Practice made personal
This Policy explains how De Novo Legal Limited (De Novo Legal) collects, uses, stores, shares, discloses and otherwise handles personal information in accordance with the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020 (Privacy Act). When referred to in this Policy, “personal information” means information about an identifiable individual as defined under the Privacy Act, and “we” and “us” means De Novo Legal.
Types of personal information we collect
The nature of personal information that we collect will depend on the type of dealings we have with you. By way of example, we may collect personal information about:
- our clients and prospective clients, including their owners, employees and contractors;
- other businesses we supply to or receive services from, including their owners, employees and contractors;
- our employees, and any prospective employees and contractors; and
- individuals who interact with our website.
The types of personal information we collect includes (but is not limited to) names, contact information, educational and employment history, bank account information, testimonials, references and other information we reasonably require in order to conduct, administer and market our business.
How we collect personal information
We collect personal information directly from you unless it is unreasonable or impracticable to do so. We may collect such information in a number of different ways including:
- through your access to and use of our website;
- when you register to receive our publications; and
- when you correspond with us (whether in person, by letter, email or telephone).
In addition, we may collect personal information about you:
- from third parties, including your authorised representatives, employers and past employers, your professional advisers, and other contracted service providers we work with in providing services to you;
- through publicly available sources; and
- through the use of cookies to record any visits by you to our website.
How we use personal information
The main purposes for which we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information are to provide legal services, and to conduct, administer and market our business. By way of example, we use personal information to conduct identity verification when onboarding our clients, to provide legal advice and related services to our clients, to evaluate and improve our services, and to charge and collect fees for our services. Our collection of information through the use of cookies enables us to monitor the usage of our website.
Who we disclose your personal information to
The nature of our services provided means that it is often necessary for us to disclose your personal information to other parties. Ordinarily we will advise you who we will be disclosing your personal information to, at the time we collect the information from you (unless there are practical reasons for not informing you).
We may disclose personal information:
- to the extent necessary or desirable to enable us to carry out your instructions;
- as expressly or impliedly agreed by you;
- as necessary to protect our interests in respect of any complaint or dispute; and
- to the extent required or permitted by law or by the Law Society’s Rules of Conduct and Client Care for Lawyers.
If we are required by law to make disclosures about you or any person associated with you, we may be prohibited from disclosing that disclosure to you or any such associated person.
We may disclose information to third parties for the purposes of providing services to you and for any other purposes set out in these terms. This may include disclosures to:
- outsourced administrative, accounting or IT service providers;
- other contracted services providers we engage in the course of providing services to you, or who perform services on our behalf;
- courts, tribunals and regulatory bodies; and
- other agencies or people with your consent.
We are also permitted to disclose personal information without consent if we believe, on reasonable grounds, that disclosure is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious threat to public health or public safety, or the life or health of the individual concerned or of another individual.
Our IT service providers include cloud-based service providers hosted outside of New Zealand. Under the Privacy Act, these providers are deemed to be our agents and any information held by them is regarded to be held by us.
Storage and security of personal information we hold
We will take reasonable steps to protect the security of all personal information we hold and to protect against loss, unauthorised use, access and disclosure. The steps we take to secure personal information against loss and unauthorised access, use or disclosure include:
- website protection (including anti-virus software);
- computer system access restrictions (including login and password protection); and
- restricted access to office premises.
Copies of your documents will generally remain on your file with us for no longer than reasonably necessary.
Website security
While De Novo Legal endeavours to protect the personal information and privacy of users of our website, we cannot guarantee the security of any information you disclose online. If you are concerned about sending your information over the internet, you can contact De Novo Legal by telephone or post. You can also assist us with protecting your personal information by letting us know as soon as possible if you become aware of any security breach.
Accessing and correcting personal information
If you are an individual, you are entitled to request access and to request the correction of your personal information as held by us. We will take reasonable steps to provide you with access to your personal information. If required, we may charge a fee to cover our reasonable costs of compiling the information and providing it to you. Requests to access or correct your personal information should be made by email, post or phone using the details below. We will endeavour to respond to your request within 30 days, noting we will need to verify your identity before processing your request. We will take reasonable steps to correct your personal information if we are satisfied that it is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, misleading or irrelevant. If we have provided your personal information to third parties, we will also notify those parties of the necessary correction if you ask us to do so, unless it is impracticable or unlawful. If we do not agree with your request to access or correct your information, we will provide you with written reasons for our decision and will identify the available complaint mechanisms.
Changes to this Policy
We may amend this Policy from time to time, by posting a revised version to our website. Any revisions to this Policy will take effect as at the date the revised Policy is posted to the website. This Policy was last updated on 11 August 2022.
Questions and complaints
Questions, feedback or complaints about this Policy or the way in which De Novo Legal handles personal information should be directed to the contact point below. We will endeavour to respond to your complaint within 30 days of you providing us with the details of your complaint.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you are entitled to refer your complaint to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.
Contacting Us
De Novo Legal Limited
38 Matakatia Parade, Whangaparaoa, Auckland 0930
emily.moore@denovolegal.co.nz
+64 27 363 2208
Use of and access to this website is subject to the following terms and conditions. By accessing and using this website you will be considered to have accepted these terms and our Privacy Policy.
The information on this website is for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this website constitutes legal or other professional advice.
De Novo Legal Limited (De Novo Legal) owns all copyright and intellectual property rights in this website and all rights are reserved. With the exception of downloading the pages of this website for viewing on a personal computer or device, the content of this website must not be copied, displayed, modified, reproduced, used for creating derivative works or otherwise used in any other way including for commercial purposes.
Links to third party websites that are not operated or controlled by De Novo Legal are provided for your convenience and De Novo Legal is not responsible for the privacy or security practices of those websites. Third party websites should have their own privacy policies, which you are encouraged to review carefully before supplying any personal information to those parties.
While De Novo Legal will use its best endeavours to maintain this website and keep its contents up to date, it is not liable for any errors, mistakes or omissions in its content. The information on this website is not intended as a substitute for legal advice and, to the extent permitted by law, De Novo Legal will not be responsible for any actions taken in reliance on the content of this website, or any loss, claims, or expense arising from or in any way connected to the use of this website, except that nothing in these Terms shall operate to contract out of the New Zealand Consumer Guarantees Act 1993. You are encouraged to contact De Novo Legal in the first instance if you have any queries about or wish to rely on any content published on this website.
Your use of this website and the interpretation of any content on this website (including these Terms) shall be governed by New Zealand law. Any disputes concerning this website will be resolved by the New Zealand courts. To the extent permitted by law, De Novo Legal is not liable for any failure of this website to comply with the laws of any other country.
We may amend these Terms from time to time, by posting a revised version to our website. Any revisions to these Terms will take effect as at the date the revised Terms are posted to the website. These Terms were last updated on 11 August 2022.
