Privacy Policy
CLO Lawyers Pty Ltd (we, us, our) is committed to protecting your personal information and respecting your privacy. This policy explains what information we collect, how we collect it, how we use and disclose it, how we store it, and your rights in relation to it.
We handle personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), and any other privacy laws that apply to us. As a law firm, we also handle personal information in accordance with our professional obligations of client confidentiality and legal professional privilege.
This policy applies to our website (clolawyers.com.au), our electronic communications, our intake and enquiry forms, and the legal services we provide to clients. By using our website or providing information to us, you accept the terms of this policy.
Who we are and what we do
CLO Lawyers Pty Ltd is a Queensland law firm with offices in Toowoomba, Brisbane and Millmerran. We provide legal services across family law, wills and estate planning, wills and estate disputes, property law, and commercial and business law.
Liability limited by a scheme approved under professional standards legislation.
The personal information we collect
The personal information we collect depends on how you interact with us. It typically includes:
- contact details such as your full name, postal and residential address, phone number, and email address
- date of birth, occupation, and identification information required to comply with verification of identity requirements
- information about your family, relationships and dependants where relevant to your matter
- financial information such as income, assets, liabilities, superannuation, bank and account details relevant to your matter or to the processing of fees
- information about your business, business partners, directors, shareholders, trustees, beneficiaries and advisors where relevant
- information about the legal matter you are seeking help with, and any documents or correspondence you provide to us
- information you provide through our online enquiry and intake forms
- information about your visit to our website, including IP address, browser type, device information, referring URL, pages viewed and time on site
Sensitive information
Some legal matters require us to collect sensitive information, which includes health information, information about criminal history, information about your relationships, and information about your racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs or political opinions. We only collect sensitive information where it is reasonably necessary for the legal services we are providing, and where you have consented or we are otherwise permitted by law to do so.
How we collect personal information
We generally collect personal information directly from you. This may happen when you:
- contact us by phone, email, or in person
- complete one of our online enquiry or intake forms
- meet with one of our solicitors or staff
- engage us to act on a matter, and provide us with documents or information
- visit our website or interact with our online content
- subscribe to updates, respond to a survey, or leave a review
We may also collect personal information indirectly. This can occur when:
- a third party acting on your behalf (for example, another lawyer, accountant, financial adviser, broker, real estate agent or family member) provides us with your information
- another party to a matter provides documents or correspondence that contain your information
- we undertake searches of public registers (for example, land title, company, or court registers) as part of your matter
- we receive referrals or introductions from other professionals
Where it is reasonable and practicable to do so, we will tell you that we have collected information about you from a third party and the purpose for which it was collected.
Why we collect, use and disclose your personal information
We collect, use and hold your personal information for the purposes of:
- providing legal services to you, or to someone else who has engaged us
- verifying your identity as required under client verification rules
- communicating with you about your matter
- billing, invoicing and processing payments
- managing our internal records, files and business operations
- providing you with information about our services, events, and updates that may be of interest to you, where you have consented or where it is otherwise permitted
- responding to enquiries made through our website or by email, phone or in person
- improving our services, website and client experience
- meeting our legal, regulatory and professional obligations, including responding to court orders, subpoenas, and regulatory requests
Our website, cookies and online tracking
When you visit clolawyers.com.au, our website and its service providers may collect technical information about your visit, including your IP address, browser type and version, device type, operating system, the pages you visit, the links you click, the time and duration of your visit, and the website or source that referred you to us.
We use analytics, advertising and tag management tools to understand how our website is used, to improve your experience, and to measure the effectiveness of our online marketing. These currently include Google Analytics and Google Ads. We may also use measurement and advertising tools provided by other major platforms, such as Meta (Facebook and Instagram) and LinkedIn, to measure responses to our advertising on those platforms. We may use other tools from time to time.
We may use server-side tracking infrastructure to assist with measurement and management of website events, including to assist our analytics and advertising platforms. Server-side tracking gives us more accurate measurement of advertising performance and improves privacy by limiting what is shared directly with third parties from your browser.
When you submit an enquiry or intake form on our website, your information is captured by the form system running on our website and stored in systems used to operate our website's database. From there it is routed to the appropriate team within our firm.
These tools may place cookies or similar technologies on your device. Cookies are small text files that allow websites to recognise your device on return visits. You can control cookies through your browser settings. If you disable cookies, some features of our website may not work as intended.
Our website may contain links to, or embedded content from, third party websites and platforms (including Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram). We do not control those third parties and their privacy practices are governed by their own privacy policies.
Online advertising and remarketing
We use Google Ads and Meta Ads to promote our services. As part of this, we may use remarketing or retargeting. This means that people who have visited our website may see our advertising on other websites, social media platforms or search results. These platforms use cookies or similar technologies to identify users for this purpose. We do not receive or use the personal identity of the people who are shown these ads.
You can manage your advertising preferences through Google Ads Settings, Facebook Ad Preferences, or the general advertising opt-out tools offered by the Digital Advertising Alliance of Australia at youronlinechoices.com.au.
Artificial intelligence and automated tools
We may use approved technology tools, including AI-assisted tools, to support our internal work and the delivery of legal services. Where we do so, we take reasonable steps to ensure their use is consistent with our confidentiality, privacy and professional obligations. AI-assisted tools do not replace legal advice or the professional judgment of our solicitors.
How we disclose your personal information
We may disclose your personal information to:
- other parties involved in your matter, such as other lawyers, barristers, accountants, financial advisers, mediators, government agencies, courts, tribunals, and registries
- third party service providers who help us operate our business, including our practice management system provider, information technology and cloud hosting providers, document management providers, data storage providers, email and communications providers, payment processors, marketing and analytics providers, and our website developer and host
- professional advisers who support us, such as auditors, insurers, legal advisers and consultants
- any person or entity to whom you have consented to disclosure
- any person or entity where we are required or permitted by law to do so, including to comply with court orders, subpoenas, regulatory requests, or reporting obligations
We take reasonable steps to ensure our service providers handle personal information in a manner consistent with this policy and with the Privacy Act.
Overseas disclosures
Some of the service providers we use, including technology, cloud hosting, email, analytics and advertising providers, may store or process data outside Australia or use overseas infrastructure. The countries where these providers operate can change from time to time, but typically include the United States and countries in the European Union.
Where we disclose personal information overseas, we take reasonable steps to ensure the overseas recipient handles the information consistently with the Australian Privacy Principles.
Storage and security
We hold personal information in both electronic and paper form. Electronic information is generally held in our practice management system and supporting cloud-based services. Paper records are held securely at our offices.
We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification and disclosure. These steps include physical security of our offices, access controls on our electronic systems, staff training, and agreements with service providers that require appropriate security standards.
We retain personal information for as long as required or permitted by law.
Data breaches
In the event of a data breach that is likely to result in serious harm to affected individuals, we will comply with our obligations under the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme established under Part IIIC of the Privacy Act. This may include notifying affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.
Direct marketing
We may use your contact details to send you information about our services, articles, updates, events, or other content that may be of interest to you. You can opt out of receiving marketing communications at any time by using the unsubscribe link in the email, or by contacting our Privacy Officer (see below).
Access to and correction of your personal information
You may request access to the personal information we hold about you, and ask us to correct it if it is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading. To do so, please contact our Privacy Officer using the details below.
We will respond to your request within a reasonable period. In some cases, we may charge a reasonable fee for giving access (but not for making the request itself). There are limited circumstances where we may decline a request, such as where access would unreasonably affect another person's privacy or where we are required or authorised by law to refuse. If we decline your request, we will provide written reasons.
Complaints
If you have a concern or complaint about how we have handled your personal information, please contact our Privacy Officer in writing (details below). We will take reasonable steps to consider and if necessary respond to you within a reasonable time.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at oaic.gov.au or on 1300 363 992.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The current version will always be published on our website at clolawyers.com.au/privacy-policy. The "last updated" date at the top of this policy tells you when it was last reviewed.
How to contact us
Our Privacy Officer is Alan Cumming. You can get in touch with our Privacy Officer using the enquiry form on our Contact Us page, or by the details below.
CLO Lawyers Pty Ltd
Suite 1, 161 James Street (PO Box 1360)
Toowoomba QLD 4350
Phone: (07) 4631 9000
Email: reception@clolawyers.com.au
Website: clolawyers.com.au