Cannons Law Practice LLP (hereinafter referred to as “Cannons”) is a Scottish law firm. We have an obligation to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Law Society of Scotland’s Practice Rules in processing our clients’ personal data.  This Privacy Notice sets out how we process personal data in order to comply with these regulations and sets out the rights that individuals have in relation to personal data that Cannons holds about them. 

  1. Who are we?

The data controller responsible for your personal data is: 

Cannons Law Practice LLP

158 Hyndland Road

Glasgow

G12 9HZ

Telephone: 0141 204 5115

Email: office@cannonslaw.com

If you have any questions about this Privacy Notice, the data we hold on you, or you would like to exercise one of your data protection rights, please do not hesitate to contact us at the address, telephone number or email listed above.

  1. What information about you will we collect?

We require to collect and process our clients’ personal data in order for us to provide legal services for you. Personal data is any information stored about a person from which that person can be identified. 

We may collect, store, and use your personal data in the course of our business which may include: 

  • personal contact details including name, title, address, telephone number, email address, job title, name of employer;
  • banking details, passport number and copies of your passport;
  • information relating to the matter in respect of which you are seeking our legal advice or in which you are involved; or
  • information taken during meetings. 

We may also collect, store and use more sensitive ‘special category data’ which may include:

  • information about physical and mental health including dietary and disability requirements; or
  • information about criminal and convictions and offences.
  1. Why do we use your personal information?

We collect, store and use your personal data to:

  • provide legal services for you and meet our legal responsibilities;
  • verify your identity where this is required; 
  • communicate with you by post, email or telephone; 
  • understand your needs and how they may be met; 
  • maintain our records;
  • process financial transactions; and
  • comply with our legal and regulatory obligations.

We do not envisage using your data to make automated decisions about you. 

  1. When are we entitled to use your personal data? 
  • When we have obtained your consent to process your personal data; or 
  • When it is necessary to enable us to perform our contractual obligations with you; or
  • When it is necessary to secure compliance with legal and regulatory obligations which we are subject to; or
  • When it is necessary to protect your vital interests.
  1. How do we store your personal information? 

We endeavour to protect your personal information in order to prevent any unauthorised access to, or use or disclosure of, your personal information by means of appropriate technical and organisational measures. 

  1. With whom do we share your data?

We will share your information where it is required by law, where it is necessary to manage our working relationship with you or where we have another legitimate interest in doing so. This will include sharing data with our staff and some sub-contractors or suppliers who provide us with services, including: 

  • other professional advisors instructed on your behalf e.g. accountants, arbitrators, advocates;
  • third parties where necessary in respect of the legal services being provided to you e.g. your lender, Companies House, Registrars of Scotland, Sheriff Officers;
  • other solicitors involved in your legal matter; 
  • our suppliers who provide us with their services e.g. IT and communication suppliers and our secure shredding company;
  • law enforcement bodies, the courts, our regulators and other competent authorities in accordance with legal or regulatory requirements or good practice; 
  • our insurers, banks and other third parties who provide services to us; and
  • property agents or estate agents acting for you relative to the sale of your property or with whom you have an Assisted Sale Agreement.

This list is not exhaustive and will change from time to time. If you require specific details, please contact us. 

  1. Duty of confidentiality 

We have a duty to maintain client confidentiality under the Law Society’s practice rules. In certain circumstances, we may request that you waive this duty of confidentiality where it is necessary to enable us to perform our contractual obligations with you, or to protect your interests. 

  1. What happens if you fail to provide personal information? 

If you do not provide us with certain information when requested, we may not be able to provide you with the legal advice required or perform the contract we have entered into with you, or we may be prevented from complying with our legal obligation. As such, we may require to withdraw from acting.

9. How long will we retain your data? 

We will retain your data for no longer than necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for. The length of time we retain it will depend on the type of information we hold, on any legal obligations we have, the nature of any contracts we have in place with you, the existence of your consent and our legitimate interests as a business. 

We have a data retention policy that sets out the periods for retaining all personal data that we hold. Should you wish to request a copy, please contact us at office@cannonslaw.com. 

  1. What are your rights as a Data Subject?

Cannons would like to make sure you are fully aware of your data protection rights. Every Data Subject is entitled to the following: 

  • the right to be informed — this Privacy Notice informs you about the collection and use of your personal information;
  • the right to access to your information – you may request access to the personal information that we hold about you by making a “subject access request”;
  • the right to rectify your information – if you believe that any of the personal information that we hold about you is inaccurate or incomplete, you have a right to request that we correct or complete that personal information;
  • the right to delete your information – if you wish us to delete the personal information that we hold about you, you may request that we do so in certain circumstances;
  • the right to object to how we use your information – you have a right to object to use processing your personal information in certain circumstances;
  • the right to restrict how we use your information – you have a right to request that we restrict the processing of the personal information that we hold about you for specific purposes;
  • the right to transfer – you have a right to request the transfer of your personal information to another party; and
  • the right to withdraw your consent to using your information – you have the right to withdraw consent at any time and we will stop using your personal information for the purpose(s) for which consent was given.

You can exercise any of these rights by contacting our Data Protection Officer, Nicola Cannon, at Cannons Law Practice LLP, 158 Hyndland Road, Glasgow G12 9HZ or office@cannonslaw.com. 

  1. Keeping in touch

Cannons would like to keep in touch and send you information about services of ours that we think you might be interested in. You will always be given the option to unsubscribe from receiving these emails and if you do not want to receive this information from Cannons then please email office@cannonslaw.com. 

  1. Complaints  

We seek to directly resolve all complaints about how we handle personal information. However, should you feel that Cannons has not addressed your concern in a satisfactory manner, you also have the right to raise a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office:

Online: www.ico.org.uk 

Telephone: 0303 123 1113

By post: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, SK9 5AF

  1. Changes to our Privacy Notice 

We reserve the right to update this policy at any time. This policy was last updated in July 2019.