At Chetcuti Cauchi Advocates, we are committed to the privacy of every client. We recognise that our clients entrust important personal information to us, and we take seriously our responsibility to protect and safeguard this information. Our long-standing privacy policies and practices are described below.

What type of non-public personal information do we collect?

The non-public personal information that we collect relating to individual clients will vary with the purpose and scope of our representation. When we advise a client on personal financial, tax or immigration matters, the information we collect will include:

Information that a client has provided to us

Information about our client or our client's transactions with others, provided by others whom our client has requested or authorized us to contact;

Information about our relationship with and our services to our client

For example, for estate or succession planning, we will typically collect all relevant personal information, including information about our client's personal assets, goals and preferences. For tax return preparation, we will collect personal financial information relevant to our client's income and deductions for the relevant year.

What Type of Information Might We Disclose, and To Whom?

As advocates and members of our respective professional associations, we adhere to our professional duty to keep confidential all non-public personal information relating to a client's representation.

Our strict levels of confidentiality are backed by Maltese law, namely the Professional Secrecy Act which has established a high common standard of confidentiality for all professional practitioners. Those who violate professional secrecy may be prosecuted under Section 27 of the Criminal Code and on conviction may be liable to a maximum fine of LM20,000 and/or a 2 year prison sentence.

Therefore, we do not disclose personal information about any current or former client except if necessary to carry out, administer or enforce a transaction that our client has requested or authorized us to perform; in that connection, we may make such disclosures to:

Our employees or agents who are assisting us in serving our client

At our client's direction or with his or her consent, the client's financial service providers, such as the client's accountant, investment advisor, insurance agent, or the financial institution that our client has designated as trustee of a living trust;

Any person whom we jointly represent with our client. For example, if our client and his spouse have both requested estate planning services from us, we regard our representation of husband and wife as joint and may share information provided by one with the other, unless otherwise agreed;

Any other person or entity to whom our client has authorized our making a disclosure, or to whom disclosure is required by law or applicable rules of procedure.

How Do We Protect the Security & Confidentiality of Client Information?

Within our firm, we retain records relating to our professional services, accessible to our staff, to assist us in effectively representing you and, in some cases, to administer our business or to comply with professional standards. We maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards for your personal non-public information that comply with our professional standards.

If you have further questions regarding the confidentiality of your personal information, please contact any Chetcuti Cauchi lawyer with whom you have worked.