When you submit an application for work experience to us, Ashtons Legal collect and hold that information to assess your application and for a while after your application has been assessed. All references to “us” or “we” throughout this notice are to Ashtons Legal.
We treat the protection of your personal data seriously and this notice provides information on how we use your information in accordance with data protection laws. However, if you have any further questions you can contact the HR team or the Data Protection Officer.
What information we hold about you
We hold information about you in connection with your prospective work experience with us. The information we collect includes:
- Your personal details
- Your employment history
- Information we receive from third parties, for instance, we may obtain references as well as conduct DBS checks.
We may also process certain sensitive information about you including information relating to your racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs or trade union membership and may process genetic data, biometric data for the purpose of uniquely identifying a natural person, data concerning health or data concerning a natural person’s sex life or sexual orientation. We will only do so where it is necessary in order for us to comply with our legal obligations including under relevant employment law or where you have given your explicit consent for us to do so under one or more specified purposes.
How we use your data
We use your information for the following purposes:
- To assess your application
- To comply with our legal obligations
- To monitor and improve the service we provide to our candidates
- Such other purposes as we may advise you from time to time.
We will not provide your information to third parties other than as set out below.
Who we may share your data with
We may disclose your personal data to:
- our agents and service providers, including benefit providers and suppliers
- a third party who acquires our business
- law enforcement agencies and regulatory bodies, including the SRA, in connection with any investigation, to help prevent unlawful activity or as otherwise required by law or regulation
- HMRC and other authorities where we are required to do so
- others, where you have specifically agreed.
Keeping your data secure
We will use appropriate technical and organisational measures to safeguard your personal data, for example:
- we store your personal data on secure servers
- access to your personal data is limited to approved staff.
Transfer of data out of the EEA
We do not store your information outside of the UK but some of the information that we collect from you may be transferred to and stored at, a destination outside of the European Economic Area (“EEA”) by one of our third-party service providers.
These destinations may not have the same legal protections for personal data as you enjoy under English law. We will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this privacy statement and data protection legislation.
When we transfer your personal data out of the EEA, we ensure a similar degree of protection is afforded to it by ensuring at least one of the following safeguards is implemented:
- the countries we transfer your personal data to have been deemed to provide an adequate level of protection for personal data by the European Commission;
- we use contractual clauses approved by the European Commission which give personal data similar protection to that which it has in the EEA; or
- where we use providers based in the US, we may transfer data to them if they are part of the Privacy Shield which requires them to provide similar protection to personal data that applies within the EEA.
Please contact the HR Team if you want further information on the specific mechanism used by us when transferring your personal data out of the EEA.
Your Rights
You have the right to request access to personal data that we may process about you. If you wish to exercise this right, you should contact the HR team.
You have the right to require us to correct any inaccuracies in your personal data free of charge. If you wish to exercise this right, you should contact the HR team and specify the information that is incorrect and what it should be replaced with.
In certain circumstances, you have the right to require us to erase personal data that we may process about you. If you wish to exercise this right, you should contact the HR team, although please note that the firm may need to retain some or all of the data that it processes about you.
Your right to make a complaint
If you have any concerns or questions as to the way in which we process your information please contact the HR Team or the Data Protection Officer. In addition, you have a right to bring a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office. More information on the Information Commissioner’s Office and your rights is available at www.ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.
Retention of data
Your data will usually be retained for a period of 6 months from the date of your application. During that time we may send you details of other similar opportunities that we think may be of interest to you unless you tell us not to do this when you send us your application.
Changes to this policy
We may change this policy from time to time and will notify you of any changes.
