Privacy Policy

Last updated: 1 August 2026

Who We Are

The Society of Law Accountants in Scotland ("SOLAS") is committed to protecting your privacy. This policy explains how we collect, use, store and protect personal information when you visit our website, interact with us, purchase services, participate in learning activities, attend events or otherwise engage with SOLAS.

Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time. Other processing may be carried out where we have a contractual, legal or legitimate basis to do so.

Who This Policy Applies To

This policy covers website users, members, students, event attendees, speakers and Friends of SOLAS contributors, committee members, advertisers and sponsors, job applicants and employers, CPD and learning-platform users, suppliers, service users and anyone else who interacts with SOLAS services.

Information We Collect

Comments and media

When visitors leave comments, we may collect the information shown in the comment form, IP address and browser user agent for spam detection, and an anonymised email hash for profile-image services. If you upload images, avoid including embedded location data (EXIF GPS), as it may be extracted by others who download a public image.

Accounts and passwordless sign-in

For registered users, we store the profile information provided. Where passwordless sign-in is used, we may process your email address or username, sign-in token records, request and expiry times, IP address, redirect destination and security/audit outcomes. We use this information to provide secure account access, prevent misuse, troubleshoot problems and maintain audit records.

Directories, speakers and contributors

Some areas display limited public profile information, such as member directory details, committee roles, branch information, contact links and approved Friends of SOLAS speaker profiles. Where visibility settings are available, they determine what may appear publicly.

If you become or apply to become a speaker or contributor, we may process your name, contact details, employer, job title, biography, expertise, regions, formats, availability, profile links and photo. We use this information to administer speaker records, organise suitable events and publish approved profiles.

Events, jobs, adverts and expenses

For events we may process names, contact details, tickets, attendance, CPD eligibility, dietary and accessibility requirements, and related communications. Dietary and accessibility requirements may be special-category personal data and are used only to arrange and support attendance.

For job listings and applications, sponsorship enquiries, adverts and event submissions, we may process contact information, uploaded files, publication/workflow details, payment information and administrative records. For committee expenses, we may process claimant, journey, mileage, receipt, evidence, approval and payment information for administration, audit, reimbursement and financial-governance purposes.

How We Use Your Information

We may use personal information to administer the website, membership, learning and events; process orders and subscriptions; provide member services; manage committees and branches; deliver CPD resources; issue certificates and attendance records; send service communications; respond to enquiries; improve services; prevent fraud or misuse; and meet legal, regulatory and governance obligations.

Lawful Basis For Processing

Depending on the activity, SOLAS may rely on:

• Contract, to provide membership, events, learning, orders, subscriptions and account access.
• Legal obligation, to meet tax, accounting, governance and regulatory requirements.
• Legitimate interests, to manage SOLAS activities, maintain security, improve services, prevent misuse and handle enquiries or complaints.
• Consent, where you choose marketing, optional profile visibility or another optional feature.
• Special-category conditions, where you provide dietary, health or accessibility information for an event.

Cookies And Embedded Content

Our website uses cookies for functions such as comments, login and screen preferences. Please see the Cookie Policy for further information.

Articles may include embedded content, including videos, images or articles from other websites. Those services may collect data, use cookies and monitor interactions as though you had visited them directly.

Who We Share Your Data With

We do not sell personal information. We may share it with local SOLAS branches where necessary for membership administration; authorised committee, branch and administrative officers; payment processors; learning and event platforms; website hosting, email, forms, security and spam-protection providers; and embedded-content providers where necessary to operate the relevant service.

AI, Video And File Storage

AI-assisted writing and learning support

SOLAS may offer optional AI-assisted writing and learning tools in selected areas of the website. These may help a user or authorised SOLAS editor prepare draft CPD reflections, news summaries, job-application wording, job descriptions, webinar descriptions, learning outcomes or draft quiz questions.

When an AI assistance option is selected, SOLAS may send the selected text to OpenAI to generate a suggested draft. Webinar lesson preparation may include a lesson transcript uploaded by an authorised editor and speaker information already held by SOLAS.

AI assistance is optional and is activated only when a user or authorised editor chooses a generate or assistance action. Suggestions are for review and editing. SOLAS does not use AI to make solely automated decisions about membership, employment, CPD awards, quiz outcomes, publication, service access or any other decision producing legal or similarly significant effects.

Users and editors remain responsible for reviewing generated content before use. Do not enter confidential client information, special-category personal data, sensitive committee information or information you are not authorised to share.

SOLAS uses OpenAI as a service provider for optional AI assistance. Information about the applicable processing location and UK international-transfer safeguards is available on request.

Video, public media and restricted CPD evidence

SOLAS uses Bunny.net services to deliver webinar video and, where SOLAS chooses, public website media such as event or speaker images and public downloads. When you access media delivered through Bunny services, technical information needed to deliver and secure the service may be processed, including IP address, browser/device information, request times, requested media and delivery/security logs.

SOLAS uses a separate restricted Bunny Storage route for CPD evidence. CPD evidence is not placed on the public media CDN. It is available only through authorised SOLAS account and staff download routes, subject to relevant permission checks.

Authorised webinar editors may upload lesson video directly to Bunny Stream. This is an administrative publishing function: the file transfers from the editor's browser to Bunny and is not added to the WordPress Media Library solely for transfer purposes.

SOLAS uses Bunny.net as a service provider for video delivery and file-storage functions. Information about the applicable processing/storage location and UK international-transfer safeguards is available on request.

Other service providers and international transfers

SOLAS uses service providers only where needed to operate hosting, email, payments, learning platforms, video delivery, file storage, forms processing and optional AI assistance. Where personal information is processed outside the United Kingdom, or a restricted international transfer occurs, SOLAS uses the safeguards required by UK data-protection law. Further information is available on request.

How Long We Retain Your Data

We retain personal information only as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including applicable legal, financial, contractual, audit, regulatory, professional or complaint-handling requirements.

Examples

• Comments and related metadata may be retained indefinitely.
• Member records are retained during membership and generally for five years afterwards.
• Passwordless sign-in records are retained for a limited period for security, troubleshooting and audit.
• Speaker profiles are retained while active or needed for administration.
• Invoices, payment records, subscriptions, expense claims and supporting evidence may be retained for legal, tax, accounting, governance and audit purposes.
• AI suggestions are not published automatically and are normally retained only where a user or authorised editor saves them in a SOLAS workflow record.
• Webinar transcripts may be retained with lesson records for learning-content administration.
• CPD evidence and its associated CPD record may be retained for applicable professional, regulatory, audit and governance requirements.

Where information must be retained despite an erasure request, access is restricted and the information is deleted or anonymised once the lawful retention requirement ends.

Account, Job Application And Subscription Data

When an account is deleted, SOLAS removes or anonymises personal information that is no longer required. Some information may need to be retained for a legal, financial, contractual, professional-regulatory, audit, complaint-handling or other lawful reason. Retained information is access-restricted and reviewed for deletion or anonymisation when that reason ends.

Users may submit a formal account-erasure request under UK GDPR. Where legally permitted, personal information will be removed. Information that must be retained for legal or regulatory reasons remains securely restricted until the retention requirement expires.

When you purchase from SOLAS, we may process name, contact details, billing/shipping address, order, subscription, payment and account information. We use it to process payments, provide orders/subscriptions, respond to requests, prevent fraud and meet tax or accounting obligations. Financial records are retained where required by law.

CPD And Learning Data

When you enrol in CPD or online learning, we may process account details, enrolment history, progress, results, assignments and comments on course materials. We use this information to provide course access, track CPD progress, issue certificates, improve content and support learners. Authorised administrators and group leaders may access this information where required for their role.

Event, Venue And Organiser Information

SOLAS may store venue, organiser and event information, including contact details, addresses, event descriptions, dates, costs, images, tickets and information provided through CSV, ICS or external URL imports. Community events submitted through the website are stored in SOLAS systems for review and administration.

Security

We use appropriate measures to protect personal information from unauthorised access, loss, destruction or damage. No system is completely secure, and users should protect their own devices and account access.

Your Rights And Contacting Us

You may request access to personal information, correction of inaccurate information, deletion where applicable, restriction or objection in relevant circumstances, and an export of your data. These rights are subject to legal and regulatory limitations. You may complain to the Information Commissioner's Office.

To exercise your rights or ask about this policy, contact:

The Society of Law Accountants in Scotland Mayfield, Holme Farm Lentran, Inverness, IV3 8RN Email: [email protected]

Changes To This Policy

SOLAS may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Updates will be posted on this page and, where appropriate, communicated by email.