Privacy Notice – Dickinsons Solicitors
This privacy notice describes the processing of personal data we undertake as a business. The following are our reasons for collecting your personal data, what we do with it and what your rights are under UK GDPR.
Who are we?
We are Dickinsons Solicitors, an SRA regulated firm, registration number: 264836, registered office address 24 Park Road, St Annes on Sea, Lancashire, FY8 1PA, England.
You can contact us via the following email address: contact@dickinsonsolicitors.co.uk
We are registered as a Data Controller with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO – the UK’s regulator for data protection), registration number Z9731547.
Purpose of Processing
We process your personal data for a variety of purposes as set out in the table below, which also shows our lawful bases under UK data protection legislation (UK GDPR) for doing so.
| Purpose | Lawful Basis under UK GDPR |
|---|---|
| Managing your enquiries | Our legitimate interests in responding to and managing your enquiry. |
| Managing our relationship with you as a contact employed by one of our commercial clients, including provision of our services | Our legitimate interests in managing our commercial relationships and any associated contracts between our respective organisations.
If you are a sole trader, partner in a partnership then our lawful basis will be that processing is necessary to manage the contract we have with you. |
| Managing our relationship with you as a private client, including provision of our services | The processing is necessary to manage the contract we have with you. |
| Managing our commercial relationship with you as a contact employed by one of our suppliers | Our legitimate interests in managing our commercial relationships and any associated contracts between our respective organisations.
If you are a sole trader or partner in a partnership then our lawful basis will be that processing is necessary to manage the contract we have with you. |
| Direct marketing | Our legitimate interests in ensuring we appropriately manage, deliver or suppress direct marketing activity. |
| Recruitment Enquiries | Taking the steps necessary to enter into a contract with you. We will provide further privacy information to you as the recruitment process progresses. |
Where we are relying on our legitimate interests you are free to object to that at any time. In the case of direct marketing activities we will ensure that we cease to market our services to you should you object to our legitimate interests.
Where we are relying on your consent you are free to change your mind and withdraw your consent at any time.
Data we collect
The table below gives information on the categories of personal data we process for each of the purposes shown above.
| Purpose | Categories of Data Processed |
|---|---|
| Managing your commercial and support enquiries | Name, contact details, message content and contact history, associated information relating to specific matter. |
| Managing our relationship with you as a contact employed by one of our commercial clients | Name, role, contact details, contact history, associated information relating to specific matter. |
| Managing our relationship with you as a private client | Name, role, contact details, contact history, and associated matters. |
| Managing our commercial relationship with you as a contact employed by one of our suppliers | Name, role, contact details, and contact history. |
| Direct marketing | Name, contact details, marketing preferences. |
| Recruitment Enquiries | Name, contact details, role applied for. |
Where you are a sole trader or partner in a partnership then all the data we process about your business is also classed as Personal Data.
Special category data
There are additional rules we must follow if we collect certain types of more sensitive data, known as Special Category Data. These include details of your ethnicity, beliefs, health and sexuality and in each case, we must let you know what our additional lawful basis is for processing such data.
We do not routinely process any such special category data when managing our relationship with you as a client, but we may do so if the matter we are supporting you on contains such information, in which case we will usually be legitimately processing such data for the purpose of establishing, exercising or defending legal claims. This will also apply where we are processing information about criminal convictions or offences.
How long do we keep your data for?
Where we are relying on our legitimate interests to process your data then we will keep your personal data until you object to our legitimate interests and we agree with your objection, or until the following default periods have elapsed after our last contact with you.
| Purpose | Maximum Retention Period |
|---|---|
| Managing your commercial and support enquiries | 7 years |
| Managing our relationship with you as a contact employed by one of our commercial clients | 7 years |
| Managing our relationship with you as a private client | 7 years |
| Managing our commercial relationship with you as a contact employed by one of our suppliers | 7 years |
| Direct marketing | 7 years |
| Recruitment Enquiries | 7 years |
Do we ever share personal data?
- We will share your data if we receive a legitimate request from a law enforcement agency, or where we have a legal or professional obligation to report such matters to the appropriate authorities.
- When you submit your personal data online your data is shared with our partners who manage and host our websites.
- If we are communicating with you via email, we will be sharing your personal data with those email providers.
- We utilise external suppliers to provide several business support services. We always ensure that we have appropriate contracts in place to protect your rights when personal data are processed on our behalf by these third parties. There is further information regarding these suppliers in the “Where do we process data?” section.
How do we keep your data secure?
We take sensible steps to keep your data secure and ensure we can uphold your rights and meet our obligations under UK GDPR:
- Access to personal data is role based: only those members of staff with a legitimate need will have access.
- Systems are password protected and multi-factor authentication is enabled where available.
- We ensure that appropriate contracts are in place with our suppliers who process your personal data to protect your rights, to ensure that they take appropriate security measures to safeguard your data, and that any international transfers are done correctly under UK GDPR.
- Our employees are all subject to an obligation of confidentiality, and receive training on data protection matters.
- We utilise appropriate technical and organisational measures to optimise the security of your personal data.
Your Rights
You have a number of rights relating to the processing of your data. If you would like to use them or have any questions then please contact us.
We won’t charge you for doing any of the following, however we may make a charge in the case of frequent repeat or unfounded requests.
- Awareness: You have the right to be fully informed about why and how we process your information. This privacy notice is intended to meet that requirement, but please do contact us if you have any questions. If we obtain your personal data from a third party (e.g. a social media platform or recruitment platform) then we will tell you where we have obtained your information from.
- Access: You have the right to a copy of the data we hold about you.
- Rectification: If you think some of the data we hold is wrong then you have the right to ask us to correct it.
- Erasure: You have the right to ask us to delete the data we hold about you. Where we are holding the data to fulfil a contract with you or your organisation then we will need to retain the data in accordance with the data retention requirements shown above.
- Restriction: You have the right to ask us to restrict the processing of personal data whilst we check its accuracy, if you think the processing is unlawful, if you believe we no longer need to process the data but you need us to store it due to pending legal claims, or when you object to our processing based upon our legitimate interests and we are assessing the validity of that.
- Object: Where we are processing your personal data based upon our legitimate interests you have the right to object to that. If your objection is valid (for instance in the case of any direct marketing activity) then we will stop processing your personal data for that purpose.
- Data portability: You can request a copy of your data in a digital format which you can then supply to another provider when we are processing your personal data under the lawful basis of performing a contract with you or because we have your consent.
- Automated decisions and profiling: You have the right, in certain circumstances, not to be subject to decisions based on automated processing (including profiling) if it has a significant or legal impact on you. This doesn’t apply if the processing is necessary to fulfil a contract with you, or if you have given us your consent to do so. We do not currently use any technology to make automated decisions about you.
Where do we process data?
We primarily process data in the UK; however, we use partners to help us deliver our services, and some of these services will mean that your personal data are transferred outside of the UK.
| Partner | Where are they located? | What additional protections are in place to safeguard your rights if processing is transferred overseas |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft | UK | N/A |
| Quicklaunch (site hosting) | UK | N/A |
| String Computer Systems (IT Support, MS hosting) | UK | N/A |
| Commercial Business Communications (telecoms provision) | UK | N/A |
We may share your personal data with professional advisors from time to time, such as our accountants or legal advisors. We will always ensure that appropriate protections to your rights and freedoms are in place.
Making a complaint
Please contact us at the above address. You can also contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) on their helpline 0303 123 1113 or online at www.ico.org.uk. If you should contact the ICO they will normally ask you to contact us first.