Privacy & Cookie Policy

1. Purpose of this Policy

This Privacy & Cookie Policy ("Policy") sets out how and why Alexander Rashidi Lawyers ("we", "us", "our") collects, uses, discloses, and handles your Personal Information when you access our Website, use our services, or otherwise engage with us.

Please read this Policy carefully, as it also outlines certain legal rights you have under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (the "Act") and the Australian Privacy Principles. If you have any questions or comments about this Policy, please refer to our contact details in section 14 of this Policy ("Contact Us").

We will only collect, use, or disclose Personal Information in accordance with this Policy and the Act. If you do not agree with this Policy, you should not use our Website or provide us with Personal Information.

Your use of our Website is also subject to our Website Terms of Use.

2. Third Party Websites

This Policy applies only to our Website and services. It does not apply to any third-party websites, plug-ins, or applications that you may access through our Website. Clicking on those links or enabling those features may allow third parties to collect or share data about you.

We do not control these third-party websites, and we are not responsible for, and disclaim any liability in connection with, their privacy practices or content. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party websites you visit.

3. Our Commitment to Data Security

We consider the protection of Personal Information to be an essential part of our professional and business practice. To that end, we employ commercially appropriate organisational, technical, and physical safeguards, supported by appropriate procedures, to protect the Personal Information in our possession or under our control from unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction, to the extent reasonably possible.

Unfortunately, no data transmission over the internet can be guaranteed as completely secure. Any Personal Information you transmit to or through our Website may be transmitted at your own risk. Once we receive your Personal Information, we will use the safeguards described above to help protect it from unauthorised access or misuse.

We maintain a strong security culture by providing ongoing training and updates to our personnel on information security responsibilities and best practices. Our security framework is regularly reviewed and enhanced to ensure it remains effective and aligned with evolving risks and industry standards.

4. Updates to Our Privacy & Cookie Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time by publishing a revised version on this page. By continuing to use our Website or services after an update, you will be deemed to have accepted the revised Privacy & Cookie Policy.

5. Personal Information We Collect

We may collect Personal Information from you, or from individuals acting on behalf of your organisation, in a variety of ways. This may occur directly from you or during our dealings with you, including when you use our Website, attend one of our events, apply for a role with us, provide services to us, or otherwise engage with us in relation to the provision of legal services.

We may also collect Personal Information when you contact us, subscribe to our updates, interact with our online content, or supply us with information in connection with a matter. The type of Personal Information we collect, and the reasons for doing so, will depend on your relationship with us. It may include the categories listed below.

Identity information – such as your name, date of birth, title, gender, and other identifiers.
Contact details – including postal address, email address, telephone number, and other communication details.
Professional and employment information – such as your job title, employer or organisation, business contact details, qualifications, and work history.
Matter-related information – information relevant to the legal matter or service we are providing, including documents you supply, correspondence, transaction history, and background information.
Financial information – such as billing address, bank account or payment details, and records of transactions with us.
Technical and usage data – including your Internet Protocol (IP) address, browser type and version, time zone setting, operating system, device identifiers, and information on how you use our Website and online services (including cookies and similar technologies).
Event-related information – including your attendance, dietary or accessibility requirements, and any preferences you provide.
Recruitment information – such as CVs, academic transcripts, employment history, references, and results of background checks (where permitted by law).
Sensitive information – such as details relating to health, racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or criminal history. We will only collect this information where necessary to provide our services and where permitted under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) or other applicable laws.

6. How We Collect Personal Information

We may collect Personal Information in a variety of ways, depending on how you interact with us, including:

Direct interactions – when you provide information to us directly, for example by:
- engaging us to provide legal or other professional services.
- completing forms on our Website.
- subscribing to our publications or registering for events.
- corresponding with us by phone, email, post, in person, or through our Website forms.
- applying for employment or contracting opportunities.
Through your use of our Website and online services – including when we use cookies and similar technologies to collect technical and usage data about your browsing behaviour, device, and preferences.
While providing services to you or your organisation – for example, in connection with legal proceedings, transactions, or regulatory matters where we receive information from you, your representatives, counterparties, experts, or other third parties.
From publicly available sources – including public registers, regulatory filings, news reports, third-party service providers, professional networking sites, recruitment agencies, government bodies, and online directories, but only where it is lawful to do so.

We will only collect sensitive information (as defined in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth)) where it is reasonably necessary for our functions or activities and you have provided consent, or where collection is otherwise permitted or required by law.

7. How We Use and Disclose Personal Information

We may use and disclose your Personal Information for the purposes for which it was collected, or for related purposes that you would reasonably expect, including to:

Provide legal and professional services – to perform and manage our engagement with you or your organisation, including conducting due diligence, advising on transactions, representing you in disputes, and communicating about your matters.
Manage our relationship with you – including billing, responding to queries, managing client records, and maintaining ongoing communications.
Operate and improve our business and Website – such as conducting audits, managing risk, research and analyse demographic characteristics, interests, and behaviour in aggregated form to improve our understanding of users, training staff, enhance our services, publications, and events.
Comply with legal, regulatory, and professional obligations – including conflict checks, anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing obligations, sanctions screening, detecting, and preventing security incidents or malicious, deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal activity, reporting to regulators, and complying with court orders.
Recruitment and engagement – processing applications for employment or engagement, verifying identity, conducting background checks, and maintaining talent databases.
Marketing and communications – to provide you with updates, legal insights, event invitations, and other information about our services, unless you opt out.

We may also use or disclose your Personal Information:

where you have expressly or impliedly consented;
to our related entities, partners, consultants, insurers, auditors, and other professional advisers (on a confidential basis);
to third-party service providers that assist us in our operations (including IT, document production, cloud storage, billing, marketing, and archival services), subject to confidentiality arrangements;
to counterparties and their advisers where reasonably necessary during a matter;
where authorised or required by law, court order, or regulatory authority; or
in connection with the sale, merger, or restructuring of all or part of our business.

Some recipients of your Personal Information may be located outside Australia. In the ordinary course of our business, this may include jurisdictions including (but not limited to) the United States, United Kingdom, and countries within the European Union. Where we disclose information internationally, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that the recipient handles your Personal Information in accordance with applicable privacy laws.

8. Storage and Security of Your Personal Information

We may store your files in hard copy or electronically within our ordinary IT systems, which may include Australian-based cloud servers or the servers of third-party providers located in Australia. Where we disclose Personal Information to third parties (as described in section 7 of this Policy), your files may be stored by or transferred to entities located outside Australia. In such cases, the storage or transfer of your Personal Information by these third parties will be subject to confidentiality provisions as we consider appropriate.

9. Access and Correction of Personal Information

You are entitled to request access to the Personal Information we hold about you, and to request correction if you believe that information is inaccurate, incomplete, or out of date.

If you would like to access, update, or correct your Personal Information, please contact us using the details in section 14 ("Contact Us"). We may require you to verify your identity before processing your request, and we may charge a reasonable fee to cover administrative costs.

In some circumstances permitted by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), we may refuse access or correction. If that occurs, we will provide you with written reasons and information on how you can lodge a complaint.

10. Notifiable Data Breaches

If we experience any loss of, unauthorised access to, or unauthorised disclosure of, your Personal Information that is likely to result in serious harm to you, we will investigate the matter and notify both you and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner as soon as practicable, in compliance with our obligations under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).

11. Marketing and Communications

We may use your Personal Information to contact you by email, SMS, or other means to provide updates, invitations, legal insights, and other information about our services that we believe may be of interest to you.

In some cases, you may also choose to opt-in to certain types of marketing communications by contacting us. You may also unsubscribe from receiving these communications at any time by clicking the "opt-out" or "unsubscribe" link in our marketing email, SMS messages, or other communications we send, or by using the contact details in section 14 ("Contact Us") of this Policy. We will process your request as soon as reasonably practicable and always in accordance with applicable law.

12. Cookies

Our Website uses cookies and similar technologies to help us understand how visitors interact with our site, improve functionality, enhance security, and tailor content to your interests. A cookie is a small text file placed on your device when you visit certain Websites. Cookies may collect information such as your browser type, access times, IP address, and details about the device and software you use to access the Website.

We use cookies for purposes including:

remembering your preferences and settings;
enabling certain Website features;
improving security;
analysing site usage and traffic patterns; and
measuring the effectiveness of our communications.

We do not store Personal Information in cookies, but we may use encrypted data from them to help enhance your experience. Some cookies may be set by trusted third parties who provide services to us, including analytics or advertising providers. These parties may have their own privacy policies.

You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings, including choosing to be warned before accepting cookies or refusing them altogether. Please note that if you disable cookies, some parts of the Website may not function properly. By continuing to use our Website without changing your settings, you consent to our use of cookies as described in this Policy. For independent guidance and information on managing cookies, you may wish to visit www.aboutcookies.org.

We also use Google Analytics to help us understand how visitors use our Website and improve its performance. Google Analytics uses cookies to collect information such as your IP address and website activity, which may be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers outside Australia. Google may transfer this information to third parties where required by law or where those third parties process the information on Google's behalf. For more information on how Google handles this data, see the Google Privacy Policy. By using our Website, you consent to the processing of data about you by Google in the manner and for the purposes set out in the Google Privacy Policy.

13. Complaints Process

If you have a question, concern, or complaint about how we handle your Personal Information, or if believe we have not complied with this Policy or the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), please contact us using the details in section 14 ("Contact Us"). When doing so, provide as much detail as possible so we can properly assess and address your matter.

We take privacy matters seriously and will work with you to resolve your concern as quickly as possible. Our aim is to investigate and respond within 30 days, although we may need to contact you for further information during the process.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may choose to raise your concern with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC):

You may contact the OAIC at:

Phone: 1300 363 992
Mail: GPO Box 5218, Sydney NSW 2001
Website: www.oaic.gov.au

14. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Policy, our handling of your Personal Information, or if you wish to exercise any of your rights under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) or other applicable privacy laws, please contact us using the details below:

Email: privacy@rashidi.com.au
Phone: +61 7 2139 0100
Mail: Privacy Officer
Alexander Rashidi Lawyers
PO Box 12781
George Street, QLD 4003
Australia

When making an enquiry or request, please provide as much detail as possible to help us respond promptly. For security reasons, we may take steps to verify your identity before processing your request.

If you appoint an authorised representative to act on your behalf, we may require evidence of that person's authority and identity before responding to the request.

We aim to respond to all privacy-related enquiries promptly, transparently, and within any timeframe required by applicable law.