You should read this statement carefully to understand our practices in relation to information which relates to living individuals (“personal information”), how we may use personal information, and the steps we take to ensure that it is kept secure. We also explain your rights and how to contact us.

 

Wilsons Solicitors collects and uses personal information only in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles ("Privacy Act"), and this privacy statement.

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Please note, our website contains links to third party websites which are provided for your convenience. If you follow a link to those websites please note that those websites are likely to have their own privacy policies and we cannot be held responsible for such third party privacy policies, the content of the website or for the personal information protection processes of those third parties. We recommend that you check the privacy and security policies and procedures of each and every other website that you visit.

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Consent

By using ourwebsite and giving your information to us including (if you are a client) in the course of the provision of our services, you indicate your consent to us and our third party suppliers and our related companies collecting, using and disclosing your personal information in accordance with the terms set out in this policy.

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What information do we collect?

We usually collect the following kinds of personal information (which can include sensitive information):

• name, address, age, occupation, marital status, qualifications/professional membership, and other contact information including email addresses

• information specific to the legal advice sought by a client or arising in the course of giving legal advice

• interests in areas of legal practice or events 

• information about people’s dealings with us or our clients, including about visits made to our offices or to events with which we are involved

• bank account details

 

We collect personal information (through use of our website and from communications and other interactions with us) directly from individuals and from clients and others we encounter in the ordinary course of business. We may also collect from third parties (eg governmental, law enforcement and other public authorities, and commercial information suppliers) publicly available information and other personal information which is not publicly available information.

 

In relation to our website, information we may collect from you includes:

• details of your visit to the website including, but not limited to, traffic data, location data, weblogs and other communication data as well as the web pages and resources you access;

• information you submit when completing forms on the website including (but not limited to) when you sign up to an event or to receive our newsletters or other communications, or when you report a problem with the website or its content;

• cookies and tracking;

• records of your correspondence with us; and

• results of any surveys we carry out on the site.

 

Personal information we collect will not be kept for longer than is necessary for the purpose or purposes it may be lawfully used. We are subject to legal and regulatory requirements to retain for significant periods client files which will include personal information.

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How will we use your information?

All personal information that we obtain about you will be recorded, used and protected by us in accordance with the Privacy Act and this privacy statement. We use personal information (including sensitive information), for the purposes for which it was collected and for the following purposes:

• where that is necessary for the purpose of, or in connection with, any legal proceedings (including prospective legal proceedings), for the purpose of providing or obtaining legal advice, or is otherwise necessary for the purposes of establishing, exercising or defending legal rights, or is necessary in order to protect the vital interests of the individual to whom the information relates (in relation to any matter on which we are giving legal advice, personal information may include personal information relating to the client and their owners, officers, employees and associates (and in the case of a client who is an individual, his or her family members));

• to provide legal services (and associated consultancy and advisory services) to our clients, to make and receive payments, to manage and account for those services, and to improve those services;

• to manage our relationships with our clients and suppliers and with businesses and others who we believe might become clients or suppliers;

• to promote Wilsons Solicitors to our clients and individuals who may be interested in our services either for the business with which they are associated or personally and to provide them with information about legal developments, events or other products or services that may interest them, by way of direct marketing and otherwise;

• to facilitate our internal business operations, including to fulfil our legal requirements and professional obligations, to support and manage our employees, to protect our property and premises, to prevent and investigate crime or possible crime, and to provide information to external service providers so that they can provide financial, administrative or other services in connection with the operation of our business; and

• to communicate with others for one of more of those purposes.

 

The website information we hold about users may be used in the following ways:

• to ensure that content from our site is presented in the most effective manner for the user and for the user’s computer;

• to provide the user with information, services or invitations to events that the user requests from us or that we think may interest the user; and

• to allow the user to participate in interactive features of our service when the user chooses to do so.

 

You may withdraw your consent to receive marketing materials from us by contacting us.

 

In using personal information (including sensitive information) we may disclose it: 

• subject to our professional obligations, to any person where necessary or desirable in connection with our provision of legal services, such as to the client, courts and tribunals, governmental or regulatory authorities, law enforcement agencies, or other partners or advisers; 

• within Wilsons Solicitors;

• on a confidential basis to external service providers (including your other professional advisors) so that they can provide financial, administrative or other services in connection with the operation of our business; and

• as required by law subject to our professional obligations, as permitted by applicable law and/or with consent of the relevant individual if required.

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Disclosure of your information

In order to provide our services to you, we may need to appoint other organisations to carry out some of the processing activities on our behalf. These will include, for example, barristers, investigators, foreign law firms to obtain advice on foreign matters, delivery organisations, third party suppliers and agents. These third parties may have access to information needed to perform their function but cannot use that information for other purposes.

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Use of your information outside Australia

We do not normally send information overseas, but, if the circumstances require we may need to do so in order to provide our services to you.

Some of the organisations (for example, other law firms, cloud suppliers, or agents and legal affiliates) to which we may disclose your personal information are situated outside of Australia. In order to meet your requirements, we may need to transfer your personal information to these countries.

We will take all reasonable steps to ensure that any organisation to whom we release your information will comply with the Privacy Act.

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Analytics

We may use products such as Google Analytics to analyse the audience statistics of our website to improve our content. No personal information is collect from Google Analytics. We may use products to analysis audience statistic of our website to improve our content.

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Cookies

In common with many other website operators, we may use standard technology called 'cookies' on site. Cookies are small pieces of information that are stored by your browser on your computer's hard drive and they are used to record how you navigate our website on each visit. Cookies that are used in any part of our website will not be utilised for collecting personally identifiable information and will only be used for internal management purposes.

 

Most browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually change your browser to prevent cookies being stored. Please note, if you do turn cookies off this will limit the service that we are able to provide to you.

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Information about other people

If you provide information to us about a third party (such as your directors, employees or someone you have business dealing with) you must ensure that you are entitled to disclose that information to us and that you have fully complied with the Privacy Act  in relation to the collection, use or disclosure of that information.

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Security of information

We take reasonable steps to protect all information which we hold (including personal information) from misuse, loss, unauthorised access, modification or improper disclosure.

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Direct marketing

We may use your personal information to notify you of services that we may be able to offer you from time to time. We do not sell, licence or, in any other way, distribute your personal information to any other company for the purpose of direct marketing and will do so without your express written consent. You may opt out of receiving any publications, newsletter or other marketing product at anytime.

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Changes to this privacy statement

We aim to meet high standards and our policies and procedures are, therefore, constantly under review. From time to time we may change our security and privacy policies. Accordingly we recommend that you check this page periodically in order to review our current policies.

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Access, changes and complaints

You have the right to access your personal information and requests for information about our privacy policy are welcomed. You will need to provide proof of identify before access will be granted, and access may be denied if one of the exceptions set out in the Privacy Act applies.

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An individual may ask us to provide a copy of the personal information we hold about him or her. We will respond if and to the extent required by applicable law. If there is no applicable law requirement to respond then subject to applicable law and regulation, we will respond if such disclosure is fair and reasonable (although in this case we may refuse access where we are not permitted to so disclose or for any other reason that is itself fair and reasonable). We reserve the right to make a small administrative charge to cover our costs of doing this. 

 

If an individual believes any personal information relating to him or her that we hold is incorrect he or she should contact us to correct it. You may correct your personal information by emailing us at mail@wilsons.legal. Please include your name, address and/or email address when you contact us as this helps us to ensure that we accept amendments only from the correct person. We encourage you promptly to update your personal information if it changes.

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You may also submit to us (see contact details below) a written complaint about how we handle your personal information. If you are not satisfied with our handling of your complaint or we have not replied to you within a reasonable period of time, then you may be entitled under applicable law to make a complaint to Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at www.oaic.gov.au.

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How to contact us

If you would like any further information or have any comments about our privacy statement or any other aspect of our website or service, please contact us at:

The Privacy Officer
Wilsons Solicitors
62 Wingewarra Street
DUBBO NSW 2830

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Or you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at www.oaic.gov.au.

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