. Legal Basis for Processing

Where required by applicable law, we will process personal information only where there is an appropriate legal basis for doing so.

Depending on the circumstances, this may include:

• your consent;

• taking steps at your request before entering into an agreement;

• performing a contract or engagement;

• complying with a legal or regulatory obligation;

• protecting legitimate interests;

• establishing, exercising or defending legal claims; or

• another lawful basis recognised under applicable law.

Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw that consent where applicable. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

7. Legal and Client Information

As a law firm, we may process information that is significantly more sensitive than the information ordinarily collected through a commercial website.

Depending on the nature of a matter, this may include information relating to:

• legal disputes;

• litigation;

• property transactions;

• financial affairs;

• corporate structures;

• employment matters;

• estates and inheritance;

• intellectual property;

• regulatory matters;

• investigations;

• contractual relationships;

• identification documents;

• financial transactions; and

• other matters necessary for providing legal services.

We apply appropriate confidentiality and security measures to information handled in the course of our professional activities.

Nothing in this Privacy Policy limits any legal, professional or ethical duty of confidentiality applicable to the firm or its practitioners.

8. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies.

Cookies are small files placed on your device that allow websites to remember information about your visit and improve functionality.

Cookies may be used for purposes such as:

• ensuring that the website functions correctly;

• remembering preferences;

• measuring website traffic;

• understanding how visitors use the website;

• improving website performance;

• maintaining website security; and

• supporting embedded services or functionality.

Some cookies may be provided by third-party service providers used by the website.

You may be able to control or disable cookies through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of the website.

Where required by applicable law, we will obtain appropriate consent before placing non-essential cookies on your device.

9. Website Analytics

We may use analytics services to understand how visitors interact with our website.

Analytics information may include pages visited, approximate location, device information, browser information, traffic sources and website interaction data.

Analytics information is primarily used to understand website performance and improve the user experience.

Where third-party analytics services are used, their own privacy policies may also apply.

10. Who We May Share Personal Information With

We may disclose personal information where necessary and lawful to:

• our attorneys, candidate attorneys, paralegals and support personnel;

• professional advisers and consultants;

• advocates, counsel, experts, investigators and other legal professionals;

• courts, tribunals and government authorities;

• regulators and professional bodies;

• law enforcement authorities where legally required;

• financial institutions and payment service providers;

• insurers;

• auditors and accountants;

• IT, hosting, cybersecurity and software providers;

• document management and cloud storage providers;

• debt collection or tracing service providers where relevant to a matter;

• counterparties and their professional representatives where necessary for a legal matter; and

• other third parties where you have authorised us to do so or where disclosure is otherwise permitted or required by law.

We do not sell personal information to third parties.

11. Service Providers

We may use third-party companies to provide services necessary for operating our business and website.

These may include providers of:

• website hosting;

• cloud storage;

• email;

• cybersecurity;

• information technology;

• website analytics;

• communication systems;

• document management;

• payment processing; and

• other professional or technical services.

Where appropriate, we require service providers to maintain suitable safeguards for personal information and to process information only for authorised purposes.

12. International Transfers

Some of our technology, cloud, communication or professional service providers may operate outside Botswana.

Where personal information is transferred, accessed or stored outside Botswana, we will take appropriate steps to ensure that such processing is carried out in accordance with applicable data protection requirements.

International transfers may be necessary, for example, where a cloud hosting, email, document management, software or other technology provider operates its infrastructure outside Botswana.

13. Data Security

We take reasonable technical, organisational and administrative measures to protect personal information against:

• unauthorised access;

• unauthorised disclosure;

• alteration;

• destruction;

• loss;

• misuse; and

• other unlawful or unauthorised processing.

Security measures may include access controls, authentication, confidentiality obligations, secure systems, backups, physical security and other appropriate safeguards.

However, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure. We therefore cannot guarantee that information transmitted over the internet will always be completely secure.

14. Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, or for as long as required or permitted by applicable law.

The appropriate retention period may depend on:

• the nature of the information;

• the purpose for which it was collected;

• whether an attorney-client relationship exists;

• professional obligations;

• legal and regulatory requirements;

• limitation periods;

• ongoing or anticipated disputes;

• accounting and tax requirements; and

• our legitimate business requirements.

When personal information is no longer required, we will take reasonable steps to securely delete, destroy or anonymise it where appropriate.

15. Your Rights

Subject to applicable law and any relevant limitations, you may have rights relating to your personal information, including the right to:

• request access to personal information we hold about you;

• request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information;

• request deletion or erasure where legally applicable;

• object to certain forms of processing;

• request restriction of processing in appropriate circumstances;

• withdraw consent where processing is based on consent;

• request information about how your personal information is processed; and

• exercise other rights provided under applicable data protection law.

These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal, regulatory, professional or other lawful limitations.

For example, we may be required to retain certain information because of legal obligations, professional requirements, regulatory obligations or the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.

16. How to Exercise Your Rights

To exercise a privacy or data protection right, or to ask a question about how we handle your personal information, contact us using the details below:

Piyush Sharma Attorneys & Co.
Plot 6358, Kgwale Road
Broadhurst, Gaborone
Botswana

Email: sharma@sharma.co.bw
Telephone: +267 319 1622

Please provide sufficient information to allow us to identify you and understand your request.

We may take reasonable steps to verify your identity before providing access to personal information or processing certain requests.

17. Complaints

If you believe that we have handled your personal information unlawfully or inappropriately, you should first contact us so that we can investigate and attempt to resolve your concern.

You may also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection supervisory authority in Botswana, subject to applicable law.

18. Children’s Privacy

Our website and legal services are not specifically directed at children.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children through the website for purposes unrelated to providing an appropriate legal service or responding to a legitimate enquiry.

If you believe that a child has provided personal information to us unnecessarily, please contact us so that we can assess the circumstances and take appropriate action.

19. Third-Party Websites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, platforms or services.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices, content or security of third-party websites.

You should review the privacy policy of any third-party website before providing personal information to it.

20. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect:

• changes in our services;

• changes to our website;

• changes in technology;

• changes in how we process personal information;

• changes in applicable law or regulatory requirements; or

• other operational or legal developments.

The updated version will be published on this page with a revised “Last Updated” date.

21. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, our handling of personal information, or your rights, please contact:

Piyush Sharma Attorneys & Co.
Plot 6358, Kgwale Road
Broadhurst
Gaborone, Botswana

Telephone: +267 319 1622
Email: sharma@sharma.co.bw
Website: www.sharma.co.bw

---

Important Notice

This Privacy Policy is intended to provide a clear explanation of how Piyush Sharma Attorneys & Co. may handle personal information through its website and business activities. It should not be treated as a substitute for a legal compliance review of the firm’s actual data-processing activities, contracts, technology providers, retention practices and applicable Botswana data-protection obligations.

Before publication, the firm should confirm that the policy accurately reflects its actual use of analytics, cookies, email systems, cloud services, CRM/document-management systems and any other third-party platforms.