Solicitor has cc’d a stranger into an email containing sensitive and personal information about myself and my child

[Marbsmumma]

I can’t believe this. My daughters father and I are putting together a new child arrangements order and using his solicitor for this process.

A trainee solicitor has sent myself, another solicitor and my child’s father an email containing 18 attachments. These documents contain our previous child arrangements order, parenting agreement, notice of proceedings, and screenshots of WhatsApp messages between myself and my DC’s father and many more documents containing mine and my child’s name, address and goodness knows what else! There are 18 attachments of very personal information.

The trainee solicitor has also sent the email and documents to a complete stranger! I can see this strangers photo on Gmail (so email address is live and being used) I have never given this email address as mine as it’s not and never has been. I’ve asked my DC’s father if he has given it out by mistake and he’s said ‘no’. The mail address is my first name and surname @ yahoo.com. The solicitor has literally just assumed (?) it’s my email because it’s my name in the email address . It’s not a mistake because my actual email address is more than just a few letters off.

On top of that, she sent it to my actual email address that I have used to reply to a previous email from her but she still chose to cc an extra email address that isnt actually mine!

She was supposed to send me these 18 documents days ago before a court date but only sent a parenting Agreement leaflet instead. She then claimed she HAD sent me the documents when I enquired about why I hadn’t received them. Hence her sending me (and a stranger!) the email with the documents today after the court date.

Does anyone know what I can do about this?

I know this is probably of little consolation but I have twice received emails erroneously, and both times I've just replied that a mistake had been made and deleted the email. I would never ever poke around reading someone's private details and I think most people would feel the same. Plus as PP have pointed out, there are so many email accounts that are active but never actually checked, so you never know.

Very upsetting though. Although I suspect the trainee solicitor is feeling particularly awful about it too.

Once you have all the correspondence, you can take a view on it, OP. Personally, I think the length of time it took them to response shows that they have inadequate systems in place. That and the very poor approach to the apology(?).

Never feel bad pursuing this type of complaint. The trainee should be better supervised (why wasn’t the email checked?!). Ultimately, your complaint keeps us all safer from it happening again.

Thanks to the helpful posters.

Just to be clear. What I want from this is to be somewhat assured that our information was not read by some random third party.

18 documents of personal information including contact orders, parenting agreements, information pertaining to previous issues between myself and my DC father, WhatsApp messages (screenshots) and many more documents -all personal and sensitive information has most probably been read by a stranger! The stranger may say they have not read the docs ( and I hope to god they haven’t!) but they most probably have. And I will never know otherwise. That’s whats upsetting to me! It’s a complete violation.

Don’t even get me started on the lack of response from the firm. My complaint was completely ignored until I sent another email over 12 hours later and even now they have still failed to answer most of my questions,

and dare I mention this firm are being paid huge bucks per hour. We are not paying them to share our personal and sensitive information to strangers!

As you may be able to tell, I’m still majorly p*ssed off. But I’m a lot better placed to deal with this situation because of some of you helpful posters Thank you!

Keep pushing them for the answers you need. This is indeed a serious breach of confidentiality and they need to deal with it competently.

It doesn’t really matter how upset the trainee is or how sorry he/she is. What matters is how they are resolving the situation and what they are doing to ensure it won’t happen again.

They should be bending over backwards to make sure that you are satisfied with their response to the mistake, and ensuring that all your questions are answered quickly and thoroughly. You paying them for a service and they have buggered up - their mistake not yours so they have to be seen to be dealing with the mistake.

Keep on at them until you are satisfied that all is well.

The director has sent an ‘automated email’ to say he will be away until the 23rd of April.

How very bloody convenient.

Barclays have done something similar to me.

I reported to the ICO but they wanted a final response from Barclays in writing before they'd do anything. They wouldn't accept the email that Barclays had said was their final resolution. I've sent the final letter to them today, but they've warned me that they will "take Barclays at their word" where I can't prove that they are wrong.

I'd definitely still be reporting it. I am continuing my report, even if nothing comes from it.

I think you also need them to investigate whether the solicitor also sent files to another account when they claimed to have sent them before the trial.

And reading back.. they should be able to provide you with the email proving that the recipient of the documents did indeed contact them.

At what time of day did you send your first email?

And you can hardly blame people at the firm for taking their annual leave and putting an out of office on. They obviously need to response to your complaint, but that director won't be the only person there.

If this thread is in real time, you must have sent the first email at 8pm / 9pm, and the second email in the morning?

If they responded 'over twelve hours later', that means they will have picked it up pretty much as soon as they started work in the morning.

Pursue a complaint with the ICO by all means, as there are still unanswered questions, but IF the above timings are accurate, your complaint about the response being delayed isn't reasonable.

I sent my complaint on the evening of the 11th i heard a reply at just after 4pm on the 12th. And only because I sent another email asking for a response/acknowledgement of my complaint, as the director replied to the 3nd email a few minutes after it was sent.

*2nd email

What do you mean ignore the troll Caraboss?

Are you referring to posters expressing an opinion that's different to yours?

Troll is a stupidly overused word and mostly in completely the wrong way.

Asking a simple question isn't trolling you know

I sent the firm some questions in regards to my data etc and I’ve heard nothing back (not even a receipt) since Friday evening.

I spent two days writing the most personal awful letter I’ve ever had to write before and then emailed it to the wrong person.

They emailed back, told me it was the wrong person and then said they would delete it. They then messaged me the next day to give there personal opinion on the contents of the letter and told me not to send it to the original person! It still haunts me

foundring, did you take their advice?

Bloody hell @Foundring 😱

No I sent it. And it was the best thing I ever did.

Fallout was horrendous but it’s much better now

I’m glad it worked out Foundring

Sorry that happened to you Foundring. Well done for having the courage to write and send the letter. Even though the nosey b*stard who read it stuck their nose in!

That’s the thing though, the unintended recipients of these mistakes may claim to have not read the letter/documents etc but you never know.

While I'm sympathetic to you OP, think about the trainee solicitor too. They must be feeling awful especially as they are trying to prove themselves.

How is it going @Marbsmumma ? Hope you got a response. Yes the trainee should feel bad about it however it is a sackable offence nonetheless