Privacy policy

Introduction

Straight Line Legal (“SLL”) takes the protection of your data and its data protection obligations seriously.

This Privacy Notice sets out information about SLL’s privacy practices and your rights. SLL may be required to amend this Privacy Notice from time to time for any reason. The updated version will be available by following the “Privacy” link on the website footer at www.straightlinelegal.co.uk. You may wish to consult the Privacy Notice regularly for updates.

The Law

SLL is bound by the European Union (“EU”) General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 (“GDPR”) and by the GDPR as incorporated into the law the United Kingdom by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (the “UK GDPR”). Unless otherwise indicated, references in this Privacy Notice to the GDPR include the UK GDPR.

In this Privacy Notice, the terms ‘personal data’, ‘controller’, ‘processor’, ‘data subject’, ‘consent’, ‘recipient’, ‘third party’, ‘processing’ and ‘profiling’ have the meanings given to them in the GDPR.

Controller and Data Protection Officer contact details

The controller for the processing of personal data under this Privacy Notice is:

Straight Line Legal Ltd
144 Georgia Avenue
Manchester
M20 1LX
Telephone: +44 7894 106 503
Email: mark@straightlinelegal.co.uk
Website:.www.straightlinelegal.co.uk

If you have any questions about this Privacy Notice or about SLL’s data processing practices; or if you wish to exercise any of your rights as a data subject, you may contact SLL’s Data Protection Officer, Mark Maclean, using the contact details above.

What is personal and special category data?

Personal data is defined in the UK GDPR as any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person. It can include obvious data like your name but also identification numbers, online identifiers and/or one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of a person.

Special category data includes data revealing race or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, or trade union membership, and genetic data, biometric data, data concerning health or data concerning a person’s sex life or sexual orientation.

Specific situations where SLL may process personal data

FOR CLIENTS

SLL will process certain personal data about clients who are individuals. This information also applies to officers, employees, or contractors of clients who are organisations.

Types of personal data collected

To engage and serve you as a client, SLL will need to collect personal data about you; including your name, position, address, identification, contact details and business details. SLL may also collect data on the industry you operate in, along with your business/personal interests. SLL may in certain situations be required to view or take a copy of your passport or identity documents.

In the course of providing services to you, SLL may collect other personal data about you that is relevant to the matter (see further below for details). In most cases SLL will obtain this personal data directly from you. Sometimes, SLL may obtain personal data about you from third parties or public sources.

Purposes of processing and legal basis for processing

  • SLL will process data to provide legal and other professional services (and to carry out administrative tasks related to those services). This is necessary for performance of your contract with SLL, or to take steps prior to entering into that contract; and/or for the purposes of SLL’s legitimate interests in providing legal and other professional services to its clients.

  • SLL will process data to comply with any applicable laws (e.g. legal practice or regulatory obligations). This is necessary to comply with legal obligations.

  • SLL will process data to manage and develop a relationship with you / your organisation and to send communications about services / events. This is necessary for SLL’s legitimate interests in developing/advancing its business - see further below.

Recipients

SLL may disclose your personal data to third parties who provide administrative, storage, telecommunications, information technology and other services to SLL in support of its business. SLL will use reasonable endeavours to ensure suppliers are subject to obligations not to use or disclose that data.

For the purposes of your matter, SLL may disclose personal data to third parties who provide services which assist SLL with your matter and to third parties who are involved in the matter - see below for further information.

Transfers

SLL will not transfer your data overseas.

Retention period

SLL will only retain personal data for as long as it has a legitimate purpose to do so and it will need to retain such data for commercial and legal purposes. The duration of retention will depend on the specific personal data. SLL typically retains client documentation and files for at least 6 years after the end of the matter, in case a dispute arises.

SLL is required to retain certain client and matter information for a specified period by corporate and tax laws, legal industry regulations, and for SLL’s insurance providers.

Once SLL has no legal or commercial reasons to retain personal data, it will be securely deleted or destroyed.

Requirement to supply data

As a client, it is mandatory to supply basic personal data such as your name and contact details. If you do not provide this data, SLL will not be able to act for you. It is optional to provide most other personal data. However, in many cases, if you do not provide that data, the advice and services SLL can provide to you may be limited.

QUERIES / INITIAL ENQUIRIES

SLL may process certain personal data about you if you contact SLL with a query / enquiry, by mail, email, fax or through the website.

Types of personal data collected

SLL may collect your name and contact details, and any other personal data you include in your correspondence.

Purposes of processing

SLL may use your personal data to respond to your query.

Legal basis for processing

When you contact SLL with a query that requires or requests a response, SLL accepts that as a voluntary, specific, informed and clear indication that you want SLL to process your personal data to the extent necessary to respond to your query (unless you indicate otherwise). Accordingly, SLL relies on your consent to process your personal data to respond to the query. You can withdraw this consent at any time, but then SLL may be unable to respond to your query.

Recipients

SLL may disclose your personal data to third parties who provide administrative, storage, telecommunications, information technology and other services to SLL in support of its business. SLL will use reasonable endeavours to ensure suppliers are subject to obligations not to use or disclose that data.

For the purposes of your matter, SLL may disclose personal data to third parties who provide services which assists SLL with your matter and to third parties who are involved in the matter - see below for further information.

Transfers

SLL will not transfer your data overseas.

Retention period

SLL will only retain personal data for as long as it has a legitimate purpose to do so and for commercial and legal purposes. The retention duration will depend on the specific personal data. SLL may retain your personal data for as long as it takes to respond to your query. Following that, SLL may retain your personal data for follow up or record-keeping purposes.

Once SLL has no legal or commercial reasons to retain personal data, it will be securely deleted or destroyed.

Requirement to provide personal data

You may choose what personal data you provide when you send SLL a query or initial enquiry.

Legitimate interests

As noted above, in some situations SLL may process your personal data on the basis of its “legitimate interests”. Based on SLL’s business model, it has a legitimate interest in:

  • providing legal services (such as advice and document preparation) and other professional services to its clients; ensuring those services are of a high standard; and complying with all regulations which apply to the provision of those services; and

  • developing its business and relationships, understanding the needs of clients (and potential clients), and providing insights/commentary/reporting on various legal issues.

SLL will only rely on those legitimate interests to process personal data where the processing is necessary for the purposes of said interests; and those said interests are not overridden by the data subject’s interests or fundamental rights and freedoms.

Automated decision-making including profiling

SLL does not engage in any automated decision-making or profiling.

Cookies

SLL’s website uses cookies. You can manage your cookies by following the steps outlined on the website.

Cookies are harmless text files placed on a computer’s hard drive. Cookies help make websites work. They also provide SLL with information about how users interact with the website and SLL applies this information to try to improve your experience and the quality of service provided. Cookies help this by allowing SLL to remember personal settings you have chosen on SLL’s website.

SLL does not use cookies in any other way to collect information that identifies you personally (they are anonymous). Most of the cookies are automatically deleted from your computer when you leave the website or shortly afterwards. SLL will seek your consent before storing any cookies on your computer. You can refuse to accept cookies, however doing so may affect the functionality you can access on SLL’s website.

Your rights

This information assumes you will be located in the EU or the UK, in which case you have certain rights in relation to your personal data as follows:

  • Access: You have the right to obtain access to and a copy of any personal data SLL holds about you. You also have the right to find out whether your personal data has been transferred outside the EU and any safeguards relating to this transfer.

  • Rectification: If you consider that any personal data SLL holds about you is incorrect or incomplete, you have the right seek correction or to complete that personal data.

  • Erasure: In certain situations, you have the right to ask SLL to erase any personal data held about you.

  • Restriction of processing: In certain situations, you have the right to ask SLL not to process your personal data for certain purposes.

  • Objection to processing: In certain situations, you have the right to object to SLL processing your personal data for certain purposes.

  • Data portability: In certain situations, you have the right to request a copy of your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.

  • Withdrawing consent: If SLL is processing your personal data based on your consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time.

For more information about these rights, visit https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/.

To make a request pursuant to these rights, please contact SLL’s Data Protection Officer (see above) setting out your request clearly.