Privacy Policy

What is this Privacy Policy for?

This privacy policy is for this website [www.mbssolicitors.co.uk] and served by MBS Solicitors and governs the privacy of its users who choose to use it.

The policy sets out the different areas where user privacy is concerned and outlines the obligations & requirements of the users, the website and website owners.

Furthermore, this policy explains the way this website processes, stores and protects user data and information and how your rights under the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations) and the Data Protection Act 2018 are adhered to. Clients of MBS Solicitors should also make reference to our Terms of Business which contain information on disclosure and confidentiality.

This policy may change from time to time by updating this page. Please check this page from time to time to ensure that you are content with the changes. This policy does not apply to any websites that may have a link to our website.

The Website

This website and its owners take a proactive approach to user privacy and ensure the necessary steps are taken to protect the privacy of its users throughout their visiting experience. This website complies to all UK national laws and requirements for user privacy.

Use of Cookies

This website uses cookies to better the users experience while visiting the website. Where applicable this website uses a cookie control system allowing the user on their first visit to the website to allow or disallow the use of cookies on their computer / device. This complies with legislation requirements for websites to obtain explicit consent from users before leaving behind or reading files such as cookies on a user’s computer / device.

Cookies are small files saved to the user’s computer’s hard drive that track, save and store information about the user’s interactions and usage of the website. This allows the website, through its server to provide the users with a tailored experience within this website.

Users are advised that if they wish to deny the use and saving of cookies from this website on to their computers hard drive they should take necessary steps within their web browsers security settings to block all cookies from this website and its external serving vendors.

This website uses tracking software to monitor its visitors to better understand how they use it. This software is provided by Google Analytics which uses cookies to track visitor usage. The software will save a cookie to your computer’s hard drive in order to track and monitor your engagement and usage of the website, but will not store, save or collect personal information. You can read Google’s privacy policy here for further information [http://www.google.com/privacy.html ]. To prevent the Google Analytics cookies being stored on your device, install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on [https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout]. In either case however, any information contained on these websites is the entire responsibility of Google and or anyone on their behalf. We do not accept any responsibility whatsoever for any omission or inaccuracy or inaccuracies on any of these websites. We do not accept liability for any losses whatsoever (whether they are direct, indirect, consequential or otherwise). If you are in any doubt about any information held by or displayed on any of these websites, you should contact Google direct.

According to Google, Google Analytics does not track personal information, the following information is being gathered by the Google Analytics cookies:

The pages you visit
The duration of your visit on a page
How you got to the site (source)
What you click on while you’re visiting the site

This information is being gathered by the following cookies:

_ga This helps us count how many people visit the site by tracking if you’ve visited before Expires in: 2 years
_gid This helps us count how many people visit the site by tracking if you’ve visited before Expires in: 24 hours
_gat Used to manage the rate at which page view requests are made Expires in: 10 minutes

Other cookies may be stored to your computer’s hard drive by external vendors when this website uses referral programs, sponsored links or adverts. Such cookies are used for conversion and referral tracking and typically expire after 30 days, though some may take longer. No personal information is stored, saved or collected.

Contact & Communication

Users contacting this website and/or its owners do so at their own discretion and provide any such personal details requested at their own risk. Every reasonable effort has been made to ensure a safe and secure form to email submission process but advise users using such form to email processes that they do so at their own risk.

The following information is gathered using our website’s general contact form:

Name
E-mail address
Phone number
Contact preference
Contact subject
Summary of your legal issue

This website and its owner use any information submitted to provide you with further information about the services they offer or to assist you in answering any questions or queries you may have submitted. This includes using your details to subscribe you to any email newsletter program the website operates but only if this was made clear to you and your express permission (except for where we have legitimate interests in doing so) was granted when submitting any form to email process. Or whereby you, the user, have previously purchased from or enquired about purchasing from MBS Solicitors, a service that the email newsletter relates to. We also use any information to meet our legal responsibilities, verify your identity (where required), contact you by post, email or telephone, process financial transactions, maintain our records and prevent and detect crime, fraud or corruption.

Your details are not passed on to any third parties.

Your rights

Under data protection law you have the following rights in respect of the personal data about you that we process.

Access to your information– You have the right to request a copy of the personal information about you that we hold, upon request.
Correcting your information – We want to make sure that your personal information is accurate, complete and up to date and you may ask us to correct any personal information about you that you believe does not meet these standards.
Deletion of your information– You have the right to ask us to delete personal information about you where:
- You consider that we no longer require the information for the purposes for which it was obtained
- We are using that information with your consent and you have withdrawn your consent – see Withdrawing consent to using your information below
- You have validly objected to our use of your personal information – see Objecting to how we may use your information below
- Our use of your personal information is contrary to law or our other legal obligations.
Objecting to how we use your information– You have the right at any time to require us to stop using your personal information for direct marketing purposes. In addition, where we use your personal information to perform tasks carried out in the public interest or for our legitimate interests or those of a third party then, if you ask us to, we will stop using that personal information unless there are overriding legitimate grounds to continue.
Restricting how we use your information– in some cases, you may ask us to restrict how we use your personal information. This right might apply, for example, where we are checking the accuracy of personal information about you that we hold or assessing the validity of any objection you have made to our use of your information. The right might also apply where this is no longer a basis for using your personal information but you don't want us to delete the data. Where this right to validly exercised, we may only use the relevant personal information with your consent, for legal claims or where there are other public interest grounds to do so.
Transfer– if we process personal information that you provide to us on the basis of consent or because it is necessary for the performance of a contract to which you are party, and in either case that processing is carried out by automated means, then you have the right to have that personal information transmitted to you in a machine-readable format. Where technically feasible, you also have the right to have that personal information transmitted directly to another controller.
Withdrawing consent using your information– Where we use your personal information with your consent you may withdraw that consent at any time and we will stop using your personal information for the purpose(s) for which consent was given.
Please contact us in any of the ways set out in the Contact section if you wish to exercise any of these rights.

Security and Retention of Data

We will not hold your personal data for any longer than is reasonable, unless directed otherwise by a competent body such as the Law Society of Scotland, the Information Commissioner, the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission or such competent body or such court having lawful jurisdiction. We have taken reasonable steps to protect your information against unauthorised access and against unlawful processing, accidental loss, damage and destruction. Nevertheless, any personal data submitted by you is at your own risk.

We will not transfer your personal details to any third party for the purpose of direct marketing without your permission. We use certain third-party service providers who may have access to your personal data so that they can provide services to us. Your personal information may be used for:

Establishing your identity and the source of funding for any transaction you have asked us to carry out on your behalf;
Communicating with you during your transaction, including providing advice, preparing documents or completing transactions for you;
Keeping records of your transactions to us and the transactions we make on your behalf to third parties;
Obtaining advice and information from third parties on your behalf;
Assessing and granting you Legal Aid;
Responding to any complaint, claim or allegation of negligence made against MBS Solicitors;
Arranging meetings or other forms of communications whether between staff or with you;
Archiving and storing of your file
To comply with any requirements, regulations or decisions whatsoever as directed by a competent body such as The Law Society of Scotland, the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission, the Information Commissioner or a court having lawful jurisdiction.

If you provided your details through our website then Hidde Kloosterman who manages our website, will have access to your details. We can provide his details upon reasonable request.

External Links

Although this website only looks to include quality, safe and relevant external links, users are advised adopt a policy of caution before clicking any external web links mentioned throughout this website.

The owners of this website cannot guarantee or verify the contents of any externally linked website despite their best efforts. Users should therefore note they click on external links at their own risk and this website and its owners cannot be held liable for any damages (of any nature whatsoever, whether direct or indirect, whether consequential or otherwise) or implications caused by visiting any external links mentioned.

Adverts and Sponsored Links

This website may contain sponsored links and adverts. These will typically be served through our advertising partners, to whom may have detailed privacy policies relating directly to the adverts they serve.

Clicking on any such adverts will send you to the advertiser’s website through a referral program which may use cookies and will track the number of referrals sent from this website. This may include the use of cookies which may in turn be saved on your computer’s hard drive. Users should therefore note they click on sponsored external links at their own risk and this website and its owners cannot be held liable for any damages or implications caused by visiting any external links mentioned.

Social Media Platforms

Communication, engagement and actions taken through external social media platforms that this website and its owners participate on are custom to the terms and conditions as well as the privacy policies held with each social media platform respectively.

Users are advised to use social media platforms wisely and communicate / engage upon them with due care and caution in regard to their own privacy and personal details. This website nor its owners will ever ask for personal or sensitive information through social media platforms and encourage users wishing to discuss sensitive details to contact them through primary communication channels such as by telephone or email.

This website may use social sharing buttons which help share web content directly from web pages to the social media platform in question. Users are advised before using such social sharing buttons that they do so at their own discretion and note that the social media platform may track and save your request to share a web page respectively through your social media platform account.

Shortened Links in Social Media

This website and its owners through their social media platform accounts may share web links to relevant web pages. By default, some social media platforms shorten lengthy urls [web addresses].

Users are advised to take caution and good judgement before clicking any shortened urls published on social media platforms by this website and its owners. Despite the best efforts to ensure only genuine urls are published many social media platforms are prone to spam and hacking and therefore this website and its owners cannot be held liable for any damages or implications caused by visiting any shortened links.

Contact

If you have any queries in relation to the above, please do not hesitate to contact us through any of the contact methods on our site.

Resources & Further Information

Your Personal Information

We will not sell, distribute or lease your personal information to third parties unless we have your permission or are required by law to do so.

You may request details of personal information which we hold about you under the General Data Protection Regulations. If you would like a copy of the information held on you, please write to us. If you wish to view our registration with the Information Commissioner’s Office, please write to us. We are authorised and regulated by the Law Society of Scotland.

For questions, complaints and other enquiries, you can contact us via office@mbssolicitors.co.uk or write to us at:

MBS Solicitors
150-152 Gorgie Road
Edinburgh
EH11 2NT

Complaints

We seek to resolve directly all complaints about how we handle personal information but you also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office:

Online:https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/email/
By phone:0303 123 1113
By post:Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, SK9 5A