1. What is this notice?

This is the 'Recruitment Privacy Notice' of Brodies LLP.

This notice applies to individuals applying to work with us, including prospective directors, employees, trainees, apprentices, work experience students, workers, consultants and contractors. It applies whether the work applied for is part time or full time; or permanent, temporary or for a fixed term.

This notice does not apply to individuals applying to become partners with us, who are covered by the separate Partner Recruitment Privacy Notice.

We are a data 'controller', which means we are responsible for deciding how we hold and use your personal information.

This notice explains how and why we will collect and use your personal information in the context of the recruitment process and your rights in relation to your personal information. We may amend this notice at any time.

2. Your personal information

In this privacy notice, 'your personal information' means your personal data i.e. information about you from which you can be identified. Sections 5 and 6 below set out your personal information that we may process.

Your 'personal information' does not include data where the identity has been removed (anonymous data).

It is important that your personal information is accurate and up to date. Please inform us if your personal information changes during the recruitment process.

3. Special categories of personal information

'Special categories of personal information' means information about your racial or ethnic origin; political opinions; religious or philosophical beliefs; trade union membership; health; sex life or sexual orientation; criminal convictions, offences or alleged offences; genetic data; or biometric data for the purpose of uniquely identifying you.

Data marked * in the table at section 5 below, and data described at section 6, falls within these 'special categories' or might disclose special categories of personal information. We must have additional legal grounds for processing special categories of personal information, and these grounds are set out at sections 5 and 6 below.

4. Where does your personal information come from?

Your personal information will come from you or us, and may also come from the following sources:

  • Recruitment agencies and apprenticeship providers may provide us with the following personal information: personal contact details, qualifications, schools attended, details of previous employment(s), skills and experience, hobbies and interests, and interview notes.
  • Credit reference agencies may provide us with the following personal information: personal contact details, date of birth, details of credit accounts and usage and an overall credit score.
  • Former employers or other referees, whom you have given us permission to contact, may provide us with the following personal information: role(s) held, dates of employment, details of skills and capabilities and any other information that helps to assess your suitability for the position applied for.
  • Brodies staff may provide us with: personal information about you if they are referring you for recruitment.
  • Medical professionals may provide us with the following personal information: information relating to any disability that you may have, the effects of that disability, and adjustments that may need to be made to the recruitment process as a result of that disability.
  • Professional bodies such as the Law Society of Scotland, the Law Society of England and Wales, and / or the Solicitors Regulation Authority may provide us with the following personal information: qualifications, registrations, practising certificates, accreditation details and membership details.
  • Google and social networking accounts (such as LinkedIn): as part of the recruitment process we may source personal information relating to roles you have held, details of skills and capabilities and any other information that helps us to assess your suitability for the position applied for.
  • HM Treasury may provide us with information to confirm that you are not listed on the UK government's financial sanctions list.
  • Disclosure Scotland: as described at section 6 below.
  • Amiqus may provide us with the following personal information following any job offer (if applicable): photo identification, personal identity information, personal contact details, name history, address history, birth details, details of credit history, credit accounts and usage, credit score, bankruptcies, administration orders, share records, personal insolvencies (BAIs), County Court Judgements (CCJs), electoral role information, financial connections, criminal convictions, offences and alleged offences.

Some of the sources above will only be relevant in certain circumstances, or if you have applied for a particular role. If you would like more information on the source of your personal information, please contact the People Engagement team.

5. Processing your personal information

We may process your personal information during and after the recruitment process. This may include collecting your personal information, recording it, storing it, using it,amending it, destroying it and, in some circumstances, disclosing it.

In general, we process your personal information for the reasons, and on the legal grounds set out in the following table, and also to:

  • Retain records relating to the recruitment process;
  • Establish, exercise or defend legal claims;
  • Comply with the law or requirements of any regulator; and
  • Protect your vital interests or those of another person (in exceptional circumstances, such as a medical emergency).

Reason for processing your personal information Legal ground(s) for processing, and legitimate interest (where applicable) Your personal information
  • Contact you regarding the recruitment process and any offer of work
  • To enter a contract
  • Personal contact details (including name, address, email, telephone number)
  • Make a decision about your recruitment or appointment, including assessing your skills, qualifications and suitability for the work
  • To enter a contract
  • For our legitimate interests:
    to select suitable employees, workers and contractors
  • Information provided in your application form, CV, any covering letter or email, and interview notes
  • Information sourced from google and social networking accounts (such as LinkedIn) relating to roles you have held, details of skills and capabilities and other information that helps us to assess your suitability for the work
  • For business services / secretarial positions: results of a relevant written assessment (where applicable)
  • For legal positions results of a relevant written assessment (where applicable) For trainees: results of a presentation, assessment and a written assessment

If you have accepted an offer of work from us that is subject to such checks:

  • Carry out proof of address check
  • Take up references (from referees whom you have given us permission to contact)
  • Carry out credit checks; and / or
  • Confirm your professional memberships, registrations and / or qualifications.
  • Carry out Disclosure Scotland checks
  • Carry out HM Treasury financial sanctions check
  • To enter a contract
  • To enter a contract
  • For our legitimate interests:
    to select suitable employees, workers and contractors
  • To enter a contract
  • For our legitimate interests:
    to select suitable employees, workers and contractors
  • To enter a contract
  • For our legitimate interests:
    to select suitable employees, workers and contractors
  • To enter a contract
  • For our legitimate interests:
    to select suitable employees, workers and contractors
  • To enter a contract
  • For our legitimate interests:
    to select suitable employees, workers and contractors
  • Results of proof of address check for current address
  • References and details of previous employers (including role(s) held, dates of previous employment, details of skills and capabilities and other information that helps to assess your suitability for the position applied for)
  • Results of credit check: personal identity information, personal contact details, name history, address history, birth details, details of credit history, credit accounts and usage, credit score, bankruptcies, administration orders, share records, personal insolvencies (BAIs), County Court Judgements (CCJs), electoral role information and financial connections.
  • Professional qualifications, registrations, practising certificates, accreditation details, and membership details
  • Results of Disclosure Scotland check: we may be provided with information on criminal convictions, offences, alleged offences and personal identity information
  • Results of HM Treasury financial sanctions check
  • Determine the terms of any potential contract between you and us
  • To enter a contract
  • To comply with a legal obligation
  • Offer letter, and proposed contract between you and us
  • If you have accepted an offer of work, check you are legally entitled to work in the UK
  • To enter a contract
  • To comply with a legal obligation
  • Documentation confirming your right to work in the UK and personal identity information and photo identification
  • Consider reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process for disabled applicants
  • To enter a contract
  • To comply with a legal obligation
  • For our legitimate interests:
  • To select suitable employees, workers and contractors
    *For special categories of information:
  • To exercise or perform employment law rights or obligations
  • Information about adjustments that may need to be made to the recruitment process*
  • Carry out equal opportunities monitoring.
  • For our legitimate interests:
  • To review equality of opportunity or treatment
    *For special categories of information:
  • To review equality of opportunity or treatment
  • To exercise or perform employment law rights or obligations

The following information you have provided via our equal opportunities monitoring from: 

  • Health data, including disability information*
  • Gender
  • Information on gender reassignment*
  • Sexual orientation 
  • Ethnic origin*
  • Whether you have any caring responsibilities
  • The school type you attended from the age of 11 and 14
  • Whether you attended a Russell Group university
  • Whether you were eligible for free school meals at school
  • Whether you came to the UK as a refugee or asylum seeker



6. Information about criminal convictions

To enable us to make recruitment decisions and assess suitability for particular work, we will process information about criminal convictions and offences (including alleged offences) as described in this section 6.

We will process this information to enter a contract with you, to comply with a legal obligation, for our legitimate interests (in selecting suitable employees, workers and contractors), and to exercise or perform employment law rights or obligations.

If you have accepted an offer of work from us that is subject to a criminal record check, we will ask you to obtain a basic disclosure check from Disclosure Scotland and provide us with a copy of this.


7. Data necessary for the contract

Sections 5 and 6 above identify personal information that we may need to enter a contract with you. You are not obliged to provide this information, but if you don't provide it, we may not be able to proceed with the recruitment process or enter into the contract.

8. Statutory requirement to provide your personal information

In some circumstances, the provision of your personal information relates to a statutory requirement. This includes:

  • Documentation confirming your right to work in the UK – you are not obliged to provide this information, but if you don't provide it, we will not be able to enter into a contract with you.


9. Sharing your personal information with third parties

We may share your personal information with the following third parties if this is required by law; necessary to enter a contract with you; where there is another legitimate interest in doing so; or where it is necessary to protect your vital interests or those of another person:

  • Health professionals and occupational health providers involved in your care, in order to consider reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process for disabled applicants.
  • Relevant regulators such as the Law Society of Scotland, The Law Society of England and Wales and the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
  • Our professional advisors.
  • Our service providers, including IT service providers; information service providers (including Jobtrain, our applicant tracking system). 
  • Amiqus, for pre-employment screening checks.
  • Other third parties as necessary to comply with the law.


10. Automated decision-making

We do not envisage taking any decisions about you based solely on automated processing (i.e. without human involvement), which have a legal or similarly significant effect on you.

11. Transferring your personal information outside the United Kingdom

We do not intend to transfer your personal information to any country outside of the United Kingdom, or to any international organisation.

12. Data retention

If you don't start work with us following the recruitment process, we will retain your personal information for twelve months thereafter:

  • to allow us to establish, exercise or defend legal claims; 
  • for our legitimate interests – to enable us to reconsider your application and (if appropriate) contact you, if the position you applied for becomes available again; and
  • to allow us to perform our contracts with recruitment agencies and recruiters for the purposes of commission payments.


If you ask us to retain your personal information so that we can contact you to discuss future work opportunities, we will write to you separately, to obtain your explicit consent to retain your personal information for a fixed period of two years on that basis.

Please note that the information you provide to us in the 'equality monitoring' section of your application form will be retained by us indefinitely for monitoring purposes. However, access to this information is strictly limited to certain members of our people engagement team and not released to hiring managers at any time. Information you give to us in this section of the application form is voluntary and is not used to make recruitment decisions. If you start work with us following the recruitment process, we will give you a copy of our Personnel Privacy Notice and will retain your personal information as detailed in the Personnel Privacy Notice.