Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

Hidayah Chambers is a Syariah family law practice registered and operating in Malaysia. Our registered place of business is Suite 12C, Wisma UOA, Jalan Pinang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur. We may be reached at +60 3-5622 9174 or [email protected].

For the purposes of the PDPA, Hidayah Chambers is the data user in respect of personal data processed in connection with the practice's activities.

2. Information We Collect

We collect personal information only where there is a clear and lawful basis for doing so. The categories of information we may collect include:

• Contact and identity information — your name, identification card or passport number, nationality, religion, marital status, postal address, telephone number, and email address.
• Matter-related information — details of the family matter you wish to discuss, including information about your spouse or former spouse, your children, and other family members where relevant to the instruction.
• Financial information — income, assets, and liabilities disclosed in the course of nafkah or faraid assessments, as necessary to advise you properly.
• Correspondence and file records — communications between you and the Chambers, including letters, emails, and attendance notes.
• Website usage information — IP address, browser type, pages visited, and other technical data collected automatically when you use our website (see Section 7 on cookies).

We do not knowingly collect personal information from persons under the age of 18 directly. Where information concerning a minor is shared with us (for example, in the course of a hadhanah matter), it is treated with heightened care.

3. How We Collect Information

We collect information in the following ways:

• Directly from you, when you complete the enquiry form on our website, telephone us, visit our office, or correspond with us by email.
• From third parties acting on your behalf, such as another legal practitioner, a court registry, or a family member you have authorised to communicate with us.
• From public records or Syariah court documents where necessary to conduct or defend proceedings on your behalf.
• Automatically via our website, through standard server logs and any analytics or advertising tools we have deployed (details in Section 7).

4. How We Use Your Information

We use personal information for the following purposes:

• To respond to your enquiry and to provide legal advice and representation.
• To prepare, file, and prosecute or defend legal proceedings in the Syariah courts on your behalf.
• To comply with our obligations under the Legal Profession Act 1976 (or applicable Syariah legal practitioner rules), including client identification and record-keeping requirements.
• To communicate with you about the progress of your matter, fee arrangements, and appointments.
• To issue invoices and process payments.
• For the management and administration of our practice, including file storage, conflict checks, and insurance.
• To improve our website and services, based on aggregated and anonymised usage data.
• Where you have provided consent, to send you information about Syariah law developments or practice updates.

We do not use your personal information for automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects.

5. Legal Basis for Processing

Under the PDPA, we process personal data on the following bases:

• Consent — where you have given clear consent, for example when submitting an enquiry form or subscribing to practice updates. You may withdraw consent at any time by contacting us; withdrawal will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.
• Contract — where processing is necessary to perform the retainer agreement between you and the Chambers, or to take steps at your request prior to entering into such an agreement.
• Legal obligation — where we are required by law to process or retain certain data, for example under anti-money laundering legislation or court rules.
• Legitimate interests — for the management of our practice, conflict checks, and the improvement of our services, where these interests are not overridden by your data protection rights.

6. Disclosure of Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may disclose information in the following limited circumstances:

• Syariah courts and registries — as required to conduct proceedings on your behalf, including filing petitions, affidavits, and related documents.
• Opposing parties and their counsel — to the extent required or permitted under court rules and as part of the normal conduct of litigation.
• Third-party service providers — including our professional indemnity insurers, file storage providers, and IT systems providers, all of whom are bound by confidentiality obligations and, where applicable, PDPA compliance requirements.
• Regulatory and enforcement bodies — where we are required by law, court order, or applicable regulation to disclose information.
• With your consent — in any other circumstances where you have expressly authorised a disclosure.

Where personal data is transferred outside of Malaysia (for example, to cloud infrastructure hosted abroad), we take steps to ensure adequate protections are in place consistent with our obligations under the PDPA.

7. Cookies and Website Analytics

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies. A cookie is a small text file placed on your device when you visit a website. We use the following categories of cookies:

• Strictly necessary cookies — required for the basic operation of the website (for example, maintaining session state on the enquiry form).
• Analytics cookies — to understand how visitors use our website (for example, via Google Analytics 4). These cookies collect information in aggregate form.
• Marketing cookies — where you have consented, to measure the effectiveness of our advertising on platforms such as Meta (Facebook/Instagram) and Microsoft Advertising (Bing).

When you first visit our website, you will be presented with a cookie consent banner. You may accept or decline non-essential cookies. You may also adjust or withdraw your cookie preferences at any time through your browser settings or by contacting us. For fuller information, please see our Cookie Policy.

8. Data Retention

We retain personal data for as long as is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, and for so long as we are required to retain it by law or professional obligation. As a general guide:

• Client matter files are retained for a minimum of seven (7) years from the close of a matter, in accordance with standard legal professional practice in Malaysia.
• Financial records are retained for a minimum of seven (7) years as required under the Income Tax Act 1967 and related legislation.
• Website enquiry data that does not proceed to an engagement is retained for no longer than twenty-four (24) months, unless you request earlier deletion.
• Cookie and analytics data is retained in accordance with the retention settings of the applicable platform (typically thirteen (13) months for GA4 data).

When data is no longer required, it is securely deleted or anonymised.

9. Your Rights

Under the PDPA and, where applicable, other Malaysian law, you have the following rights in respect of your personal data:

• Right of access — to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right of correction — to request that inaccurate or incomplete data be corrected.
• Right to withdraw consent — where processing is based on consent, to withdraw that consent at any time.
• Right to limit processing — to request that we restrict processing of your data in certain circumstances.

To exercise any of these rights, please write to us at [email protected] or by post to our registered office. We will respond within thirty (30) days. There is no fee for making a request, although we reserve the right to charge a reasonable administrative fee for manifestly repetitive or unfounded requests, as permitted under the PDPA.

If you are dissatisfied with how we have handled your personal data, you may lodge a complaint with the Department of Personal Data Protection (JPDP) of Malaysia.

10. Security

We take reasonable and appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include restricted access to client files, encrypted electronic communication channels, and secure disposal of physical documents. No method of electronic transmission or storage is entirely without risk, and we cannot warrant absolute security.

11. Links to External Sites

Our website may contain links to external websites — such as the Syariah court e-filing portals or relevant government resources. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites and encourage you to review their respective privacy policies.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, our services, or applicable law. The revised version will be posted on this page with an updated effective date. Where a change is material, we will take reasonable steps to inform current clients. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or about how we handle your personal data, please contact us: