Privacy Policy

Preston Law is very committed to protecting your privacy as you interact with us from time to time. This policy outlines the way that Preston Law collects, holds and discloses information about individuals and your access to information we may have recorded about you. Preston Law adopts the principles contained in the Privacy Act, including the Commonwealth Government’s National Privacy Principles. Any amendments to this policy will be contained on our website.

Protecting confidential information is fundamental to our relationship with our clients and to our business. All information received in connection with a client matter is subject to strict duties of confidentiality. We will not disclose that information other than according to our professional obligations, as authorised by the client or as contained in this policy.

Collecting and holding personal information about you

During the course of carrying on our business, we may collect personal information. We usually collect the following kinds of personal information:

• Names, address, occupation, and contact information
• Clients, business associates and potential clients and their employees
• Suppliers and their employees
• Prospective employees, employees and contractors.
• We only collect personal information that is necessary for us to carry on our business functions. The information we collect depends upon the nature of our dealings with you. If you do not give us any of the personal information which we ask you for, it may affect our ability to meet our obligations to you or our clients.

The only personal information which we collect about you when you use our website is what you tell us about yourself or information you provide to us when you send us an email. We will record your email address if you send us an email.

Sensitive information

Some personal information which we collect is ‘sensitive information’. Sensitive information includes information relating to a person’s racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religion, trade union or other professional or trade association membership, sexual preferences and criminal record, that is also personal information and health information about an individual.

Sensitive information will be used and disclosed only for the purpose for which it was provided or a directly related secondary purpose, unless you agree otherwise, or where certain other limited circumstances apply (e.g. where required by law).

Using and disclosing your personal information

We respect your privacy. We use your personal information for the purposes for which it was collected and related purposes which are normally obvious when we collect it, including providing you or our clients with information about legal developments, manage our relationships, to improve our services and to facilitate our internal business operations, including fulfilling our legal obligations.

We may disclose personal information for the purposes for which it was collected, and also subject to our professional obligations, to any person where necessary or desirable in connection with our provision of legal services, as required by law subject to our professional obligations, as permitted under the National Privacy Principles or with your consent. Any other use or disclosure we make of your personal information will only be as required by law or permitted by the Privacy Act 1988.

If we have marketed our products and services to you and you no longer wish to receive those sorts of communications from us, you should contact our Privacy Officer at info@prestonlaw.com.au who will ensure this is corrected.

Data Quality and information security

The National Privacy Principles require us to take reasonable steps to protect the security of personal information. Preston Law is required to respect the confidentiality of personal information and the privacy of individuals.

We take reasonable steps to:

• Protect personal information held from misuse and loss and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure, for example by use of physical security and restricted access to electronic records;
• Make sure that the personal information we collect, use or disclose is accurate, complete and up to date; and
• Destroy or permanently de-identify the information if it is no longer needed for any purpose.
• Where we no longer require your personal information for a permitted purpose under the National Privacy Principles, we will take reasonable steps to destroy it.

Access and correction

In most cases, you can gain access to personal information that we hold about you. We will handle requests for access to your personal information in accordance with the National Privacy Principles.

If you would like access to any records of personal information we have about you or if you believe any information we have about you requires correction, please contact our Privacy Officer by phone on 4052 0700 or by e-mail on info@prestonlaw.com.au.

Currency of information

Preston Law endeavours to ensure that the personal information it holds is accurate, complete and up-to-date. We encourage you to contact us in order to update any personal information we hold about you.