This following comprises the Navado Legal & Financial Group Privacy Policy.
1. In this section of the document (Navado Privacy Policy):
A. “Engagement Document” or “Retainer” means Costs Agreement issued by Navado Lawyers & Solicitors;
B. Navado Professional Services Pty Ltd trading as Navado Lawyers & Solicitors, will be referred to as “Navado Lawyers & Solicitors” or “NLS” or "Navado" or "we" or "us" or "Navado Legal & Financial Group";
C. “professional services” means legal services;
D. “website” means www.navado.com.au and/or any other websites and/or forms of social media where you post comments about us or we interact with you.
F. “Work” means any goods and/or services provided to you and/or or to be provided to you by Navado.
2. Navado is committed to complying with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act) in relation to all personal information we collect. Disclosure of such information may be compelled by law (for example, under the Social Security Act 1991 (Cth)). By accessing the website (refer to definition at Clause 1), you accept the terms of this Privacy Policy and you understand that this Privacy Policy applies to information provided to us whether via the website or through any other means. By your use of the website and/or our professional services, you consent to the collection, storage, use and disclosure of your personal information in accordance with this Privacy Policy and as otherwise permitted under the Privacy Act. This Privacy Policy governs Navado and applies to any person for whom we currently hold, or may in the future collect, personal information (whether or not a client of Navado). This policy does not apply to matters which relate directly to the employee records of our current and former employees. In general terms, ‘personal information’ is information or opinions relating to a particular identifiable individual. Information or opinions are not personal information where they cannot be linked to a particular individual.
3. We manage the personal information we collect by providing our staff with training on privacy issues, implementing appropriate privacy management systems when dealing with your personal information, reviewing our privacy compliance from time to time and implementing security measures (such as unique usernames and passwords on our computer systems) to safeguard the personal information that we collect. We have also appointed a designated privacy officer to monitor privacy compliance. We will comply with our professional obligations (including confidentiality obligations) in dealing with your personal information at all times. In some limited circumstances, it may be possible for you to use a pseudonym or remain anonymous when dealing with us, but it should be noted that if you wish to use a pseudonym or remain anonymous when dealing with us, then you should notify us when making enquiries or providing initial instructions. Subject to our professional obligations and/or our ability to provide the relevant professional services without using your name, we will use reasonable endeavours to deal with you as requested. In most cases, our professional obligations will require you to deal with us using your real name.
4. We are a full-service legal firm and hold a broad range of different types of personal information, depending on the legal services that you are seeking or, in the case of prospective employees, the information needed to assess and consider any potential future employment with us. Generally, the types of information that we may collect and hold includes (but is not limited to) contact information, business data, employment information (including your date and place of birth and if relevant or required, your driver’s licence, photographic information, tax file number), family information, financial information (including information about assets and investments, banking and credit card information), insurance information, photographic or video footage provided by you for professional advice, information otherwise required by law and any other personal information required by us to provide our services to you. If you are an employee who has applied for or enquired about potential employment with us, for the purposes of considering you for any potential employment with us or considering your enquiry, we will collect personal information (including in some cases sensitive information) from you directly and/or with your prior consent or in circumstances where we are legally permitted or otherwise at liberty to do so, from third parties (such as employment agencies) or from publicly available sources (such as social media sites).
5. ‘Sensitive information’ is a subset of personal information and includes personal information that could have serious ramifications for you if used inappropriately. You consent and agree that the sensitive information that we collect and hold about you will include any information necessary so that we can provide our professional services to you. This may include criminal records, genetic and/or health information, membership of political, professional or trade associations, racial or ethnic information, religious beliefs, philosophical beliefs and/or political opinions, sexual preferences or practices, any sensitive information required to be disclosed by law and any other sensitive information that we require to perform the legal services that you require. We will not collect sensitive information without your consent unless permitted under the Privacy Act or in accordance with law.
6. Where reasonable and practicable, we will collect personal information directly from you (usually but not always through email, completed questionnaires and written instructions that have been provided to us, in person conferences, consultations, telephone conversations and web conferences). That said, we have a wide referral network and also collect personal information from numerous other sources. It is not possible to provide an exhaustive list of all of these sources, but these sources may include parties to whom we refer you, credit reporting and fraud reporting agencies, debt collection agencies if you default in a payment to us, through our website and by any other electronic communication channels (such as through emails that you send to us or any posts or comments on any social media network), from publicly available sources of information (such as telephone directories or electoral rolls), banks and financial institutions, Barristers, businesses (and their employees, contractors, customers or suppliers), government bodies, insurance companies, your agents or other professional advisors, professional associations and/or professional bodies including those relating to accounting, legal and/or other professional services, feedback surveys, paid search providers, administrative, secretarial or other staff employed by independent commercial or administration or other serviced office solution providers that we engage at various locations, as well as when we are permitted or required to do so by law (including the Privacy Act).
7. When you visit our website, our internet service provider may make a record of your visit and may record, amongst other things, matters such as your personal domain name (if relevant); and/or the time and date of your visit to our website; and/or your internet address. Usually, but not always, this information is applied for statistical purposes. When you visit the website, the server may attach a “cookie” to your computer’s memory. Your browser stores cookie messages in a text file and sends these back to our website each time the browser requests a page from the website. From time to time, we may use cookies to measure usage periods accurately, as well as to obtain an idea of which areas of our website attract traffic. If you do not wish to receive cookies, you may be able to alter your browser settings accordingly. The website may link directly to websites operated by third parties (“third party sites”), which third party sites you acknowledge are not operated by us. We encourage you to review the Privacy Policy (if any) of any third party sites, especially because you agree that we are not responsible for the content or practices of those third party sites or their Privacy Policies regarding the collection, storage, use and disclosure of your personal information.
8. We use or may use international cloud computing services for e-mail, calendar and contacts data storage. Such e-mail, calendar and contact data storage data is encrypted (effectively, access can only be obtained through a secure username and password system), so that the personal information contained in e-mail, calendar and contact data is protected from unauthorised access. Countries in which such e-mail, calendar and contact data may be stored include (but are not limited to) Singapore. We conduct due diligence on proposed cloud computing service providers, prior to engaging them and as part of this due diligence, we satisfy ourselves and accordingly reasonably believe that the overseas recipient is subject to a law, or binding scheme, that has the effect of protecting the personal information in a way that, overall, is at least substantially similar to the way in which the Australian Privacy Principles protect the information and also that there are mechanisms that you can access to take action to enforce that protection of the law or binding scheme. We also satisfy ourselves that we will possess effective control over the data.
9. We hold or may hold your personal information electronically, physically, on our premises, in off-site storage facilities in Australia, by a third party data storage facilitator and/or provider in Australia and/or overseas (including but not limited to through international cloud computing services in overseas countries including but not limited to Singapore), by an email filtering host in Australia and/or overseas, through internal servers, our website, private cloud, as well as on electronic storage devices, including DVD and USB. If you send an email to us, the information in your email (including any personal information) may be retained on our systems in accordance with our procedures. Whilst we take reasonable steps to ensure that all personal information that we hold is secure from any unauthorised access, misuse or disclosure, no data transfer over the internet is ever one hundred percent (100%) secure and we cannot guarantee that personal information cannot be accessed by an unauthorised person (for example, a hacker) or that unauthorised disclosures will not occur. Information you send to us, from your workplace, for example, may possibly be accessed by your employer or an intermediate service provider. If you send any information (including personal information) to us through the internet or through any other electronic means, you do so at your own risk. Some of the methods we use to store and secure personal information include using using designated areas (that do not contain personal information) to meet with potential clients and non-employees of Navado, using customised usernames, passwords and other protections on computer and other systems that can access personal information, as well as using lockable storage devices for storing some more sensitive information, other important documents or financial records.
10. We take reasonable steps to use and disclose personal information for the primary purpose for which it is collected. The primary purpose for which information is collected varies, but is generally for us to provide our services to you. In the case of potential employees, the primary purpose the information is collected is to assess the individual’s suitability for a position with us or to consider an enquiry made with us, in respect of potential employment with us. You authorise and provide your consent to Navado that you have made an enquiry with or that you have Retained to collect, hold, use and disclose such personal information to others in furtherance of your matter (including overseas recipients in countries including but not limited to Singapore) and/or to Barristers (or any Barrister) and/or other service providers not being Law firms, in order for us to provide the relevant professional service to you (such as experts, accountants, financial institutions, insurers, in Court during Court proceedings or as the context of the relevant professional service requires), as well as to third party agents, contractors or service providers to which we have contracted out or outsourced any administrative, financial, information technology, marketing or other services (such as but not limited to bulk mailing, client marketing research, company audits and Information Technology and Marketing support). You also agree that we may also disclose your personal information in circumstances where disclosure is permitted by law (including under the Privacy Act, under Court Orders or Statutory Notices to produce documents under laws relating to Anti Money Laundering, Bankruptcy, Counterterrorism, Social Security, Taxation and the management of incorporated entities) or where disclosure is required to investigate suspected fraud or other unlawful activity, or otherwise where disclosure may prevent or lessen a serious or imminent threat to someone’s life or health. If information has to be disclosed overseas, the overseas recipient may not be subject to privacy obligations or to any rules similar to the rules of legal professional privilege or the Australian Privacy Principles. The overseas recipient may also be subject to a foreign law which could compel the disclosure of personal information to a third party (such as, for example, an overseas government or regulatory authority). You hereby consent to the disclosure in the knowledge that we will not take any steps to ensure that the overseas recipient deals with your personal information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles and accordingly should such overseas recipient handle the information in breach of the Australian Privacy Principles, then you may not be able to seek redress in the overseas jurisdiction and we will not be accountable under the Privacy Act.
11. Personal information may also be used or disclosed by us for secondary purposes which are within your reasonable expectations and related to the primary purpose of collection and you hereby authorise us to use any email address or any other contact or personal information that you provide to us at any time, for these secondary purposes. For example, you provide your consent for us to use your personal information for the following secondary purposes: to comply with our contractual and other legal obligations; for the purposes of sending you information about products, services, special offers and updates by post, telephone or any form of electronic communication (such as email); for the purposes of taking a message or telephone number so that we might call you back or contact you; for insurance and/or or professional indemnity purposes; to add your details to any Navado Newsletter register, to inform you of updates and changes to the law that may affect you and to invite you to legal events relevant to your industry (which you can unsubscribe from at any time); or to collect moneys owed to us; or to agents or third parties from time to time, to help us with the provision and/or marketing of our services to you. We may also contact you by email, telephone or mail from time to time regarding marketing offers and/or by providing you with marketing material, brochures, communications or other documentation (hereinafter “jointly and/or severally referred to as “direct marketing”) in relation to Navado. If you do not wish to receive any direct marketing, please advise us in writing by email at info@navado.com.au or by post to GPO Box 4404, Sydney, NSW 2001. Please note that if you chose to not receive any direct marketing, we may still contact you in relation to (without limitation) your matter and the services provided by us.
12. Apart from the primary and/or secondary purposes specified above at Paragraphs 10 and 11, we will only disclose your personal information to third parties with your consent or if the disclosure is permitted by law or the Privacy Act. When you provide personal information to us during the provision of legal services to you by us, that information may be protected by Legal Professional Privilege and if this is the case, then your information is protected from disclosure, other than where we are specifically required as a result of law or an order of the Court or any Tribunal to disclose it or where disclosure is in accordance with your consent and/or instructions.
13. This section of the Privacy Policy details how we manage credit information and credit reporting and has been developed in accordance with the Privacy Act and the Credit Reporting Code (CRC). During the course of providing professional services to you, we may collect credit information that is necessary for us to provide you with the relevant professional service. The main kind of credit information that we collect is your identification information; however, in the course of providing the relevant professional service to you, we may be given (and subsequently hold) other kinds of credit information, including but not limited to any publicly available information about your credit worthiness; and any information about you where you may have fraudulently or otherwise committed a serious credit infringement; and information about any credit that has been provided to you; and your repayment history; and information about your overdue payments; and if terms and conditions of your credit arrangements are varied; and if any Court proceedings are initiated against you in relation to your credit activities; information about any bankruptcy or debt agreements involving you; information including information about payments made to us in connection with credit provided to you or in relation to which you are a guarantor, overdue for more than 60 days (and if you subsequently repay any such overdue payment, the fact that you have made that repayment); information about whether you have entered into arrangements with us or other credit providers in connection with credit provided to you; and certain administrative information relating to credit, such as account and customer numbers. In most cases, we will usually (but not always) collect credit information about you if you disclose it to us or it has been provided to us by others on your behalf and it is relevant to us providing you with the professional service. Other sources we may collect the credit information include from the public domain; from banks and other credit providers, other individuals and entities via referrals; and your suppliers and creditors. However, in most cases you will be aware that this credit information is being collected as part of the professional service we are providing to you. We hold and store credit information in the same manner as we collect and hold and store personal information. Our usual purpose for collecting, holding, using and disclosing credit information about you is to enable us to provide you with the professional service, to process payments, for our business purposes or otherwise as permitted by the Privacy Act or law.
14. It is important that the personal information or credit information that we hold about you is up-to-date. You are encouraged to immediately make contact with us if your personal information or credit information becomes out of date. You may request access to the personal information or credit information that we hold or ask for your personal information or credit information to be corrected and any such request should be made to the following contact officer:
Contact person: Privacy Officer (Navado Lawyers & Solicitors)
Telephone number: +61 2 9233 4048
Email address: info@navado.com.au
Postal address: GPO Box 4404, SYDNEY NSW 2001
We will usually (but not always) grant you access to your personal information or credit information as soon as possible. To the extent permissible by law, we may deny access to personal information or credit information if: your request is impractical or unreasonable; providing you with access would have an unreasonable impact on the privacy of another person; providing you with access would pose a serious and imminent threat to the life or health of any person; providing you with access would mean that there is a possibility that we might compromise our professional duty or obligations; or there are other appropriately justified and/or legal grounds upon which to deny the request (such as for example, on the basis of any exemption or exemptions under the Privacy Act). If you are able to establish that personal information or credit information we hold is not accurate, complete and up-to-date, we will take reasonable steps to correct it so that it is accurate, complete and up-to-date, where it is appropriate to do so.
15. If you wish to complain about an alleged privacy breach, you should follow the following process: 1.The complaint must be firstly made to us in writing. We will have a reasonable time to respond to the complaint; and 2. In the unlikely event that the privacy issue cannot be resolved between us and yourself, you may take your complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. You may complain about a breach of privacy by contacting us using the contact details below:
Contact person: Privacy Officer (Navado Lawyers & Solicitors)
Telephone number: +61 2 9233 4048
Email address: info@navado.com.au
Postal address: GPO Box 4404, SYDNEY NSW 2001
16. We may update, modify or remove this policy at any time without prior notice, with any updated version of our privacy policy being posted on our website, www.navado.com.au. You should review this Privacy Policy regularly to ensure that you are at all times aware of any variations made to this Privacy Policy. You agree that you will be deemed to have consented to such variations of this Privacy Policy by your continued use of the website or our professional services following any such change or changes to our Privacy Policy being made. If you have any comments on the policy, please contact our privacy officer on the contact details mentioned above.
