Privacy policy
This policy explains what personal information Greenline Legal collects, why we collect it, who we disclose it to, and how you can access it, correct it or complain about how we have handled it.
Greenline Legal is bound by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles. This policy applies to this website and to the personal information we handle in the course of practising law. It does not form part of any costs agreement.
The practice entity to which this policy applies is Greenline Legal Services Pty Ltd, ABN 39 673 067 411.
What we collect, and why
Legal practice cannot be conducted anonymously. To act for you we generally need to collect your name, contact details, and information about your matter. Depending on the work, we may also need to collect:
- Identity documents — drivers licence, passport or similar, because verification of identity is required for property transactions and is a condition of electronic conveyancing;
- Financial information — bank details for settlement and trust account purposes, loan and finance details, and information about assets and liabilities;
- Information about other people — for example beneficiaries named in a will, or parties to a dispute; and
- Sensitive information in some matters, such as health information relevant to capacity in an estate or guardianship matter. We collect it only where it is reasonably necessary for the work and, where required, with consent.
We collect it because we cannot advise or act without it, and in some cases because legislation requires us to. If you choose not to provide it we may be unable to act for you.
How we collect it
Usually directly from you — in conversation, by email, or through documents you give us. We also receive personal information from other parties' solicitors, from courts and tribunals, from government agencies and registries, and from people you have authorised to deal with us, such as an accountant, broker or agent.
Who we disclose it to
We disclose personal information where it is necessary to conduct your matter, or where the law requires it. That can include:
- courts, tribunals and the other parties and their lawyers;
- counsel and experts we engage on your matter;
- government agencies and registries, including NSW Land Registry Services and Revenue NSW, and their equivalents in Victoria and Queensland for conveyancing matters;
- electronic conveyancing platforms and verification of identity providers;
- banks and incoming or outgoing mortgagees on a settlement;
- our insurers and professional advisers; and
- anyone else you authorise.
We do not sell personal information, and we do not disclose it for marketing by anyone else.
Legal professional privilege and the duty of confidentiality apply to your matter in addition to this policy, and are in most respects stricter than it. Nothing in this policy reduces those obligations.
Overseas disclosure
We do not routinely disclose personal information overseas. Some of the software we use to run the practice may store data outside Australia. Where that is the case we take reasonable steps to ensure the handling of that information is consistent with the Australian Privacy Principles.
Storage and security
We hold information in electronic systems and, for some documents, in physical form. We take reasonable steps to protect it from misuse, interference, loss and unauthorised access, and to destroy or de-identify it when it is no longer needed — subject to the periods for which a law practice is required to retain files.
This website
You can browse this site without telling us who you are. Our server may record standard technical information such as your IP address, browser type and the pages requested. If you contact us through the site, we collect what you send us. This site does not run advertising trackers.
Accessing and correcting your information
You can ask for access to the personal information we hold about you, and ask us to correct it if it is wrong. Email info@greenlinelegal.com.au. We will ask you to verify your identity. There are limited circumstances in which we may refuse access — for example where doing so would breach privilege owed to someone else — and if we do, we will tell you why.
Complaints
If you think we have mishandled your personal information, tell us first at info@greenlinelegal.com.au so we can investigate and respond. If you are not satisfied with our response, you can complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at oaic.gov.au.
A complaint about the legal work itself, rather than about privacy, goes to the Office of the NSW Legal Services Commissioner.
Changes
We may update this policy. The version published on this page is the current one.
Tell us what's happened.
If you have a question about how we handle your information, or you want to access or correct it, get in touch.
Information on this site is general in nature and is not legal advice, and may have been overtaken by a change in the law. Contacting us does not create a solicitor–client relationship.