At ADC Legal, we understand that you value your privacy and wish to have your personal information kept secure. Our Privacy Policy describes generally how we manage your personal information and safeguard your privacy. If you would like more information, please don’t hesitate to contact us on the telephone number or addresses provided below.
The National Privacy Principles
We are bound by and comply with the National Privacy Principles, as provided in the Federal Privacy Act 1988. ADC Legal also complies with the Spam Act 2003.
Collecting Personal Information About You
At ADC Legal, we only collect personal information that is necessary for us to conduct our business as a law firm.
The personal information we collect will include information you give us when you instruct us to act for you, or when you request another service from us (e.g., conferences, training sessions or seminars). We may also collect personal information about individuals who are not clients of our firm, but whose personal information is given to us by those individuals or other people in the course of a transaction. This personal information will include your name, address and contact details, and may include other personal information about individuals we collect in the course of a transaction.
We may also collect some information from you when you use our website www.adclegal.com.au
Your use of the information and services available through our website will determine the type of information that we collect about you.
The only personal information that we collect about you when you use our website is what you tell us about yourself, for example, when you complete an online form when accepting an invitation to attend a seminar, or information you provide to us when you send us an email. Please note, we will record your email address if you send us an email.
Using and Disclosing Your Personal Information
We respect your privacy. Any personal information that we collect about you will be used and disclosed by us so that we can provide you with the services that you have requested, or otherwise to enable us to carry out our business as professional legal service providers.
Please be assured we will not disclose information about you unless the disclosure is required or authorised by law, you have consented to our disclosing the information about you, or for another purpose (related to the primary purpose of collecting that information) that you would reasonably expect.
We may also use your personal information to provide you with information about other services offered by us. If you register for a seminar, we may request your name, address, telephone and fax number, credit card details, any organisation you work for and your position. However, the only information that you must provide is your name and payments details (if applicable). All other information requested is optional. When subscribing to a newsletter the only information you need to provide is your name and address.
If you would prefer not to receive promotional or other material from us, please let us know and we will respect your request.
Access to Your Personal Information
In most cases you may have 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.
We encourage all requests for access to your personal information to be directed to the Privacy Officer, Rina Larobina, at rina.larobina@adclegal.com.au or by writing to the address below. We will deal with all requests for access to personal information as quickly as possible. Requests for a large amount of information, or information which is not currently in use, may require further time before a response can be given. We may charge you a fee for access, but in no case will we charge you a fee for applying for access.
In some cases, we may refuse to give you access to personal information we hold about you. This includes circumstances where giving you access would: be unlawful (e.g. where a record which contains personal information about you is subject to a claim for legal professional privilege by one of our clients); have an unreasonable impact on other people’s privacy; prejudice negotiations we are having with you; prejudice an investigation of unlawful activity.
We will also refuse access where the personal information relates to existing or anticipated legal proceedings, and the information would not be accessible by the process of discovery in those proceedings. If we refuse to give you access we will provide you with reasons for our refusal.
Correcting Your Personal Information
If you request us to do so we will amend any personal information about you held by us which is inaccurate, incomplete or out of date. If we disagree with your view about the accuracy, completeness or currency of a record of your personal information held by us, and you ask us to associate with that record a statement that you have a contrary view, we will take reasonable steps to do so.
Securing and Storing Your Personal Information
We are committed to maintaining the confidentiality of the information that you provide us and we will take all reasonable precautions to protect your personal information from unauthorised use or alteration.
In our firm, personal information may be stored both electronically (on our computer system) and in hard-copy form. Firewalls, anti-virus software and email filters, as well as passwords, protect all our electronic information. Likewise, we take all necessary measures to ensure the security of hard-copy information.
Disposal of Personal Information
Once your matter is finalised, both the electronic and hard-copy information is securely archived. After a period of 7 years both the electronic and hard-copy information is destroyed.
For more Information or to Complain about a Breach of Your Privacy
If you would like more information about the way we manage personal information which we hold about you, or are concerned that we may have breached your privacy, please contact us by email, fax or post:
Email: rina.larobina@adclegal.com.au
Phone: 1300 799 820
Post: The Privacy Officer, ADC Legal, GPO Box 2378 Melbourne VIC 3001
Changes To Our Privacy Policy
From time to time it may be necessary for us to revise our privacy policy. Any changes will be in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 and the National Privacy Principles. We may notify you about changes to this privacy policy by posting an updated version on our website, www.adclegal.com.au
If you require any further information about the Privacy Act 1988 and the National Privacy Principles, you can visit the Federal Privacy Commissioner’s website at www.privacy.gov.au.
We note that on 1 November 2010, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner was integrated into the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC). An interim site for the OAIC is available at www.oaic.gov.au.
The www.privacy.gov.au site will be maintained until a site incorporating all OAIC material is established.