Privacy Policy

1. Overview

Your Legal Counsel places importance upon how it collects, uses, stores, secures and discloses data and personal information. Personal information is information that enables an individual to be identified.   We are committed to complying with the Privacy Act 2020 (Privacy Act) and the privacy principles set out in the Privacy Act.

This Privacy Statement aims to provide clarity for those with whom we might collect personal information, which includes:

• our employees/contractors and potential employees/contractors (Staff); 
• our Clients and potential Clients, 
• our suppliers; and 
• the persons representing them, associated with them or acting on their behalf

(for the purposes of this Statement, You). 

2. What personal information do we collect?

In the course of engaging or working with or for You, we will collect a range of information about you, including personal information.   This may be collected either directly from you, from the organisation within which you work or from public sources.

Depending on the course of our relationship, such personal information may include 

• your name; 
• your contact details; 
• your bank account details and other financial information (including a credit check where required by a client); 
• your CV and other information relating to your work history and qualifications;  
• identity information such as your passport or driver’s license; and/or 
• feedback or performance related information related to You or an engagement;
• personal information obtained in the course of providing legal services to You.

In most cases, during the period in which we are engaged by a Client, data or personal information will be collected, used, stored and disclosed for or on behalf of that Client in accordance with their data and privacy policies and processes, primarily using their IT –  not by Your Legal Counsel.

In accordance with the principles of the Privacy Act, we will aim to minimise the amount of personal information that we collect, use and store.

3. How do we use that personal information?

We may use the personal information we collect and hold to: 

• assist us in scoping (eg reference checks) and/or providing legal, employment and/or ancillary services to you;
• perform our obligations under any agreement with You; 
• facilitate our own internal business requirements in respect of our relationship with You (eg billing, debt recovery, seeking legal advice, data storage)
• represent, advise and/or communicate with You; 
• deal with commercial or legal conflicts; 
• otherwise comply with our legal obligations; 
• use for such other purposes your specifically authorise or we notify You of; and

in each case, in accordance with the applicable terms of any engagement, contract for services or employment agreement or specific notice/consent we have sought (as applicable) and any appropriate laws, including the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006 and the Lawyers Conduct and Client Care Rules 2008 .

We may store the personal information we collect about you in hard copy or using electronic storage which may be located within or outside New Zealand.  We will take all reasonable steps to protect personal information that is held by us or our trusted third party service providers from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction.  

4. What rights do I have in respect of that personal information

At any time, you can:

• refuse to provide certain personal information, but you acknowledge that it may hinder our ability to work with or for you.  We will advise you of the specific implications in that scenario;
• requre access to or correction of, any personal information we hold about You by contacting us.

In accordance with the principle in the Privacy Act, we will not retain personal information for longer than for the specific purposes for which it was retained – this will vary for different types of information but You are welcome to enquire about Your personal information.

5. Updates to this Statement

This Privacy Statement is dated 1 December 2024.

Your Legal Counsel may update this Statement from time to time. 

If we propose to make any change which may affect You in a significant way, we will give You reasonable advance notice of that change.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us.