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Effective Date: May 25, 2018
Introduction
This Privacy Policy describes the ways in which the Australian offices of Squire Patton Boggs (“our AU Offices”) process and protect the personal data of our clients, individuals related or adverse to our clients and other business contacts. It supplements our Global Website Privacy Notice. In the event of any inconsistencies between the provisions of our Global Website Privacy Notice and this Privacy Policy, the provisions of this Privacy Policy shall take precedence in regard to the processing activities of our AU Offices.
Squire Patton Boggs is a global law firm operating under a Swiss verein structure that comprises Squire Patton Boggs (UK) LLP (of which our AU Offices are a part), Squire Patton Boggs (US) LLP and other constituent legal entities. A full description of our organisation listing all of our offices worldwide is provided in the Legal Notices.
We provide legal services primarily to corporate clients. The types of personal data that we process, as described in this Privacy Policy, are those necessary for us to provide our clients with effective legal representation locally, regionally and globally and to carry out various ancillary activities.
As an international law firm, we take very seriously our legal, professional and ethical duties and obligations to protect personal data. We have a robust information security management program in place to protect the personal data and other information that we process, and have achieved ISO27001 certification of the firm’s technical and organizational controls across a broad spectrum of systems and processes. These measures are monitored, reviewed and regularly enhanced in order to meet our professional responsibilities and the needs of our clients.
This Privacy Policy explains what types of information we collect from you, how we may use it, to whom we may disclose it and how you can change information that you provide us.
The Privacy Policy applies to all of the client relationships, potential client relationships and legal services offered by our AU Offices and applies regardless of which country you access our legal services from, or how you access those services.
By engaging our AU Offices to act as your solicitors or agents, you consent to our collection, use and transfer of information provided by you in accordance with the terms of this Privacy Policy.
If you do not agree with this Privacy Policy, please do not continue to use our services.
Click on one of the links below to jump to a particular section of this Privacy Policy:
- Information We Collect
- How We Use Information
- Disclosure of Information to Others
- Opting Out of Marketing and Promotional Use
- Data Collection From Children and Lack of Consent
- Sensitive Information
- Management of Personal Information
- Your Rights
- Links
- Privacy Policy Changes
- Accuracy and Amendments to Your Information
- How to Contact Us
Client Information
Our AU Offices collect information about:
- Clients, business associates and potential clients and their employees
- Suppliers and their employees
- Prospective employees, employees and contractors
- Other people who come into contact with members of Squire Patton Boggs
If you enter into, or consider entering into, an agreement for legal services with our AU Offices, we may collect some or all of the following information from you:
- Your full name and address
- Your e-mail address or telephone number
- Your date of birth and gender
- Your bank details for payments, invoices or reimbursements
- Information about your legal issues and personal circumstances
- Any other information which you provide us
We may combine the information which you provide us with other information we collect from other sources and, if we do so, our use of the resulting combined information will be subject to this Privacy Policy.
Where this information is considered to be “personal information” under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles, that personal information is collected and used in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles.
Failure to Provide Information
If you do not provide us with some or all of the above information, this may affect our ability to provide you with legal services.
Information Collected Through Automatic Data Collection
The Squire Patton Boggs website uses “cookies” (which are small data files containing information about you that is stored on your hard drive), “embedded scripts,” and other similar tracking technologies (“Tracking Technologies”) to collect information about you. We do not collect personal information through unreasonably intrusive means such as address harvesting software.
Some Tracking Technologies are used to track your interaction with the website and target your interests to enhance your website experience. We may also use Tracking Technologies to collect “clickstream” data, such as the domain name of the service providing you with Internet access, the Internet protocol (“IP”) address used to connect your computer to the Internet, your browser type and version, operating system and platform, the average time spent on our website, pages viewed, content searched for, access times and other relevant statistics, and assign unique identifiers to the device you use to access the website for the same purposes.
For more information on the way we use cookies to monitor and manage our website performance, and for details about how to remove cookies from your browser, please see our Cookie Notice.
Methods of Collecting Information
Our AU Offices will generally collect personal information by way of forms filled out by people, face-to-face meetings, interviews, business cards, telephone conversations and from third parties.
In some circumstances, our AU Offices may be provided with personal information about an individual from a third party, for example, a report provided by a medical professional or a reference from another person.
Any personal information provided by, or regarding, third parties is collected and used in accordance with this Privacy Policy and the Australian Privacy Principles. In addition, where third-party personal information is provided by our clients in the delivery of our legal services, we will be subject to a legal obligation of professional secrecy in relation to client data or information provided to us.
2. How We Use Information
Permitted Uses
The firm’s AU Offices may use and disclose your personal information for the primary purpose for which it is collected, for reasonably expected secondary purposes which are related to the primary purpose and in other circumstances authorized by the Privacy Act.
In general, we will use and disclose your personal information for the following purposes:
- To conduct our business
- To provide and market our services
- To communicate with you
- To purchase from you
- To comply with our legal obligations
- To help us manage and enhance our services
3. Disclosure of Information to Others
General Disclosures
Our AU Offices may disclose your personal information to:
- Other offices of Squire Patton Boggs
- Other companies or individuals who assist Squire Patton Boggs in providing services or who perform functions on its behalf (such as mailing houses, specialist consultants and barristers)
- Courts, tribunals and regulatory authorities
- Anyone else to whom you authorize disclosure
We also collect personal information from these organizations and individuals, and deal with that information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
Overseas Data Transfers
Our AU Offices will not send your personal information to recipients outside of Australia without:
- Taking reasonable steps to ensure that the overseas recipient complies with the Australian Privacy Principles and this Privacy Policy
- Obtaining your consent
- Otherwise complying with the Privacy Act
We may disclose your personal information to other offices of Squire Patton Boggs, including offices located outside Australia. Access a full list of Squire Patton Boggs offices.
You consent to any such transfers, provided that they are otherwise in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
Third-party Data Transfers
We will only transfer your personal information to third parties, other than those listed above, in the following circumstances:
- To protect or defend the legal rights or property of Squire Patton Boggs, our affiliated entities or their employees, agents and contractors (including enforcement of our agreements)
- To protect the safety and security of our website and clients
- To protect against fraud or for risk management purposes
- If we believe your actions violate this Privacy Policy
- To comply with law or legal process
- To enable the sale of Squire Patton Boggs or its assets
4. Opting Out of Marketing and Promotional Use
We would like to send you marketing and promotional information about the products and services of Squire Patton Boggs. We comply with the provisions of the Spam Act 2003 (Cth).
If you have consented to receive such information, you may opt out at a later date by phoning us on +61 8 9429 7444 or by following the instructions in the particular marketing communication.
5. Data Collection From Children and Lack of Consent
We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without appropriate parental notice and consent.
6. Sensitive Information
Some personal information that our AU Offices collects is ‘sensitive information’. Sensitive information, which is also personal information, includes information relating to a person’s racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religion, trade union or other professional or trade association membership, sexual preferences and criminal record and health information about an individual.
Sensitive information will be used and disclosed only for the purpose for which it was provided or a directly related secondary purpose, unless you agree otherwise, or where certain other limited circumstances apply (e.g., where required by law).
7. Management of Personal Information
The Privacy Act requires our AU Offices to take reasonable steps to protect the security of personal information. Our personnel are required to respect the confidentiality of personal information and the privacy of individuals.
We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse and loss and from unauthorized access, modification or disclosure, for example, by use of physical security and restricted access to electronic records.
Where our AU Offices no longer require your personal information for a permitted purpose under the Privacy Act, we will take reasonable steps to destroy it.
As noted above, we maintain certain technical and security safeguards to protect the information which you disclose to us. However, it is possible that third parties may unlawfully intercept or access transmissions or private communications over an unsecured transmission. We also limit access to our website by our own employees, contractors, website service providers and those individuals who are authorized for the proper handling of such information. We request that our third-party contractors and website service providers follow similar standards of security and confidentiality.
8. Your Rights
You have the right to request a copy of the information that we hold about you. If you would like a copy of some or all of your personal information, please phone us on +61 8 9429 7444. We may request that you cover our reasonable costs for providing you with access.
We want to make sure that your personal information is up to date. You may ask us to correct or remove information which you think is inaccurate.
If you are concerned that we may have breached the Australian Privacy Principles, please phone us on +61 8 9429 7444. We will undertake a reasonable and expeditious assessment of the concern and suggest relevant resolution processes.
If you have any queries or concerns about your rights, please contact the Australian Information Commissioner.
9. Links
Our AU Offices are not responsible for the privacy practices of any third-party websites or other services operated by third parties that are linked to or integrated with our website. Please refer to those parties’ websites to view their privacy policies.
10. Privacy Policy Changes
From time to time, we may modify this Privacy Policy to reflect industry initiatives or changes in the law, our information collection and use practices, the features of our services, or technology, and such modifications shall be effective upon posting. Your continued use of our services after we notify you of our revised Privacy Policy signifies your acceptance of the revised Privacy Policy.
Please review this Privacy Policy regularly to ensure you are updated as to any changes.
11. Accuracy and Amendments to Your Information
We are not responsible for any problems that may arise if you do not give us accurate, truthful or complete information, or if you fail to update such information. We will reject and delete any entry that we believe in good faith to be false, fraudulent or inconsistent with this Privacy Policy.
If you wish to amend any of your details or the information which you have provided us with, please contact us using the details below.
12. How to Contact Us
If you have any questions about our privacy practices or any of the terms or conditions of this Privacy Policy, please feel free to contact us:
By Phone: +61 8 9429 7444
By Mail: Level 21, 300 Murray Street, Perth WA 6000