Privacy Notice

 

Who we are

This Privacy Notice provides information about the way we hold, collect and use your personal information (data) in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).  We are committed to maintaining the trust and confidence of visitors to our website and the protection of your personal information is very important to us.

 

Melanie Craig Solicitor (trading as Craig Solicitors) is a Sole Practitioner Practice.  The Head Office is 74 Belsize Lane, London, NW3 5BJ.  Melanie Craig Solicitor (trading as Craig Solicitors) is a data controller and registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office.  Our Data Protection contact is Melanie Craig, Craig Solicitors, 74 Belsize Lane, London, NW3 5BJ.  Telephone 020 7317 8930.  Email melanie@craiglaw.co.uk.

 

Types of data we collect

Most pages on our website can be accessed without giving us your personal information.  However, you may choose to provide us with your personal information such as your name, address, email details to confirm you wish us to contact you to receive further information about us and our services.  This may be through an enquiry form, requesting marketing literature, telephoning us or calling into our office with an enquiry, expressing an interest at a seminar or event.  By submitting your personal information you consent to our use of the information as set out in this Privacy Notice.  We may also contact you to follow up about enquiries you have made with us.  If you engage us to carry out work on your behalf, you will be provided with a copy of our Privacy Notice for clients.  If you do not agree to our use of your personal information in this way, please refrain from using our website, or contacting us with an enquiry.

 

Cookies, Google Analytics and IP addresses

A cookie is an element of data that a website can send to your browser, which may then store it on your system.  Cookies allow us to understand who has seen the pages to determine how frequently particular pages are visited, and to determine the most popular areas of our website.  We use cookies so that we can give you a better experience when you return to our website.  Most web browsers automatically accept cookies.  You do not have to accept cookies and you should read the information that came with your browser software to see how you can set up your browser to notify you when you receive a cookie.  This will give you the opportunity to decide whether to accept it.  Refusing cookies may mean that you cannot access certain feature of our website.

 

Please note any cookies connected via our social media channels such as Twitter, Facebook etc are not within our control.  Please refer to their respective privacy policies about how their cookies work.

 

Google Analytics may be used to collect standard internet log information and details of visitor behaviour patterns.  This is to establish details such as the number of visitors to various pages of our website.  This information is only processed in a way which does not identify any individual.  We do not make, or allow Google to make any attempt to identify those individuals visiting our website.

 

When you visit our website, we may collect information about your device and IP address for reasons of fraud and statistical data about user browsing actions and patterns, but this does not identify any individual.

 

Legal Basis for processing your personal information

We will only use your personal information were the law allows us to.  Generally this will be for one or more of the following circumstances:

• To enable us to perform the contract you have engaged us for


• For compliance with a legal or regulatory obligation we are subject to


• Where you have provided your consent


• For our legitimate interests, such as facilitating the provision of services to you, business analysis to help improve the management of our practice, governance and good practice and notify you about changes to our services

 

Sharing your information

Personal information provided by you when contacting us about our services, will be disclosed to our personnel to facilitate any enquiries you have, or for the provision of services to you.  It may also be disclosed to companies we work with who support us in providing those services (where applicable), such as IT hosting companies.  Where we use external companies to process your personal information, we require third parties to comply strictly with our instructions and data protection laws and we will make sure that appropriate controls are in place where third parties have access to personal data. We enter into contracts with all of our data processors and regularly monitor their activities to ensure they are complying with our policies and procedures.

 

Transfer of your data to other countries

In the course of carrying out the activities referred to above, we may transfer your personal information to other countries, which may not have the same legal protections as your personal information in the UK.

 

Where personal information is being transferred outside of the European Economic Area we will take steps to ensure that your personal information is adequately protected in accordance with UK legal requirements.

 

Updating, deleting and restricting use of your personal information

It is important that the information we hold about you is accurate and up to date.  Please keep us informed if there are changes to the personal information we hold about you.

 

By law you have the right to:

 

• Request access to your personal data, which is referred to as a “data subject access request”. This allows you to receive a copy of the personal data we hold about you and check we are processing it lawfully


• Request the correction of personal data we hold about you. This enables you to correct any incomplete or inaccurate information we hold about you


• Request erasure of your personal data. This enables you to remove or erase your personal data where there is no good reason for us continuing to process it.  Please note we may be unable to erase personal data where we have an ongoing legal obligation to process it.  Where we do erase your personal data, we will retain a record of your name, the date of your request and the date the data was erased.


• Object to processing your personal data (where we rely on legitimate interest or those of a third party) and there is a particular reason regarding your situation for you to object. Where we process your personal data for direct marketing, you also have a right to object.


• Request a restriction of processing your personal data. This enables you to request a suspension in processing your personal data.


• Request the transfer of your personal information to another party.

 

If you wish to inform us of any changes, object, withdraw consent for us processing your personal data or access the information we hold about you, please contact Melanie Craig.  Please note in some cases we may not be able to delete, correct, restrict or grant an objection to processing your personal data if we have a legal obligation, legitimate interest or contractual reason to process it.  If we refuse such a request, we will advise you, together with your right of appeal.

 

If you are requesting access to personal information, please also let us have sufficient information to identity you (including proof of your identity and address – e.g. a copy of your passport, driving licence and a recent utility bill or bank or credit card statement).  You should also let us know the information to which your request relates, including any matter or reference numbers if you have them.  This request is free of charge unless the request is manifestly unfounded or excessive.

 

We hope that we can resolve any query or concern your raise about our use of your personal information.  If you are unsatisfied with our response to any issues you raise you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner, who is the supervisory authority for data protection in the UK.  They may be contacted at www.ico.org.uk or telephone 0303 123 1113.  Further information about your rights can also be found on their website.

 

Changes to this Privacy Notice

We may change this privacy notice from time to time. If you use our website regularly, please visit this page from time to time to check this notice.