The General Data Protection Regulation - what is relevant for small firms?

With so much publicity on GDPR it can be hard to separate the wood from the trees, and zero in on what is actually relevant. 

Planning out a structured response should help the bulk of small firms find life under GDPR not quite as daunting as it may first appear. 

As a starting point small firms should consider the following three points.

- What personal data does your firm retain

- Why is the personal data retained

- What does your firm do with the personal data

Ensuring your firm can document answers to the above will go a substantial way towards demonstrating compliance with GDPR. 

Reviewing your firms’ position on “Privacy Notices” and “Giving Consent” should be your next port of call.  Privacy Notices deal with the lawful basis for processing personal data, the length of time such data will be held, etc.  Giving Consent is required to clearly show that consent to use of personal data for specific reasons was freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous. 

Companies (small firms in particular) have finite resources so, plan out what resources your firm can put into GDPR, who will be responsible for overseeing implementation, and timelines for completing the above first steps. 

The deadline date for complying with GDPR is May 2018 but, for small firms to best manage resources starting now so that the work programme can be spread over months is practical. 

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Letterheads - what you need to know

One of the most frequent questions we receive is what should a company put on their letterhead.  One of the most frequent failures we find is that companies forget to update their letterhead as changes occur. 

Basic requirements for letterheads are outlined below, full details can be found in S.151 Companies Act 2014.

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Directors heal thyself!

How often do Directors assess themselves?

Directors rightly expend huge efforts on reviewing company procedures, financials, HR, management, etc but, how many Directors spend time thinking about the individual Directors of the Board?

 It is trite but, true to say the more effective the Board the more effective the Company. 

 Individual Directors should consider how issues such as those outlined below may impact on them personally, and the Company professionally.  They should ensure there are checks in place to monitor and react should such issues be triggered for any person during their tenure as Director.

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