This is the Privacy Policy of Patrick Dawson Pty Ltd as trustee for the Patrick Dawson Family Trust (“PDL”)
PDL understands and appreciates how important it is to safeguard your personal information. This privacy policy explains how your personal information will be treated when you deal with our firm.
What type of personal information do we collect?
PDL collects personal information that is necessary to provide legal advice and representation for our clients. We also collect personal information for our human resources and marketing requirements. The type of personal information we collect will vary according to the nature of the matter for which we act on your behalf. Some examples of personal information that may be collected by us include names, address, contact details, photographs, financial details, insurance claim forms and medical reports.
We may also collect personal information about individuals who are not clients in the course of acting on our client’s behalf.
How do we collect personal information?
Personal information we collect in relation to legal proceedings, or in the course of advising our clients, is usually collected from our clients or our client’s agents or other advisors. Personal information is also provided to us by other firms of lawyers and other professionals in the course of conducting legal proceedings.
Personal information used for marketing purposes is collected from forms filled out by individuals at our functions or sent to us by post, fax or e-mail.
We also collect personal information about prospective employees provided to us by recruiters or the individuals themselves.
If you forward information to us either electronically or as a hard copy document, we will collect that information and use it for the purposes for which you have provided it to us.
When you visit our web site, our web site may store cookies which record details of your server address and your usage of our web site such as what pages you view and download from the web site. We use cookies only for internal management purposes and not to collect personal information. If you do not wish to use cookies, you can set your browser so that it will not accept them.
How your personal information will be managed
PDL will take reasonable commercial steps to ensure that all information we collect, use or disclose is accurate, complete, up-to-date and stored in a secure environment accessed only by authorised persons.
When using our website, you acknowledge that no data transmission over the internet is 100% secure. We strive to protect your personal information from misuse, loss and unauthorised access. However, you acknowledge that we cannot guarantee the security of any information you transmit to us over the internet or by email. Once we receive your transmission, we will take reasonable commercial steps to ensure its security.
We provide access to other websites by way of hyperlinks from our website. Those websites are not subject to PDL’s privacy policy. You should make your own enquiries as to the privacy standards for any linked website.
We will, where commercially practicable and permitted by law, destroy or permanently de-identify personal information that is no longer needed.
How your personal information will be used
PDL will use the personal information it collects to:
- provide legal advice and representation to our clients;
- carry out administration related to those services;
- notify our clients and other contacts about relevant legal developments;
- notify our clients and other contacts from time to time of alternative or additional services PDL may provide; and
- fulfil all legal and regulatory requirements of PDL.
If you do not wish to receive information about additional products and services offered by PDL, or updates about legal developments, you can let us know by sending our Privacy Officer a message by post, fax or e-mail at any of the addresses set out below.
Will my personal information be disclosed to a third party?
The personal information PDL collects from clients and marketing contacts is strictly confidential. The personal information that PDL collects in the course of legal proceedings and in advising clients in relation to legal claims will be used for the purposes for which it is collected. This may involve disclosure to other advisors and experts involved in the legal proceedings or claims.
Other than as described above, we will not disclose personal information without first obtaining consent to any third parties other than:
- any contractor PDL arranges to provide mailing services;
- as we may be required to do by law.
PDL will take reasonable steps to ensure that any personal information disclosed to a third party is protected by that party in accordance with the Privacy Act.
How you can access your personal information
On request, you may have access to your personal information held by PDL, except in circumstances where access may be denied under the Privacy Act or other law. Examples of these circumstances are: – where providing access will pose an unreasonable impact on the privacy of another individual; – where providing access would be unlawful, would pose a threat to the life or health of an individual, may prejudice an investigation of possible unlawful activity, may prejudice enforcement of laws; or – where denying access is authorised by law.
To make a request for your personal information, please contact our Privacy Officer (contact details below). We will endeavour to respond to a request for personal information within 14 days.
If personal information is provided to you as the result of a request, you may be charged a fee for costs incurred in providing that information such as photocopying, administration and postage. If access is denied we will provide you with reasons for our decision.
How you can correct your personal information
If you believe that the personal information we hold about you is inaccurate, incomplete or not up-to-date please let us know. Provided we agree with you, we will correct it. If we do not agree with you, we will place a statement of what you allege is correct where that information is kept and accessed.
Will this privacy policy change?
We reserve the right to change this privacy policy at any time by publishing the varied privacy policy on our web site. The varied policy terms will apply from the date they are posted on our web site. You accept that by doing this, PDL has provided you with sufficient notice of the variation and agree you will be provided with no separate notification.
