Papers in court – confidentiality and GDPR

Litigation 06/09/2019

Practitioners are reminded that it is their responsibility to ensure that they are GDPR compliant and maintain client confidentiality when it comes to papers brought by them into court. Files and documents should not be left unattended.

Where a case is at hearing over a period of days, the onus is on the practitioner to ensure that the documents are secure as there is no practical arrangement with the Courts Service that ensures that papers are safeguarded while left in court over lunchtime or overnight. When cases have been disposed of, the obligation to remove papers from the courtroom is a matter for the practitioner.