Terms of Use and Privacy Notice
Emsleys Solicitors is a trading name of Emsleys Solicitors Limited
Regulation
- Emsleys Solicitors is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (the SRA).
- The SRA’s rules can be accessed at: www.sra.org.uk/handbook/
- Our SRA number is 607960
- Our VAT number is 184 0640 15
- Our registered company number is 08708277
- Our registered office is Colton Mill, Bullerthorpe Lane, Leeds, LS15 9JN
- Emsleys is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office.
Our commitment to you
We are committed to keeping your personal data safe, giving you flexibility and control and providing useful and timely information where appropriate. This privacy notice explains how, why and when we may use your personal information, as well as your rights to that information.
Depending on our relationship with you this privacy notice may be supplemented with additional information relating to our use of your personal data included for example in our Terms of Business and other documents.
How we use your data
- We will only use your data for the reasons set out in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which became effective from 25 May 2018. Please note that we must have a legal basis (lawful reason) to process your personal data and in most cases, the lawful reason will include but is not limited to: Verifying your identity and communicating with you by telephone, email, fax or post
- Contractual obligations to comply with our contracts e.g. to take actions that are necessary for us to provide you with a legal service (or to take steps at your request beforehand)
- Consent where we have received your consent to process your data e.g. where you tick a box to receive email newsletters
- Legal compliance where we are required to meet our legal or regulatory obligations arising from our relationship with you e.g. passing on details of people involved in fraud or other criminal activity to law enforcement
- Legitimate interest to pursue our interests in a way which might reasonably be expected as part of running our business and which does not materially impact your rights, freedom or interests e.g. where we send you updates relating to issues on which you have previously used us; or to inform you of legal developments that may affect you or where we use your data for statistical analysis for the purpose of developing new services and improving the services we currently provide (unless you have opted out of receiving such communications)
- In the case of sensitive personal data, it is in the substantial public interest e.g. to support you if you are or become a vulnerable person
When we collect your personal data
We collect information directly from you for example:
- When you visit and browse any of our website(s). See section “Cookies”
- When you instruct us to provide a legal service and throughout the transaction
- When you telephone our office or email us
- When you complete a feedback survey
- When you engage with us on social media
- When you use our apps
- When you participate in prize draw/competitions or join the Emsleys Rewards scheme
- When you permit a third party (e.g. estate agents, relatives) to share with us the information they hold about you
- Indirectly, through one of our people, a client or a third party
- We collect data from publicly available sources (such as Land Registry or Companies House) when you have given your consent to share information or where the information is made public as a matter of law
What we won't do with your personal data
We will not sell or disclose your personal details to any third parties. However, there may be circumstances in which we share your information with third parties (who also have to keep it secure and confidential) to include but not limited to:
- when required to do so to comply with the law
- in response to a valid legal request by a law enforcement officer or government agency/regulatory authority
- independent third party service providers and agents
- when you have given your consent
How we protect your personal data
We take the security of your personal information seriously and will always take measures to protect your personal information. We understand how important it is to protect/manage your personal data and will comply with our regulator’s requirements.
How long will we keep your personal data?
We will only keep information:
- for as long as is necessary for the purpose for which it was collected
- for as long as required to meet our legal or regulatory obligations
- to maintain records and information for audit purposes
- to deal with any future complaints about the services we have provided
- At the end of the retention period, we will only keep your information for a period of time that is appropriate for the type of personal data and the reason we hold it for
Who do we share your personal data with?
We will share your personal data with:
- third parties where necessary to fulfil your instructions in relation to the legal service we are providing to you
- trusted third parties for the purpose of fulfilling your instructions e.g. IT companies who support our website or other business systems
- our regulators
When we share information with third parties, we will make sure they agree to apply equivalent levels of protection to protect your personal data as we do.
For further information please contact our Data Protection Officer by emailing DPO@emsleys.co.uk
What are your rights over your personal data?
You have rights in relation to your personal data. These include the right to request:
- Access to the personal data we hold about you, free of charge (sometimes called a Subject Access Request)
- The correction of your personal data when incorrect, out of date or incomplete.
- That we restrict how we use your personal data or stop using your information for direct marketing (either through specific methods or all methods)
- That we stop any consent-based processing of your personal data after you withdraw that consent
- That we delete personal data – it is important to note that this right is not absolute and it may not be possible for us to delete the information we hold about you
In some circumstances, we will not be able to agree to a request if for example we have a legitimate reason for not doing so.
If any of your information is incorrect or changes at any point during your dealings with us, please let us know.
How to contact us
You can contact us if you require more information about your rights or want to exercise these rights at any time as follows:
The Data Protection Officer, No.6 Colton Mill, Bullerthorpe Lane, Leeds LS15 9JN or email DPO@emsleys.co.uk. If we choose not to action your request we will explain to you the reasons for our refusal.
To protect the confidentiality of your information, we will ask you to verify your identity before proceeding with any request you make under this Privacy Notice. If you have authorised a third party to submit a request on your behalf, we will ask them to prove they have your permission to act.
How can you stop the use of your personal data for direct marketing?
You have trusted us with your data and in return we will give you the flexibility you need to have control. You can decide how we contact you in relation to services or information we think you may be interested in. However, if at any point you wish to exercise your right to stop direct marketing communications from us, you can:
- Complete the Contact Form on our website
- Email DPO@emsleys.co.uk
- Call 0113 232 1030
- Write to The Data Protection Officer, No.2 Colton Mill, Bullerthorpe Lane, Leeds LS15 9JN
Please note that you may continue to receive communications for a short period after changing your preferences while our systems are fully updated.
Contacting the Regulator
If you feel that your data has not been handled correctly or you are unhappy with our response to any requests you have made to us regarding the use of your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office. You can contact them by calling 0303 123 1113 or by visiting the website www.ico.org.uk/concerns
Any questions?
If you have any questions that haven’t been covered by this Notice, please contact our Data Protection Officer who will be pleased to help you by emailing us at DPO@emsleys.co.uk or writing to our Data Protection Officer, No.2 Colton Mill, Bullerthorpe Lane, Leeds LS15 9JN.
Jurisdiction for use
This site is intended for use only by those who can access it from within the UK.
Governing Law
This site is governed by and construed in accordance with English law. Disputes arising in connection with this site shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts.
Contacts
If you believe any information on this site is inaccurate or have any suggestions on how the content of this site could be improved please contact us at law@emsleys.co.uk. If you have any comments or concerns regarding our services, you can contact us at law@emsleys.co.uk. Further information about complaints and redress services is available from the Legal Ombudsman or if you have purchased services from us on-line, you can consult the European Commission’s website.
Changes
We will update the content of this notice from time to time. Please ensure that you visit this page regularly and refresh your browser to ensure your information is up to date. If changes to this privacy notice will have a substantial effect on you, we will give you sufficient notice to allow you to exercise your rights.
Customer responsibility
It is your responsibility to ensure that your computer is virus protected. Emsleys accepts no responsibility for any loss you may suffer as a result of accessing or downloading information from this site.
Accuracy and validity of information
Whilst we take all reasonable steps to ensure that the information contained within these pages is accurate and up-to-date, it is nonetheless supplied on an "as is" basis and accordingly we do not accept any liability for any errors or omissions. If you are in any doubt as to the validity of information made available within these pages, we recommend you seek verification by contacting us.
Availability
Whilst we take all reasonable steps to ensure this website is always accessible we will not be held liable if, for any reason, the website is unavailable for any period. We may also have to suspend access to the website for routine or emergency updates and maintenance but we will endeavour to keep any disruption to a minimum. In addition we cannot warrant that this website will be free of viruses or defects of any description and we will not be held responsible for any technical problems you may suffer as a result of your use of this website.
Third Party websites
This website may also contain hypertext links to websites operated by third parties. The responsibility for the operation and content of those websites shall rest solely with the organisation identified as controlling the third party website and will be governed by separate terms and conditions. Links are provided for convenience and inclusion of any link does not imply endorsement in any way of the site to which it links. We accept no responsibility or liability for the contents of any linked website.