As a law firm, we are naturally bound by obligations of confidentiality: we take these obligations very seriously. We have a duty to maintain the confidentiality of our clients’ affairs, including personal information. Our duty of confidentiality applies except where disclosure of a client’s personal information is:
- with that client’s consent
- compelled by law
- for the sole purpose of avoiding the probable commission or concealment of an offence.
We may be subject to obligations of non-disclosure in respect of personal information which we hold arising from the fiduciary duties we owe our clients, or as a result of professional conduct rules which apply to us.
In many cases, information which we hold will be subject to legal professional privilege and we will therefore not be obliged to disclose it to third parties.
Brett Slater Solicitors collects personal information for the following purposes:
- to provide you (if a client or prospective client) or your organisation with legal advice and solutions
- to consider making offers of employment or for employment purposes
- to receive services from you or the organisation which employs you
- to undertake marketing activities.
If you do not provide the information requested, we may not be able either to provide you with appropriate legal advice or to fulfill another applicable purpose of collection.
If you are our client we may disclose your personal information to:
- barristers or experts engaged in your matter
- foreign law firms for the purpose of obtaining foreign legal advice.
In other cases, and only where appropriate, we may disclose your personal information to our clients where your personal information has been collected by us in the course of providing legal services to them.
How we use or disclose your personal information
We will use and disclose personal information for the primary purpose for which it was collected. We may also use and disclose personal information for purposes related to or ancillary to the main reasons we collect it, such as invoicing, reminder notices, provision of information concerning legal developments, market research, to improve our service and communications and in respect of other services offered by us. We do not disclose personal information we collect to third parties for the purpose of allowing them to direct market their products and services.
We may engage third party contractors to perform services for us which involve the contractor handling personal information we hold. For example, we may engage third party contractors to store or archive our files.
Other people’s information which you provide to us
If you provide personal information to us about someone else (such as one of your directors or employees or someone with whom you have dealings) you must ensure that you are entitled to disclose that information to us and that, without us taking any further steps required by privacy laws, we may collect, use and disclose such information for the purposes described in this privacy policy and disclosure statement.
For example, you should take reasonable steps to ensure the individual concerned is aware of the various matters detailed in this Privacy Policy and Disclosure Statement as those matters relate to that individual, including our identity, how to contact us, our purposes of collection, our information disclosure practices, the individual’s right to obtain access to the information and the consequences for the individual if the information is not provided.