Privacy Policy

Blackstone Waterhouse Lawyers realises the importance of privacy and we are dedicated to protecting your personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).  Our privacy policy provides an outline of how your personal information may be collected, managed and safeguarded.

Collection

We only collect personal information as we judge necessary for us to perform our functions.

The kinds of personal information we collect and hold will depend upon the services you request from us.  However, it may include;

• • information you give us when you instruct us to act for you or request another service from us (such as when you respond to an invitation to attend a seminar or subscribe to our mailing list).  This information will usually include your name, address, telephone number, facsimile number and email address;
  • information about individuals we collect in the course of acting for clients;
  • communications between us and you; and
  • information gathered from you if you subscribe to our mailing list.  This will be the types of articles that you may be interested in receiving and reading about.

If you email us and make an enquiry, we will answer your enquiry and we may keep copy of your email address for marketing purposes.

We also collect some information from you when you use our website www.blackstonewaterhouselawyers.com.au.  Your use of the facilities and services available through our website will determine the amount and type of information which we collect about you.  Some of this information will not be personal information because it will not reveal your identity.

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

Use and disclosure

We respect your privacy.  Any personal information which we collect about you will be used and disclosed by is so that we can provide you with the services that you have requested, or otherwise to enable us to carry out our functions as professional legal service providers.

We may also use your personal information to provide you with information about other services offered by us (such as seminars and our mailing list).  If you would prefer not to receive this information, please let us know and we will respect your request.

We may disclose your personal information to third parties to enable the third parties to provide the services that we have contracted out to them.  The exception to this is where a disclosure is required to be made by law.

When you visit our website, we use cookies to collect the information noted in paragraph 1 above.  The information does not allow us to identify who you are.  The cookie records your use of the site, for our marketing purposes, so that we can provide a website that is of relevance and interest to you.  If you do not wish to accept cookies, you can change your computer settings to refuse to accept cookies.

When you email us, we may then send to your email address an offer of subscription to our newsletter.  If you do not wish to be on our mailing list please let us know by emailing or writing to us.

Access

Please contact us if you wish to access your personal information.  Unless your personal information is archived, we will make it ready for collection at your earliest convenience.  The Privacy Act may require, in some circumstances, for us to request from you adequate identification.  We may also charge you for the reasonable cost of retrieval.

We may refuse access in some circumstances where, for example, it may prejudice activities being carried out by a law enforcement agency, or where the documents in question may have a substantial effect on other person’s privacy.

If you do not access your personal information, we will store it for a time as required by law and then destroy the documents without further notice to you.

Security

Personal information stored on our database is protected from misuse, loss or unauthorised use or disclosure.  Our security systems are reviewed periodically and updated in line with changing technology.

The Internet is not a secure mode of communication.  If we correspond with you via the Internet, we cannot guarantee that such correspondence will not be altered or intercepted in transit.

Openness

If you wish to make an inquiry or complaint regarding your privacy you should do so by contacting our Privacy Officer at info@bwl.com.au.