Privacy Policy

2. Personal information we may collect

The kinds of personal information we collect depend on the nature of our relationship with the relevant individual and the services being requested or provided.

This information may include:

• names, addresses and contact details;
• dates of birth and identity-document information;
• personal, family, employment and financial information;
• information concerning property, businesses, assets and liabilities;
• immigration, court, regulatory or transaction-related information;
• information contained in correspondence and documents provided to us;
• billing and payment information;
• information concerning enquiries, complaints or feedback;
• website and technical information, including information collected through cookies or similar technologies; and
• sensitive information where it is relevant to a legal matter and its collection is permitted by law.

We may also collect information about other people where that information is relevant to a client matter.

3. How we collect personal information

We generally collect personal information directly from the individual concerned, including when a person:

• contacts us by telephone, email, website form or in person;
• requests legal services or provides instructions;
• supplies documents or information in connection with a matter;
• subscribes to or communicates with us through an online service;
• applies for employment or another position with the firm; or
• attends an event or otherwise deals with us.

We may also collect personal information from:

• clients and prospective clients;
• authorised representatives;
• courts, tribunals, government bodies and regulators;
• other solicitors, barristers and professional advisers;
• agents, employers, accountants, financial institutions and service providers;
• publicly available sources; and
• other persons where collection is authorised, required or reasonably necessary for our functions.

4. Why we collect, hold, use and disclose information

We may collect, hold, use and disclose personal information for purposes including:

• responding to enquiries;
• assessing whether we can act, including conducting conflict checks;
• providing legal services and managing client matters;
• communicating with clients, courts, authorities, counterparties and other participants in a matter;
• verifying identity and authority;
• complying with legal, regulatory, professional and insurance obligations;
• issuing invoices and processing payments;
• engaging barristers, experts, interpreters, agents and other service providers;
• managing our business, systems, records, security and professional risk;
• considering employment applications;
• responding to complaints;
• maintaining and improving our website and services; and
• sending updates or information where the recipient has consented or where otherwise permitted by law.

We will not use or disclose personal information for an unrelated purpose unless consent has been obtained or the use or disclosure is otherwise permitted or required by law.

5. Disclosure of personal information

Depending on the matter, we may disclose personal information to:

• courts, tribunals, government bodies and regulators;
• other legal practitioners and parties involved in a matter;
• barristers, experts, interpreters, investigators and consultants;
• accountants, financial advisers, banks, insurers and other professional advisers;
• property, settlement, migration and document-service providers;
• technology, data-storage, communications and administrative service providers;
• related or associated service providers;
• law-enforcement bodies where disclosure is required or authorised by law; and
• other recipients authorised by the individual concerned.

Legal professional privilege and our duties of confidentiality may apply to information provided to us. Nothing in this policy limits those obligations.

6. Overseas disclosure and storage

Some matters involve parties, advisers, service providers or authorities outside Australia. We may disclose personal information overseas where this is required to conduct a matter, where the individual has authorised the disclosure, or where disclosure is otherwise permitted by law.

Some technology and data-storage providers used by us may store or process information outside Australia.

The countries involved will depend on the relevant matter and the service providers being used. Where practicable, further information about an anticipated overseas disclosure can be provided on request.

We take reasonable steps in the circumstances to manage overseas disclosures consistently with applicable privacy obligations.

7. Website, cookies and electronic communications

Our website may collect limited technical information, including:

• internet protocol addresses;
• browser and device information;
• pages viewed;
• access times;
• referring websites; and
• information collected through cookies or similar technologies.

This information may be used to operate, secure and improve the website and to understand how it is used.

A person may adjust browser settings to restrict cookies, although this may affect the operation of some website functions.

Electronic communications may not always be secure. Individuals should avoid sending highly sensitive information through an unsecured website form unless instructed to do so.

8. Security and retention

We take reasonable technical and organisational steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.

Personal information may be held in electronic systems, cloud-based platforms and physical records.

No system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. Individuals should contact us promptly if they believe information provided to Lexcord may have been compromised.

We retain information for as long as reasonably required for legal, professional, insurance, regulatory and business purposes. Information that is no longer required may be securely destroyed or de-identified, subject to any applicable retention obligations.

9. Access and correction

An individual may request access to personal information held about them or ask us to correct information that is inaccurate, incomplete or out of date.

Requests should be made using the contact details below.

We may need to verify the requester's identity before providing access or making a correction.

Access may be refused or limited where permitted by law, including where providing access would affect legal professional privilege, another person's privacy or an existing or anticipated legal proceeding.

We will explain the basis of any refusal where required.

10. Direct marketing

We may send legal updates, firm news or information about our services where the recipient has consented or where otherwise permitted by law.

A recipient may unsubscribe at any time by using an unsubscribe function in the communication or by contacting us.

We do not sell personal information to third parties.

11. Privacy complaints

A person who has a question or complaint about how we have handled personal information should contact us using the details below.

Please provide sufficient information for us to understand and investigate the issue.

We will seek to acknowledge and respond to the complaint within a reasonable period.

If the complaint is not resolved, the person may be entitled to contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

12. Contact us

Privacy enquiries, access or correction requests and complaints may be directed to:

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our practices, systems or legal obligations.

The current version will be published on this website with its latest revision date.