This privacy policy describes how Lamattina Legal (we) will manage your personal information. We are bound by the Australian Privacy Principles established under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and associated privacy laws. When you give us your personal information, instruct us as your lawyers, or use our website, you agree to us collecting, using and disclosing that information in accordance with this privacy policy.
We only collect personal information where reasonably necessary for our work or activities, including where necessary to enable us to operate as a law practice, to build and market our services, and to comply with our legal obligations. This information may include:
- information you give to us when you ask us to provide you with legal services
- information about others that we collect in acting for our clients
- information in our communications with you
- information in employment, contracting or work experience applications
- information arising out of your use of the website.
Where relevant or not otherwise obvious, we will tell you why we have collected personal information and how we will use it. We may collect it from you directly or from other people like your agent, public records or third parties, and we will assume third parties have been made aware by you of the information required, and how and why it will be used. We will only collect sensitive personal or health information about you with your consent, if you give it to us, or if we are required to collect it by law.
If you do not provide us with your personal information we may not be able to act for you, or discharge the objective for which it was proposed to collect the information. The Australian Privacy Principles allow you to de-identify yourself when giving us your personal information, unless it is impractical, inappropriate or unlawful for us to act for you in this context.
If you give us someone else’s personal information, you must make sure that you are permitted to do so and that we are able to use the information without taking further steps. You will inform that other person about our collection and use of that information in accordance with this policy, their rights to access that information in accordance with this policy, and the fact that we may not be able to provide you with legal services without that information.
As our client, employee, contractor or client’s agent, personal information that we have collected about you will be used and disclose to enable us to:
- provide legal services requested
- perform our role as legal advisers
- comply with the law
- determine the scope of the matters to which the legal services relate
- engage third parties (which may include internationally) as part of providing legal services
- undertake administrative activities
- provide client referrals
- recruit our staff and contractors
- assist our clients to manage their legal and third party obligations
- undertake marketing and research
- provide information and news updates
- and for any related purpose to the above.
We may use your personal information to market and provide services to you, including directly, to build upon our relationship, to inform you about our services, legal developments and events, and other matters we consider relevant. This will include contact by email, unless you ask us not to do so.
We will disclose your personal information where required by law or where other organisations providing services or finance to you request it. We may also provide your information to our agents, contractors and suppliers to enable us to provide services to you. While uncommon, if we are required to disclose your information overseas, we will ask your permission and take reasonable measures to protect the privacy of your information but note that any associated third parties may not be bound by similar privacy laws to the Australian Privacy Principles and this privacy policy, we cannot monitor their compliance with either the principles or the policy, and if you ask us not to disclose the information to overseas parties, we may not be able to provide you with the legal services requested.
We hold your personal information in hard copy files, electronically on our computer, and in information systems and emails in Perth. We may also store information using a third party ‘Cloud’ or online secure database, the primary location of which may be overseas, but which will be accessible by us in Perth, Western Australia. We must hold your personal information for at least 8 years for legal reasons, including where you are no longer a client of our firm. After that period has expired, we will review your information for destruction or to de-identify it.
We are bound by professional obligations of confidentiality and legal professional privilege and we will hold your information in accordance with those obligations. We will also take reasonable steps to protect the privacy of your personal information, however stored, to prevent others accessing, damaging or interfering with it without authorisation. However, any information w which you send to us over the internet is sent at your own risk because the internet is insecure.
If you want to access the personal information we have about you, you can usually access it on request. Please contact Maria Lamattina, our Principal and Privacy Officer, if you require access. We will address your request as soon as reasonably possible in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles. Large requests or non-current information requests will require further time to address, and we may refuse your request if permitted under the Australian Privacy Principles, in which case we will tell you why we have refused.
We will take reasonable steps to keep your personal information accurate, complete, relevant to the purpose for which it is collected, up to date, and not misleading. You may contact our Privacy Officer to correct any information which hold about you.
In operating our website we gather and store information about users of the website and this policy applies to those persons/entities. How and the extent to which you use the website may affect how much information we gather about you, and some of that information may not be personal because you are not able to be identified. If, for examples, you send us an email via our website, we will store your email address. Our website may use cookies. When you visit our website, we may record your server address, domain, date, time, browser, and other associated information for the purpose of gathering statistics. While we will implement security measures with a view to protecting that information, the internet is not secure, we cannot guarantee that protection and we are not liable for any breach of security or associated loss. See also our Terms of Use.
We may change our privacy policy at any time and will publish the most recent version on our website, which will apply from the point of posting. Please check the website to keep up to date with the changes.
If you have a privacy complaint arising under this policy or the Australian Privacy Principles, please contact our Privacy Officer and we will respond as soon as is reasonably possibly. If you are not satisfied with the response provided, you may wish to contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner who is able to investigate your complaint further.
To request information, update your personal information or raise a concern or complaint with us, please Contact our Principal and Privacy Officer, Maria Lamattina on admin@lamattinalegal.com.au or +61 438 908 974.
Policy dated May 2022