Our approach to your privacy
We are committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected by complying with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act).
This Policy describes how DibbsBarker Lawyers collects, holds, uses and discloses personal information consistent with the Privacy Act.
Collecting your personal information
We collect personal information that is necessary for us to provide and market legal services to you, for purposes including:
- administering legal services provided to you
- managing our relationship with you
- processing applications for employment
- business development including sending legal updates, publications and details of seminars and events
- meeting legal and regulatory obligations.
We collect personal information of individuals who are or are employed by:
- our clients and the beneficial owners of our clients
- business associates of our clients and potential clients
- our suppliers and contractors and potential suppliers and contractors.
We also collect personal information when a client requires us to do so, on their behalf.
The kinds of personal information that we may collect and hold includes:
- names
- job titles
- occupations
- expertise
- interests
- contact details, including addresses, email addresses and phone numbers.
Some personal information that we collect is 'sensitive information'. This includes health information and information relating to political, trade, association or board memberships, and details of any criminal record you may have.
The way that we collect personal information is generally via
- forms filled out by an individual, for example when we accept a new client or when an individual attends a seminar
- meetings, emails, interviews or telephone calls with the individual
- business cards received from the individual
- instructions from our clients or their agents
- publicly maintained records.
If you do not provide information requested by us from time to time, we may not be able to provide services to you or otherwise fulfil the purpose for which we have requested the information.
Using and disclosing your personal information
We may use or disclose your personal information for the primary purpose for which it is collected including:
- to provide legal services to you, to manage and account for legal services, and to enhance legal services
- to communicate with you
- to purchase from you; and
- to comply with our legal obligations.
Occasionally we may use personal information to send you legal updates, and invites to seminars and events. If you prefer not to receive this material, email us with "Unsubscribe" in the subject line of the email and the name of the publication you wish to unsubscribe from. Our marketing communications will also include an "unsubscribe" link.
We may disclose your personal information to:
- courts, tribunals and regulatory authorities
- external service providers, agents and contractors so that they can provide financial, administrative or other services to assist us to provide legal services, including barristers, expert witnesses, travel consultants, photocopy and archive services providers and financial institutions
- other parties, as our clients request.
We may disclose your personal information outside of Australia as follows:
- very occasionally our clients might instruct us to provide personal information to foreign law firms for the purpose of obtaining foreign legal advice, and if this situation arises, disclosure of personal information will be based on a client's specific consent; and
- we may disclose personal information to third party service providers who store personal information in countries located outside of Australia (including in the USA, UK and countries in the European Union). Our contracts generally include an obligation on these providers to comply with Australian privacy law, and in particular the APPs.
Protection of your information
We take reasonable steps to protect your information from misuse, interference and loss; and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure, including:
- taking our professional obligations very seriously, including those relating to confidentiality and legal professional privilege
- restricted physical security to our premises
- firewalls and secure databases of electronic records and documents, with restricted password access and protocols for double authentication for remote access.
Access to, and correction of, your personal information
Except in circumstances set out in the Privacy Act, you have the ability to seek access to your personal information. You may seek access to the personal information that we hold about you by contacting our Privacy Officer.
We do our best to keep personal information accurate, complete and up to date. You have the ability to seek correction of your personal information. If you think that any personal information we hold about you needs to be corrected, please contact our Privacy Officer.
Complaints
If you have any feedback or are concerned about the way we manage personal information that we hold about you, or are concerned that we may have breached your privacy and wish to make a complaint, please contact our Privacy Officer:
- Email: privacy@dibbsbarker.com
- Address: GPO Box 983, Sydney NSW 2001
- Phone: 02 8233 9500
DibbsBarker will respond in writing to a written complaint within 30 days of receipt.
If the complaint remains unresolved, then you have the option of notifying the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC). Contact details for the OAIC can be found at the website: www.oaic.gov.au.
Training program
We provide regular training to our employees about professional obligations, including those relating to confidentiality, legal professional privilege and privacy.
Changes to our privacy policy
From time to time it may be necessary for us to review and revise our privacy policy. We reserve the right to change our privacy policy at any time. We may notify you about changes to this privacy policy by posting an updated version on our website.
By using this website and by continuing to deal with us, you accept and agree to the collection, use and disclosure of your personal information for the purposes described in this privacy policy.