Privacy Notice
Scottish Young Lawyers’ Association
1. About us
This Privacy Notice explains how we the Scottish Young Lawyers’ Association (“SYLA”, “we”, “us” or “our”) collect, use, store and protect your personal information and your rights in relation to that information.
For the purposes of applicable UK data protection legislation, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (“UK GDPR”) and the Data Protection Act 2018, SYLA is the controller of the personal information described in this Privacy Notice.
If you have any questions about this Privacy Notice or how we use your personal information, please contact us at mail@syla.co.uk.
2. Personal information we collect
Depending on how you interact with SYLA, we may collect and process information including:
- your name and contact details, including your email address;
- information about your professional or educational status, such as whether you are a student, trainee or qualified lawyer;
- information you provide when registering for or attending our events;
- correspondence and communications between you and SYLA;
- information you provide through surveys, consultations, competitions or other SYLA activities;
- photographs, video or other media taken at SYLA events, where appropriate;
- information provided when you apply to join, or participate in, the SYLA committee or other SYLA initiatives;
- information relating to payments or event bookings, where applicable; and
- technical information collected when you use our website, including information collected through cookies and similar technologies.
We will only collect personal information that is relevant to our activities and the purposes described in this Privacy Notice.
3. How we use your personal information
We may use your personal information to:
- administer your relationship with SYLA;
- organise and manage events, seminars, networking activities and other programmes;
- communicate with you about SYLA activities, events and opportunities;
- respond to enquiries and correspondence;
- process registrations, bookings and payments;
- understand the interests and needs of our members and the wider young legal community;
- conduct consultations, surveys and representative activities;
- promote SYLA and its activities, including through our website and social media channels;
- administer our website and maintain its security;
- comply with our legal and regulatory obligations; and
- establish, exercise or defend legal claims where necessary.
4. Our lawful bases for processing
Under UK data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal information.
Depending on the circumstances, we may process your information because:
- you have given us your consent, for example for certain marketing communications or uses of photographs;
- processing is necessary for our legitimate interests, including administering and promoting SYLA, organising events, communicating with our members and supporting SYLA’s objectives;
- processing is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, for example where you register for a paid event; or
- processing is necessary to comply with a legal obligation.
Where we rely on legitimate interests, we will consider those interests against your rights and interests before processing your information.
Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw your consent at any time.
5. Marketing and communications
Where permitted by law, we may contact you with information about SYLA events, initiatives, opportunities and other activities that may be relevant to you.
Where your consent is required, we will obtain it before sending such communications.
You may unsubscribe or change your communication preferences at any time by using the unsubscribe option contained in the relevant communication or by contacting us.
6. Events and photographs
We may take photographs or recordings at SYLA events for the purpose of reporting on and promoting our activities, including through our website and social media.
Where required, we will seek appropriate consent before using identifiable photographs or recordings.
If you have concerns about photography or recording at an event, please contact a member of the SYLA committee.
7. Sharing your personal information
We may share personal information where reasonably necessary with third parties that provide services to SYLA, such as:
- website and IT service providers;
- email and communications providers;
- event management or ticketing providers;
- payment service providers;
- professional advisers; and
- organisations with which we collaborate in organising events or initiatives.
We may also disclose information where required by law or where necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal rights.
Where third parties process personal information on our behalf, we will take appropriate steps to ensure that the information is protected.
We do not sell your personal information.
8. International transfers
Some of the service providers we use may process personal information outside the United Kingdom.
Where personal information is transferred internationally, we will take appropriate steps required under applicable data protection law to ensure that the information receives an adequate level of protection.
9. How long we keep your information
We will retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including to meet any legal, regulatory, accounting or reporting requirements.
Retention periods may differ depending on the type of information concerned and the reasons for which we hold it.
When personal information is no longer required, we will delete or anonymise it as appropriate.
10. How we protect your information
We take appropriate organisational and technical measures designed to protect personal information against accidental or unlawful loss, alteration, disclosure, misuse or unauthorised access.
Access to personal information will be limited, where appropriate, to those who require it for the relevant SYLA activity.
11. Your data protection rights
Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:
- access the personal information we hold about you;
- correct inaccurate or incomplete personal information;
- request the deletion of your personal information;
- request that we restrict the processing of your personal information;
- object to certain processing, including certain processing based on legitimate interests;
- request the transfer of your personal information to you or another organisation in certain circumstances; and
- withdraw your consent where we rely on consent to process your information.
These rights are subject to certain exceptions and conditions under applicable law.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at mail@syla.co.uk.
12. Complaints
If you have concerns about the way we handle your personal information, please contact us first so that we can try to address your concerns.
You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (“ICO”), the UK supervisory authority responsible for data protection.
Further information is available on the https://ico.org.uk/.
13. Cookies
Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to help the website operate, understand how visitors use it and, where applicable, improve visitors’ experience.
Where required by law, we will obtain your consent before placing non-essential cookies on your device.
Further details should be provided through our cookie settings tool, as applicable.
14. Third-party websites
Our website may contain links to websites operated by third parties. SYLA is not responsible for how those third parties collect or use personal information. We recommend reviewing the privacy information provided by the relevant third party before providing personal information to them.
15. Changes to this Privacy Notice
We may update this Privacy Notice from time to time to reflect changes to our activities, the way we process personal information or applicable legal requirements.
The latest version will be published on our website.
Last updated: 27 October 2026.
