Website & Social Media Privacy Policy

Introduction

SME Solicitors respects your personal data and is committed to protecting it.

In this policy, you can find out about the types of information we collect from you from your use of the website and social media, how we use it, how we might share data with others, how you can manage the information we hold and how you can contact us.

This statement describes processing relating to the information we obtain from you and other visitors and customers when you visit our websites or social media pages. Stallard March & Edwards LLP (trading as SME Solicitors) is a ‘Data Controller’ of your personal information which means that we decide why and how it is processed. It also means we are responsible for that processing, which extends to any third parties we use who may process your information based on our instructions. We may work with other organisations in connection with some of the processing activities described in this statement, such as social media and analytics platforms.

Where your data is collected and sent to other organisations for processing that is in both our and their legitimate interests, we will be making decisions together in relation to that particular processing and will be ‘joint controllers’ with the organisations involved. Under data protection laws, we will be jointly responsible to you for any processing of that personal data. Where this is not the case, the other organisation will be separately responsible to you and they will set out their responsibilities in their own privacy statement. We do not sell your personal data to anyone. There may be occasions where we would like to offer promotions or market our products and services to you directly but you will be given the option not to receive such communications from us.

What data do we collect?

We collect information about you when you engage with our website and/or social media pages. We may also receive data from third party sources but we only collect information which is necessary, relevant and adequate for the purpose you are providing it for.

Some of the information does not identify you personally but provides us with information about how you use our services and engage with us. We use this information to improve our services and make them more useful to you. An example of this is our use of Cookies on our websites.

For information about how we use Cookies, please visit the Cookie Policy available on this website. Here you can learn about managing the optional Cookies we use to personalise your experience and understand how you interact with our website.

The information we collect may include some or all of the following:

• Name (including title);
• Address;
• Phone number;
• Date of Birth;
• Email address;
• The date and time you used our services;
• The pages you visited on our website, the features you used and how long you visited us for;
• Your IP address;
• Your approximate location (where you have permitted access to this);
• The internet browser and devices you are using;
• Cookie, pixels or beacon information (for more information please see our Cookie Policy);
• The website address from which you accessed our website;
• Details of any transactions between you and us;
• Where you engage with us in a business context, we may collect your job title, company contact details (including email addresses) and company details (some of which we may obtain from online or public business directories, including social media);
• Your social media name and identification number, any information you post on our social media pages, posts in which you include a hashtag or mention relating to us and information regarding your activities on our social media pages generally (for example, the time and date of your posts and your ‘likes’);
• Your direct marketing preferences.

How do we use this data?

We will only process information that is necessary for the purpose for which it has been collected. There are various ways in which we may use or process your personal information:

How do we keep your data safe?

We use technical and organisational measures to safeguard your data and adhere to the UK General Data Protection Regulations with regards to protecting your data. This includes measures to deal with any suspected data breaches.

If you suspect any loss, misuse or unauthorised access to your data, please contact us immediately using the contact information below.

Links to other websites

This website may provide links to other websites. This privacy policy does not extend to linked websites. We do not have responsibility for the content of these websites or how they use and protect your data. We advise you to read the privacy policy of other websites prior to using them.

How do we share your data?

As previously stated, we do not sell your information to third parties. We do however work with our group companies and with third party suppliers who fulfil business activities for us.

We may use Social Media Platforms to communicate with you and to promote our products and services. We use your personal information when you post content or otherwise interact with us on our official pages on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and other social media platforms. We may also view statistical information and reports regarding your interactions with the pages we administer on those platforms and their content.

We take steps to ensure that any third-party partners who handle your information comply with data protection legislation and protect your information just as we do. We only disclose personal information that is necessary for them to provide the service that they are undertaking on our behalf.

Transfers outside Europe

There may be some instances where your information is processed or stored outside of the UK and EU. In those instances, we will obtain your consent first, and we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place for that transfer and storage as required by applicable law.

How long do we keep your data?

We hold your personal information to give us an opportunity to form a relationship with you, but we do not keep your personal information in an identifiable format for longer than is necessary.

Exceptions to this include:

• Where the law requires us to hold your personal information for a longer or shorter period;
• Where you have raised a legal claim, complaint or concern regarding a product or service offered by us, in which case we will retain your information for a period of 6 years following the resolution of that complaint or query; or
• Where you exercise your right to have the information erased (where it applies) and we do not need to hold it in connection with any of the reasons permitted or required under the law.

How can you manage the information we hold about you?

You have the right to:

• Ask for a copy of the information that we hold about you;
• Correct and update your information;
• Withdraw your consent (where we rely on it);
• Object to our use of your information (where we rely on our legitimate interests to use your personal information) provided we do not have any continuing lawful reason to continue to use and process the information. When we do rely on our legitimate interests to use your personal information for direct marketing, we will always comply with your right to object;
• Erase your information (or restrict the use of it), provided we do not have any continuing lawful reason to continue to use and process that information;
• Transfer your information in a structured data file (in a commonly used and machine readable format), where we rely on your consent to use and process your personal information or need to process it in connection with your contract.

You also have the right not to be subject to purely automated decisions (including profiling) where this has a significant effect on you. We do not envisage that any decisions will be taken about you in this way, however we will update this statement if this changes.

The contents of this statement may change from time to time so you may wish to check this page occasionally to ensure you are still happy to share your information with us. Where possible, we will also contact you directly to notify you of any substantial changes.

Contact Information

You can exercise the above rights and/or manage your information by contacting us using the details below:

Post: SME Solicitors, 8 Sansome Walk, Worcester, Worcestershire, WR1 1LW

Email: info@smesolicitors.co.uk

Phone: 01905 723561

If you are unhappy, you have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection regulator in Europe, in particular in a country you work or live or where your legal rights have been infringed. The contact details for the Information Commissioner’s Office, the data protection regulator in the UK, are below:

Post: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF

Email: casework@ico.org.uk

Phone: 0303 123 1113