At Sydney Mitchell LLP we believe that you should be fully informed about any data that we may collect, store and use relating to each visit you make to our website. We have therefore created this page for our visitors to ensure visibility and allow you to make an informed decision about whether or not we may store what are known as 'cookies' on your device.

New EU cookie law (e-Privacy Directive)

On the 26th May 2012 new legislation came into force regarding the use of 'Cookies' on websites (read about the legislation here). This legislation was drawn up specifically to protect web users from having their personal data mis-used whilst also allowing visitors to be fully aware of the presence, and intended use, of any cookies that are to be deployed on their devices by the websites that they visit.

A cookie is a small piece of data that is sent from a website's server to your device (PC, mobile telephone, tablet etc) within a text file. This piece of text is then stored on your device's hard drive by your internet browser.

The cookie that is stored on your device may contain both anonymous information about your visit to the website or personally identifiable information. When a user browses the same website in the future, the data from the cookie can be used to determine the user's previous activity.

Cookies are widely used on the internet, with the vast majority of websites using them for either usability enhancements or marketing purposes. They help to make using the internet  quicker and easier by allowing websites you've visited to remember who you are.

When you visit a website that uses cookies, on your first visit to the website (and possibly subsequent visits) your session details are recorded, via cookies, to your device's hard drive.

Upon visiting the website in future your device will check the cookies stored on your hard drive to see if it contains a relevant file for the site. If so, your browser will relay the information and your remembered settings will be displayed accordingly.

Cookies that are passed to your device's hard drive via your internet browser may come from a number of sources including:

  • The website itself;
  • Advertising banners;
  • Graphics that make up a webpage.

All cookies created and in use on a website fall within 4 clearly defined categories as set out by The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) - these are highlighted in the following table. You may also read the official guidelines for the classification of cookies here.

Source: https://ico.org.uk/media/for-organisations/documents/1545/cookies_guidance.pdf

All recent versions of Internet browsers provide a certain amount of cookie control for users.

For the major internet browsers (Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome etc) there is typically an 'internet options' area located within your browser which should allow you to review default policy or reject cookies.

To learn more about how to manage and delete cookies, please visit http://www.allaboutcookies.org.

We use cookies to monitor how people use our website. This helps us to understand how our customers and potential customers interact and engage with the content of our site, allowing us to develop and improve their design, layout and more relevant content.

On www.sydneymitchell.co.uk, we use a variety of Cookies to both allow for the full functionality of the website and enhance the user experience of visitors to our site. The Cookies serve a number of purposes including:

  • Remembering form information such as registration details, search queries and website login details;
  • Allowing for our marketing team to gather website visitor behaviour to improve the website e.g. what pages were visited, in what order, how long was spent on a page.

The following cookies are currently in use on www.sydneymitchell.co.uk (last updated 24/05/2018).

'Strictly Necessary Cookies' in use

These cookies are essential in order to enable you to move around the website and use its features, such as accessing secure areas of the website.

 

'Performance Cookies' in use

These cookies collect information about how visitors use a website, for instance which pages visitors go to most often, and if they get error messages from web pages.

 

'Functionality Cookies' in use

These cookies allow the website to remember choices you make (such as your user name, language or the region you are in) and provide enhanced, more personal features.

 

'Targeting Cookies & Advertising Cookies' in use

These cookies are used to deliver adverts more relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement as well as help measure the effectiveness of the advertising campaign.

 

Some of the services which www.sydneymitchell.co.uk provides depend on the presence of a cookie and, if you choose to reject our cookie, certain online features may not be available to you.

Ultimately, on www.sydneymitchell.co.uk the main use of cookies is to to gather general analytics information to improve knowledge and understanding of user preferences.

 

Where can I learn more about cookies?

For more information about cookies and their use on the internet, we have compiled the following resources.

 

UK Top Tier Firm 2022 Lexcel Practice Management Standard Birmingham Law Firm of the Year for 2021 Resolution Collaborative Family Lawyer
The Law Society Accredited in Family Law Conveyancing Quality Scheme