Privacy and Data Policy

Last updated: 1 May 2021  

 

Clendons is committed to respecting the privacy and security of information received from User(s) of our website or services. This Privacy and Data Policy sets out our compliance with both New Zealand privacy laws (including the Privacy Act 2020), and the European Union General Data Protection Regulations (“GDPR”).

We’ve prepared this Privacy and Data Policy to ensure that we communicate to Users, in the clearest way possible, how we comply with these legal requirements, how we collect, use, disclose or transfer Personal Information supplied by Users or collected by us and the ways in which users can protect their privacy.

Our Privacy and Data Policy also specifies other requirements, such as how Users may access, correct and delete information held about them.

By using our services, or accessing our website, Users agree to comply with the terms and conditions of this Privacy and Data Policy and agree that Clendons may process (i.e. collect, use, store, transfer, disclose or otherwise process) User’s Personal Information in accordance with this Privacy and Data Policy (as well as for any other use authorised by the User).

Our Privacy and Data Policy explains:

(1)        Consent;

(2)        What information we collect and how;

(3)        How we use Personal Information;

(4)        Who we share Personal Information with and why;

(5)        The steps taken to protect Personal Information under our control;

(6)        Users’ data protection rights;

(7)        Links and connections to third party services;

(8)        How Clendons retains and deletes Personal Information;

(9)        How to access and update Personal Information; and

(10)     How to contact us.

1.       USER CONSENT

Clendons provides legal advice in several specialist areas, including technology, intellectual property, insurance, dispute resolution, telecommunications, resource management, environmental, mergers and acquisitions, capital restructuring, commercial and employment law (together, “our services”). We collect Personal Information in order to be able to provide and improve our services, and for the other uses described below.

By using our services, accessing our website or providing Personal Information to us, Users consent to our collection, storage, use and disclosure of Personal Information (including any sensitive information provided) in accordance with this Privacy and Data Policy. 

2.       INFORMATION WE COLLECT

There are three ways we collect information:

(1)        Information Users give us.

(2)        Information we collect when Users use our services.

(3)        Information we collect from third parties.

(a)       Information Users Give Us

In order to provide our services, a User must provide us with certain contact, billing and Personal Information including but not limited to name, address, phone number, email address, industry specific information and company information. Users may also at times provide financial information.

Users may also provide us with information when they:

  • Attend investigations or proceedings; or
  • Ask us to send publications, legal developments and/or market insights; or
  • Contact our team.

Users can always choose not to provide us with Personal Information, however this may mean that we are unable to supply our services effectively, or at all.

(b)       Information We Collect from Use of Our Services

We may automatically collect information (which may include Personal Information) when Users interact with or receive our services by visiting our website or communicating with us. This information may include:

  • Usage information:We collect information about how Users and their system environment interact with our services. Information that may be collected includes:
    • Information relating to the features Users use;
    • The performance of the services and any problems experienced by Users;   
    • The pages that Users visit on our website;
    • Website content accessed by Users;
    • Length of the Users’ stay on a specific page; and
    • Browser information.
  • Location: When Users use our services (including our website), we may collect and process information about the User’s location. We use various technologies to determine location, including IP addresses. 
  • Other Third Party Service Providers:  We may use other third party service providers to assist our communications and interactions with Users. 

Consent to Disclosure/Collection: By using our website or other services, or otherwise interacting with us, you:

  • Acknowledge that, for information transmitted to social media plug-ins identified above, those third parties may not be required to protect the information in a way that, overall, provides comparable safeguards to those in the Privacy Act 2020; and
  • Authorise the disclosure of your Personal Information to those third parties, or collection of your Personal Information by those third parties.

(c)           Information We Collect from Third Parties

We work closely with third parties (for example, service providers) in order to be able to develop and supply our services, and provide them to Users.

We may receive the same kinds of information described in (a) and (b) above from third parties.

Personal Information Received from Users about Others

When using our services, Users may disclose, and we may collect, Personal Information about someone else. For example, data supplied by Users may contain Personal Information relating to the customers, shareholders, directors or employees of Users.

Before disclosing Personal Information to us about someone else, Users must ensure that they have obtained sufficient consent to disclose that information to us, and that, without taking any further steps required by applicable data protection or privacy laws, we may collect, use, transfer and disclose such information for the purposes described in this Policy.

Users shall remain responsible for all Personal Information collected and processed by the User, and for compliance with applicable privacy and data protection laws.

3.       HOW WE USE PERSONAL INFORMATION

We collect and use Personal Information in order to be able to provide and improve our services.

We also use Personal Information to:

  • Represent and provide our services to Users;
  • Communicate, interact and build our relationship with Users, including to better understand Users’ needs and interests, and ensure a quality experience for Users;
  • Improve our services;
  • Check commercial or legal conflicts;
  • Where we have Users’ consent, emailing Users updates, event invitations and publications that we think Users may be interested in or to keep Users informed of legal developments, market insights and of our services;
  • Carry out internal administration such as invoicing and receipting and making payments to Users’ or on Users’ behalf;
  • Market and make recommendations on our services;
  • Allow our third party providers to provide their services and support to Users;
  • Conduct, manage, develop and protect our business; 
  • Enforce our terms of engagement and any other agreements;
  • Comply with laws and regulations, including in relation to anti-money laundering and countering financing of terrorism (“AML/CFT”) legislation and auditing and reporting requirements;
  • Verify Users’ identities and prevent fraud or other unauthorised or illegal activity; and
  • Enable third parties to provide services to us. 

For these purposes we may receive, use, store, share, send, combine, transform, reformat, encrypt, mask, organise, geomap, update and delete Personal Information (and undertake any further processing activities expressed or implied in this Policy). The Personal Information that we collect will not be further processed in ways that are incompatible with the initial purposes for which the data was collected.

4.       WHO WE SHARE INFORMATION WITH

We share information, including Personal Information, as necessary to provide Users the service requested or authorised. For example, we may share information with:

  • Banks and other entities which process payment transactions when a payment is made;
  • Our third party providers to provide services to the User, to communicate with Users (for example, information shared with communication service providers), to provide Users with information on our services or the services supplied by our third party providers;
  • Our service providers or suppliers acting and working on our behalf. For example, companies we have hired to assist in protecting and securing our systems and services may need access to Personal Information to provide those services. In such cases, we will require these entities to abide by our data privacy and security requirements, and restrict use of any Personal Information received from us;
  • Users’ companies or organisations, and/or other law firms in relation to providing legal advice;
  • Other professionals (including barristers and expert witnesses) involved in the supply of services to you;
  • Courts and the New Zealand Law Society;
  • Where relevant for AML/CFT purposes, the New Zealand Police, Department of Internal Affairs and our AML/CFT auditors;
  • Other third parties, when we have a good faith belief that doing so is necessary to:

(1)        Comply with any applicable law, regulation, legal process or enforceable governmental request;

(2)        Protect our Users;

(3)        Operate and maintain the security of our services, including to prevent or stop an attack on our computer systems or networks;

(4)        Detect, prevent or otherwise address fraud; or

(5)        Protect our rights and property, including enforcing our terms of engagement.

  • A purchaser or vendor, as part of a property purchase, or a corporate transaction such as an acquisition, merger or sale of assets.

From time to time we may use third-party data processors to provide elements of services for us. For example, we use an external data centre in New Zealand (currently, IT Live Limited) to host our business data. We will have contracts in place with all of our data processors, to prevent them from doing anything with Users’ Personal Information unless we or the User has instructed them to do so.  Unless the User agrees otherwise, our data processors will: 

  • Not share Users’ Personal Information with any organisation apart from us; and
  • Hold Users’ Personal Information securely and retain it for the period we instruct.

We require that our service providers and suppliers (data processors) agree to keep all User information we share with them confidential.  While we provide these third parties with no more information than is necessary to perform the function for which we engaged them, Users should be aware that any information provided by the User to these third parties independently/directly is subject to the third parties' respective privacy policies and practices.

We may also share or use non-Personal Information (i.e. information that is related to a Person but does not personally identify that individual, such as aggregated, anonymised or de-identified data) publically or with third parties, such as our third party service providers. This data or information will in no way identify Users or any other individual.

5.       STEPS TAKEN TO PROTECT PERSONAL INFORMATION

Protecting the security of User Personal Information is of the utmost importance to Clendons. We maintain a variety of safeguards and procedures in order to protect Personal Information from unauthorised access, use, interference, modification or disclosure.

For example, we store Personal Information on computer systems that have password-controlled access, firewalls and virus protection software.

Clendons’ data is stored in an access controlled data centre facility in Auckland, New Zealand, managed by IT Live Limited. IT Live and the data centre also use intrusion detection technologies to monitor and prevent unauthorised access.

Users’ Personal Information will only be accessed by people at Clendons who need to use the information for the purposes discussed above.

Some of our services do however require use of the internet, and the internet is not itself a secure environment. We therefore cannot give an absolute assurance or guarantee that User information will be secure at all times. Transmission of information over the internet or third-party networks is at the User’s own risk. We will notify Users at the first reasonable opportunity if we discover or are advised of a material security breach which has resulted in unauthorised access, disclosure or loss of User Personal Information.

To help maintain the security of information, Users agree to keep their passwords and account details private and confidential.

6.       USERS’ DATA PROTECTION RIGHTS

Under data protection and privacy laws, Users have rights regarding the Personal Information that we hold/collect. The rights available to Users depend on our reason for processing Users’ Personal information. These rights include:

  • Right of access: Users have the right to ask us for copies of their Personal Information. This right always applies.
  • Right to correction: Users have the right to ask us to update or correct information they think is inaccurate. Users also have the right to ask us to complete information that the User thinks is incomplete. Users are responsible for ensuring that Personal Information provided to us is accurate, complete and up-to-date.  We will take reasonable steps to ensure that any further Personal Information that we collect (i.e. information obtained from other sources) is accurate, up-to-date, complete and not misleading.
  • Right to erasure: Users have the right to ask us to erase their Personal Information in certain circumstances.
  • Right to restriction of processing: Users have the right to ask us to restrict or cease the processing of their information in certain circumstances. This may (depending upon the circumstances) include the collection of Personal Information from third parties, collection of sensitive information, disclosure of Personal Information to third parties, transfer of Personal Information overseas, or processing of Personal Information in a particular way, or for a particular purpose.
  • Right to data portability: This only applies to information Users have given us. Users have the right to ask that we transfer the information Users have given us from one organisation to another, or give it to the User. This right only applies if we are processing information based on Users’ consent, or under (or in talks about entering into) a contract and the processing is automated.

All requests should be sent to us at clendons@clendons.co.nz, and include the words 'Attention: The Privacy Officer'. User choices in relation to Personal Information may affect our ability to provide our services. We will respond to Users as soon as reasonably practicable regarding the impact of the User’s requests on the services, any other issues arising and to confirm the User’s intention to proceed. If we are unable to comply with the request, we will give the User reasons for this decision when we respond (for example, the information may not be readily retrievable and it may not be reasonable or practicable for us to process the request in the manner sought. In some instances, it may also be necessary for us to arrange access to User Personal Information through a third party e.g. a third party service provider).

7.       LINKS AND CONNECTIONS TO THIRD PARTY SERVICES

Our website contains links to (and may be used by Users in conjunction with) third-party services, tools, and websites that are not controlled or managed by us. This Privacy and Data Policy does not cover how these organisations process Personal Information. These websites may use cookies. It is the responsibility of those third parties to collect appropriate consents from Users in order to permit their own cookies (to the extent this is required by law) and to inform Users about the cookies they use. Users should check the privacy policy on all third-party websites to ensure they are comfortable with third party cookies.

We have no responsibility for linked websites, and provide them solely for Users’ information and convenience. We specifically disclaim responsibility for their content, privacy practices and terms of use, and we make no endorsements, representations or warranties about their accuracy, content or thoroughness.

Disclosure of Personal Information by Users to third party service providers is at the User’s own risk, and we encourage Users to read the privacy policies applicable to these third-party services. We are not responsible for the security or privacy of any information collected by these third-parties.

8.       RETENTION AND DELETION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

The period of time for which we hold Personal Information that we have collected varies according to what the Personal Information is used or required for, and whether we have an ongoing need to retain it (for example, to provide Users with a service they have requested or to comply with applicable legal requirements such as financial record-keeping legislation).

Unless there is a legal requirement or justification for us to keep the Personal Information, we will retain it for no longer than is necessary:

  • To provide the services requested by the User;
  • As part of our usual business record-keeping practices;
  • To fulfil the purpose(s) for which the Personal Information was originally collected;
  • In accordance with our internal retention policies and practices; or
  • For any other purpose(s) authorised by the User.  

Once Personal Information is no longer required, the Personal Information will be deleted, securely destroyed or anonymised.

9.       ACCESSING AND UPDATING USER PERSONAL INFORMATION

Users are responsible for ensuring that Personal Information provided to us is accurate, complete and up-to-date. This includes personal or sensitive information contained in their User content. We will also take reasonable steps to ensure that any Personal Information that we collect (i.e. information obtained from other sources) is accurate, up-to-date, complete and not misleading.

We endeavour to provide Users with reasonable access to Personal Information we hold about Users, and Users may request that we update, correct or delete any Personal Information that is inaccurate or inappropriate for the purposes for which it was collected.

Requests for access to, or the correction of, Personal Information should be emailed to clendons@clendons.co.nz, and include the words 'Attention: The Privacy Officer’.

We will process requests as soon as reasonably practicable, provided we are not otherwise prevented from doing so by law. If we are unable to meet a User’s request, we will explain the reasons why when we respond to the User’s request. For example, the information may not be readily retrievable and it may not be reasonable or practicable for us to process the request in the manner requested.

10.    HOW TO CONTACT US

Please contact us if you have any questions or complaints about this Privacy and Data Policy, if you wish to access, update, erase and/or correct Personal Information, or if you otherwise have a question or complaint about the manner in which we or our service providers treat Personal Information.

Users may write to Clendons’ Privacy Officer by email, including any supporting documentation, at clendons@clendons.co.nz, and include the words 'Attention: The Privacy Officer’.

Alternatively, you can write to us at:

Clendons Barristers and Solicitors

Attention: Privacy Officer

PO Box 1305

Auckland 1010

New Zealand

We will endeavour to respond within 30 days.

Application of this Privacy and Data Policy

Our Privacy and Data Policy applies to all of the services offered by us. Our Privacy and Data Policy does not cover the information practices of other companies and organisations (such as our third party service providers) that supply or contract our services.

Changes to this Privacy and Data Policy

We keep this Policy under regular review to make sure it is up to date and accurate. We also reserve the right to change this Policy from time to time, as our practices evolve to meet new requirements, standards, technologies and customer feedback. We will post any privacy policy changes on our website here and will update the “last updated” date at the top of this Policy. Continued use of our services by Users will be deemed acceptance of any amended Policy.

We recommend that Users regularly review this Policy to learn how we protect Personal Information.

Definitions

In this Policy, unless the context requires otherwise:

Binding Scheme

means a binding scheme specified in regulations made under section 213 of the Privacy Act 2020 (NZ);

Person

means and includes any natural person, company, corporation, firm, partnership, joint venture, society, organisation or other group or association of Persons (whether incorporated or not), trust, state or agency of state, statutory or regulatory body, local authority, government or governmental or semi-governmental body or agency (in each case whether or not having separate legal personality);

Personal Information

means information about an identifiable individual and includes, without limitation, names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and IP addresses;

Prescribed Country

means a country specified in regulations made under section 214 of the Privacy Act 2020 (NZ);

User(s)

means all Persons accessing our website and/or using our services (including any part of the services), including Persons that load and/or manage content on our website or that receive or subscribe for any other paid services, and/or any Persons providing Personal Information to us;

we, us, our, Clendons

means Clendons Barristers and Solicitors.