qLegal privacy notice

We may collect personal data when you contact us, make an enquiry, use our services or provide feedback.

What information might we collect?

Depending on your enquiry, this may include:

• your name, and title;
• your contact details;
• information about your business, organisation or professional role;
• relevant financial or funding information;
• relevant information that is publicly available, including online;
• information about your enquiry and the legal issue on which you are 
  seeking advice; and
• any other information you choose to share with us.

Special category data and criminal offence information

Sometimes your enquiry may involve special category personal data. This could include information about your health, disability, racial or ethnic origin, religious or philosophical beliefs, political opinions, trade union membership, sex life or sexual orientation. It may also include information about criminal convictions, offences, allegations, investigations or proceedings.

We will only process this type of information where it is necessary and where data protection law allows us to do so. For example, we may need to process this information to make accessibility arrangements or to carry out voluntary equality and diversity monitoring. Where appropriate, we may ask for your explicit consent.

Cookies

Our website uses cookies. You can find out more about cookies and how to manage them through Queen Mary’s website and privacy information.

We may use your personal data to:

• assess your enquiry and decide whether qLegal can assist you;
• contact you, arrange appointments and manage your case;
• provide qLegal’s services, including legal advice where appropriate;
• monitor and improve our services;
• support teaching, policy work, statistical analysis, reporting and obtaining resources; and
• where appropriate, invite you to events or send you information that may be of interest. 

Our student legal advisers work under the supervision of solicitors or other suitably qualified individuals, who may be external to Queen Mary.

Wherever possible, information used for teaching, reporting, policy work and statistical purposes will be anonymised or combined so that individuals cannot be identified. We may also share anonymised information with third parties, including LawWorks.

You can ask us to stop sending you marketing communications at any time.

Data protection law requires us to have a valid reason, known as a lawful basis, for using your personal data.

The lawful basis we use will depend on why we need the information. For example, we may process your information because:

• you have given us your consent;
• it is necessary for us to provide a service we have agreed to provide;
• we or another organisation have a legitimate interest in using the information and your rights do not override that interest; or
• we are otherwise required or permitted to process the information by law.

Where we process sensitive personal data or criminal offence data, additional legal requirements apply. We will only process this information where an appropriate condition under data protection law applies.

People involved in providing qLegal services.

We only share your personal data with people who need it to provide qLegal’s services. This may include:

• qLegal staff;
• the student legal advisers working on your case;
• external supervisors; and
• where necessary, relevant individuals within a supervisor’s organisation or law firm.

We may also share information where you have agreed to this or where we are required or permitted to do so by law.

How we store your information

We take appropriate steps to keep your personal data secure.

Electronic information may be stored in Queen Mary email accounts, computers and networks, and in systems used by qLegal. These include the cloud-based Clio Manage case management system, Clio Grow client intake software and their integrations, such as Dropbox Sign.

Any hard copy documents we use are stored securely.

Where another organisation processes personal data on Queen Mary’s behalf, we put appropriate contractual and security arrangements in place to protect your information.

Information processed outside the UK

Some organisations that provide systems or services to qLegal, such as Clio and its software integrations, may process personal data outside the UK.

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place where required by data protection law.

Where third parties process personal data on our behalf, appropriate contractual and security arrangements are put in place to protect your information.

We will treat information about your enquiry and legal matter as confidential.

There are, however, limited circumstances in which we may be required or permitted to disclose confidential information, including where required by law or where necessary to address serious safeguarding or other risks.

Where it is appropriate and lawful to do so, we will try to tell you before making such a disclosure. We may not be able to do this where notifying you could increase the risk of harm or undermine the reason for the disclosure.

We will normally keep personal data relating to your case for six years after your case is closed.

In some circumstances, we may need to keep information for a shorter or longer period because of Queen Mary’s retention requirements or other legal, regulatory or operational requirements.

When we no longer need your personal data, it will be securely deleted or destroyed where appropriate.

Data protection law gives you a number of rights over your personal data. Depending on the circumstances, these may include the right to:

• ask for a copy of the personal data we hold about you;
• ask us to correct inaccurate information;
• ask us to delete your information;
• ask us to restrict how we use your information;
• object to certain uses of your information; and
• receive certain information in a portable format.

These rights do not apply in every situation and may be subject to legal exemptions.

Where we rely on your consent, you can withdraw it at any time. This will not affect anything we lawfully did with your information before you withdrew your consent.

You can find out more about data protection at Queen Mary and your rights in Queen Mary's central privacy notice.