Issued: 8 February 2021
Manager: Elizabeth Palamara (Office Manager)
Authorised by: Elizabeth Palamara (Office Manager)
Classification: Internal use
1. Introduction
- Thompson Cooper Lawyers Pty Ltd (“TCL”) is a boutique law firm based in Sydney that exists to serve the needs of the general insurance industry. The firm acts in litigated and non-litigated disputes and provides insurance and risk advice to clients in non-contentious matters.
- Inherent in TCL’s functions is the collection and use of personal information. TCL takes seriously the privacy of its stakeholders and all persons about whom it collects personal information. This Policy sets out the way TCL collects, uses and protects personal information.
2. Legal requirements
- As an “APP Entity”, TCL is required to comply with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) including the Australian Privacy Principles.
3. Collection
- Through our work including our conduct of legal disputes, communications, research and receipt of data we may collect personal information. That may occur when you write to us or contact us by other means, when you engage us to provide legal services, when you supply goods or services to us, when you are a person involved in a legal matter in which we act or when you apply for employment at TCL.
- To provide legal services to you we will require and collect personal information such as your telephone number and email address. We may also require and collect personal information such as the content of proof of identification documents, date of birth, medical records and employment and education history.
- Often we will collect personal information directly from you, being the personal information that you provide to us directly or indirectly. We may also collect personal information from third parties including clients, witnesses, investigators and other parties to legal matters.
- We hold personal information on our files and in our computer systems. Our physical files are stored securely and archived securely when no longer in use. Our computer files are maintained with electronic security measures in place. We also require our employees to sign confidentiality agreements and regularly monitor and review our security and data arrangements.
4. Use and disclosure
- We only use and disclose personal information either with your consent or where permissible under an Australian law. We only use personal information for a legitimate and lawful purpose where it is reasonably necessary. The purposes for which we may use and disclose personal information include providing legal services to our clients (including assessing and investigating legal disputes), providing you with information and legal developments, managing our relationship with you and complying with legal obligations.
- It may be necessary for us, on occasion, to disclose your personal information to other persons. Those persons may include our clients, service providers, professional advisers and Counsel (who ordinarily will be engaged to act on your behalf, expert witnesses and referees, regulatory bodies, judicial officers and other parties to legal disputes. Where we make disclosures in this regard, it is reasonably necessary to do so and permitted under the Australian Privacy Principles.
- From time to time we may disclose personal information to overseas recipients, such as clients and experts based in countries other than Australia. Those countries mostly will include the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Germany, Sweden and the United States of America. We will take such steps as are reasonable in the circumstances to ensure that the overseas recipient does not breach the Australian Privacy Principles in relation to the information.
- We do not sell personal information to third parties.
5. Access
- If you would like to access your personal information as held by us or correct that information we would be pleased to facilitate your request. Please write to us at the following address:
- The Privacy Officer
- Thompson Cooper Lawyers Pty Ltd
- PO Box A273
- Sydney South NSW 1235
6. Complaints
- If you wish to make a complaint about our collection or use of personal information or any breach of the Australian Privacy Principles, please write to TCL’s Privacy Officer using the contact details above. TCL’s Privacy Officer will receive your complaint, acknowledge its receipt within seven days, investigate before providing a response within 28 days.
7. Review
- TCL periodically reviews this Privacy Policy to ensure that it is up to date, as required by the Australian Privacy Principles.