Avocet Legal Recruitment Ltd is the data controller for the personal data described in this policy. We are a specialist legal recruitment agency based in the South West, providing permanent legal recruitment services to legal professionals and employers seeking legal talent.
- Registered in England and Wales, company number 14994642
- Registered office: 29-30 Fleet Street, Torquay, Devon, TQ1 1BB
We process personal data in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations.
This policy applies to:
- Candidates: anyone who applies for a role, registers with us, or whom we contact about a potential role
- Clients: contacts at organisations we recruit for or speak to about recruitment
- Referees: people who give a reference for a candidate
- Website users and subscribers: anyone who uses our website or receives our job alerts or market insight emails
What personal information we collect and where it comes from
Candidates
We may collect:
- Name and contact details
- CV and employment history
- Education and qualifications
- Details of roles you have expressed an interest in
- Salary expectations
- Right to work documentation
- Interview notes and feedback
- References
- Records of vacancies discussed with you and any roles for which your details have been submitted
Clients
We may collect:
- Name
- Job title
- Organisation details
- Contact information
- Notes relating to our communications and recruitment requirements
Referees
We may collect:
- Name
- Contact details
- Relationship to the candidate
- Details contained within the reference provided
Website users
We may collect:
- Account login information
- Job alert preferences
- Website usage information collected through cookies and analytics tools
Candidate information is obtained from applications made directly to us, job boards and LinkedIn. Where we first identify you through a job board or LinkedIn, we record the source and provide a link to this Privacy Policy when making initial contact. We do not obtain candidate data from commercial databases or other third-party sources.
References are requested from referees only with the candidate’s consent.
How We Use Your Data and Our Lawful Basis
We only process personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so under UK data protection legislation (Data Protection Act 2018).
Legitimate Interests
We rely on our legitimate interests in providing recruitment services to candidates and clients for:
- Maintaining candidate records and matching candidates to suitable vacancies
- Contacting candidates regarding relevant opportunities
- Managing relationships with clients
- Sending market insight communications, with a clear opt-out option included in every email
Consent
We rely on consent for:
- Sharing a candidate’s CV or personal details with a client (explicit consent is obtained for each specific vacancy)
- Contacting referees
- Diversity and equality monitoring (together with the Equality of Opportunity provisions within the Data Protection Act 2018)
- Sending job alerts
- Using website analytics and non-essential cookies
Legal Obligation
We process personal data where required by law, including:
- Right to work checks and compliance with the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003
- Tax, payroll and employment record keeping for temporary workers
Contract
We process personal data where required to:
- To employ and pay temporary workers in accordance with their contract of employment
Candidate data is never shared with a client without your explicit consent.
All decisions relating to candidate suitability are made by our recruitment consultants. We do not use automated decision-making, profiling or automated scoring when assessing candidates for roles. We may use artificial intelligence tools to assist with administrative activities such as CV formatting and document drafting, which are always reviewed by a member of our team.
Who we share data with
Clients receive a candidate’s details only with that candidate’s explicit consent for a specific vacancy.
Service providers process data on our behalf, under contract, only on our instructions and not for their own purposes:
- Firefish: our applicant tracking system, holding candidate records and sending job alerts and email
- Microsoft 365: email, documents and file storage
- Google Analytics: website usage statistics
We may also disclose data where the law requires it, for example to HMRC or in response to a court order.
International transfers
International transfers. Some of our service providers may store or process personal data outside the UK. Where this occurs, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, including reliance on UK adequacy regulations or the UK International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA) and/or the UK Addendum, where required. Our recruitment services are focused within the UK, and we do not knowingly share personal data with clients located outside the UK.
How long we keep your data
We retain candidate data for two years following our most recent interaction with you. After this period, the data is archived and removed from active use. Archived records are permanently deleted after a further two years.
- Candidate records (including registration details, CVs, applications, consultant notes, interview feedback and references) are retained for two years from our last interaction with you. Following this period, the records are archived, removed from active searches and day-to-day use, and are no longer used to contact you or put you forward for opportunities.
- Archived candidate records are securely and permanently deleted after a further two-year retention period.
- Diversity data is retained for the same duration as the relevant candidate record and is deleted at the same time.
- Client contact details and related notes are retained for as long as there is an active business relationship with your organisation. These records are reviewed periodically and deleted when they are no longer required.
- Terms of business, invoices and placement records are retained for six years after the end of the financial year to which they relate, after which they are securely deleted.
- Job alert subscriptions and marketing preferences are retained while you remain subscribed. If you unsubscribe, we will retain a record of your preference to ensure that you do not receive further marketing communications from us.
If you ask us to erase your personal data, we will do so unless we are required to retain some or all of it for legal, regulatory or legitimate business purposes.
Emails, website, cookies and security
Job alerts. We will only send job alerts where you have chosen to subscribe to them.
Market insight emails. Our consultants may send market updates, insights and relevant communications to candidates and clients with whom we have an existing relationship. Every marketing email contains an unsubscribe link, and you may opt out at any time by contacting us directly.
Website accounts. If you create an account on our website, we use the information you provide to administer your account, manage job applications and maintain your job alert preferences. You may update your details through your account or by contacting us.
Cookies and analytics. We use essential cookies to ensure the website functions correctly. With your consent, we also use analytics cookies, including Google Analytics, to help us understand how visitors use the website. Analytics information is used on an aggregated basis and is not intended to identify individual users. You can opt out of Google Analytics by visiting https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
Security. Access to personal data is restricted to authorised staff who need it to perform their duties. We use secure systems and appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data. Where a personal data breach is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify you and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) where required by law.
Information relating to others. If you provide us with personal information about another individual, such as a referee, you should ensure that they are aware of this and direct them to this Privacy Policy.
Your rights, complaints and contact
You have the right to:
- Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Request that inaccurate or incomplete personal data is corrected.
- Request the deletion of your personal data.
- Request that we restrict the way in which we process your personal data.
- Object to our use of your personal data, including for direct marketing purposes.
- Request the transfer of personal data you have provided to us to yourself or another organisation, where applicable.
- Withdraw your consent at any time where our processing is based on consent.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact our Data Administrator (Avocet Legal Recruitment Ltd, 29-30 Fleet Street, Torquay, Devon, TQ1 1BB). We may ask you to provide proof of identity before responding to your request.
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your data, please contact us first so we can put it right. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office:
Website: ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint
Telephone number: 0303 123 1113.
Contact us
Sophia Damshenas, Avocet Legal Recruitment Ltd, 29-30 Fleet Street, Torquay, Devon, TQ1 1BB
Email: sophia@avocetlegal.co.uk
Telephone number: 01392 642518