Marsh & Maher Richmond Bennison (“Marsh & Maher Richmond Bennison“, “we“, “our” or “us“) is a law firm which provides legal services. Marsh & Maher Richmond Bennison also operates a website under the domain name www.mmrb.com.au (“Website“).
We recognise the importance of maintaining the privacy of the personal information of our clients and other individuals we deal with.
This Privacy Policy applies to the collection, use and disclosure of personal information by Marsh & Maher Richmond Bennison, and is made in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles which apply to Marsh & Maher Richmond Bennison pursuant to the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (“Privacy Act“).
You agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy by engaging us to provide you with legal services.
In the event of inconsistency between this Privacy Policy and the Privacy Act, the Privacy Act will prevail.
Why is personal information collected by Marsh & Maher Richmond Bennison?
Marsh & Maher Richmond Bennison collects personal information:
- about individuals who engage us to provide them with legal services (or who enquire about our legal services); and
- about other individuals, where such personal information is relevant to the legal services we are providing to one of our clients.
How is personal information collected by Marsh & Maher Richmond Bennison?
Marsh & Maher Richmond Bennison primarily collects personal information:
- from an individual directly when details are provided to us in emails, forms, face-to-face meetings, interviews, business cards and telephone conversations;
- from public records such as ASIC’s database, IP Australia’s database, the Personal Property Securities Register, court records and land registry offices; and
- from third parties where such information is relevant to the legal services we are providing to the client, for example, when:
- a client provides us with personal information about another person; or
- we obtain a witness statement or a report provided by a medical professional.
We will take reasonable steps to notify individuals about our collection of their personal information, and will provide all relevant information prescribed under the Privacy Act.
We will only collect personal information by lawful and fair means. We will destroy or de-identify any personal information we receive if we would not ordinarily be permitted to collect that information under the Privacy Act.
What kinds of personal information are collected by Marsh & Maher Richmond Bennison?
The personal information we may collect about individuals includes:
- name;
- general contact information such as address, telephone, fax and email; and
- any other details relevant to the legal services we have been engaged to provide to one of our clients – depending on the matter, this may include details about an individual’s employment, assets and liabilities, details of family and a range of other relevant personal information. In some cases we may also collect “sensitive information”, such as information about an individual’s membership of a professional association, criminal record or health information.
How is personal information used by Marsh & Maher Richmond Bennison?
When we collect personal information about an individual, we will not use that information for any purpose other than the primary purpose for which it is collected, except as otherwise set out in this Privacy Policy or as permitted or required by the Privacy Act.
How is personal information disclosed by Marsh & Maher Richmond Bennison?
We may disclose personal information:
- about a client in any manner incidental to our provision of services to the client;
- to entities who assist us in providing our services (including hosting and data storage providers); and
- to the purchaser of all or part of our business operations, if our client database forms part of the sale.
Marsh & Maher Richmond Bennison will not otherwise use or disclose any information about individuals without their consent, except as otherwise required or permitted under the Privacy Act.
We do not disclose personal information to any recipients located outside Australia except as required or permitted under the Privacy Act.
Does Marsh & Maher Richmond Bennison use personal information for direct marketing communications?
If your personal information was collected for the purposes of providing you with legal services (or to respond to an enquiry about our legal services), we may contact you using the contact details which you provide to us in order to provide you with newsletters and updates about the law that you may be interested in.
We will comply with our obligations under Spam Act 2003 (Cth) and the Do Not Call Register Act 2006 (Cth) in relation to such direct marketing communications.
You may opt out of receiving direct marketing communications from us at any time by contacting us using the details set out below.
How does Marsh & Maher Richmond Bennison store personal information?
We will take all reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, and loss, and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.
We store personal information on secure servers and/or in hardcopy records stored in secure access facilities. We require our employees and contractors to protect the confidentiality of the personal information we hold.
Where we no longer require your personal information we will take reasonable steps to destroy it. However, note that we are generally required to keep records relating to the legal services we provide for a period of at least 7 years.
How can I access, change or delete Marsh & Maher Richmond Bennison’s records of my personal information?
You may request access to our records of your personal information by contacting us using the details set out below. We will generally make your information available to you within 14 days of receiving your request. However, we may require you to pay a reasonable charge for access. We also reserve the right to refuse access to in certain circumstances permitted by the Privacy Act.
Marsh & Maher Richmond Bennison will use its best endeavours to ensure that the personal information it holds is accurate, complete and up-to-date.
If you wish to update your personal information, please contact Marsh & Maher Richmond Bennison using the details set out below to request an amendment to your record. Where it is established that personal information we hold about you is not accurate, or up-to-date, we will take all steps necessary to amend it.
Changes to the Marsh & Maher Richmond Bennison Policy
We reserve the right to change this Privacy Policy at any time. We will notify you of this by posting an updated version of the policy on the Website.
How can I make a query or complaint about privacy?
If you have any enquiries about this Privacy Policy or wish to make a complaint about a matter relating to privacy, please contact us using the details set out below.
To contact Marsh & Maher Richmond Bennison about this Privacy Policy, you can:
- email us at enquiries@mmrb.com.au;
- write to us at:
Privacy Officer
Marsh & Maher Richmond Bennison
Level 2, 100 Wellington Parade
EAST Melbourne VIC 3002
- telephone us on +613 9604 9400; or
- fax us on +613 9419 7735.
Marsh & Maher Richmond Bennison takes complaints seriously, and upon receipt will examine the complaint and instigate internal procedures to ensure compliance with the Privacy Act.