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Privacy Policy

R&S privacy policy
 

This Privacy Policy applies to R&S and entities controlled by them (collectively referred to as "R&S", "we", "our" and "us"). This Policy explains how R&S handles personal information. 

This Privacy Policy explains how we may use information that we obtain about you, including, through your use of our website. It also outlines how we may use or disclose that information, your right of access to that information and the procedures in place to safeguard your privacy. 

Registration is not required for you to use our website. By providing us with information about yourself through this website or otherwise when engaging with R&S, you consent to the collection, use, disclosure and transfer of that information. Please do not provide us with your personal information if you do not want your personal information to be used as set out in this Policy. For further information, please contact admin@pln.com.au.

Information collected

Through accessing various pages of the website, we may collect and hold personal information about you. The main types of information we collect and hold relates to the contact details and organisational roles of our clients, suppliers and other business contacts. 

Typically this information includes (but is not limited to) unique username and password, name, occupation, contact details, and other information.

We may also collect this information when you:
 

  • register to receive electronic notification of our publications.

  • submit any emails or feedback forms via our website or any other website created or hosted by us from time to time on which this Policy appears, or from using our website’s social media function. You have the option of using a pseudonym when providing feedback forms via our website. However anonymity and pseudonymity cannot be maintained when offering legal advice and we require you to log in or register before posting comments in the news forum section of our website. 

  • visit our website including, but not limited to, the volume of traffic received, logs (including the IP address of the device connecting to the website) and any content accessed

  • attend a seminar or other event provided by us. We may also collect information when you respond to an invitation to attend a seminar or other event provided by us.

  • instruct R&S to act on your behalf.


Your personal information may be stored either in hard copy documents or as electronic data in our information technology systems.

We may also collect personal information from people interested in working for R&S as a member of staff, from suppliers, or from contractors involved in the provision of corporate and other support services to R&S. We note that this information will only be retained by us as required by statute or until the purpose for which the information was collected, has been completed. 

Where information is provided to us about someone else (such as one of your directors or employees or someone with whom you have dealings) you must ensure that you are entitled to disclose that information to us and are aware that we may use and disclose such information for the reasonably necessary purpose for which it was disclosed to us.

Sensitive information

From time to time we may also be required to collect, use or disclose sensitive information. Sensitive information includes information relating to a person’s health, race, ethnic origin, political opinions, membership of political, professional or trade associations, religious or philosophical beliefs, sexual preferences and criminal history. 

We will only collect sensitive information if
 

  • you have given express consent for us to do so;

  • we are obligated by law; or

  • it is necessary for us to provide our legal services. 


Cookies

If you are merely a visitor to our website, your personal information will not be collected, except to the limited extent of collection by the use of cookies. This is only used by our website, whilst you are on our website. Cookies do not identify the individual; however they help to track traffic patterns across the website. Cookies may be disabled through the settings of your browser; however this may affect the performance of our website. 

We also collect information which tells us about visitors to our website such as: date, time, duration of visit, and the web pages that are most commonly accessed through the use of cookies.

Our website may contain links to other organisations' websites. Linked websites are responsible for their own privacy practices and policies which may vary to ours. We make no warranty, promotion, endorsement or representation regarding the use, collection or storage of your personal data by such third parties. We recommend reviewing the privacy policies of each third party linked to our website to determine how your personal data may be affected. 

Use and disclosure of information

We will use and disclose your personal information for the primary purpose for which it was collected. The main purposes for which we collect, use and hold your information are to internally assist R&S, including for purposes not limited to the following:
 

  • conducting our business, including the development of the services provided to you and R&S clients;

  • to our employees, agents and consultants who assist us in running our business, including this website, or provide related services, and who are subject to security and confidentiality obligations;

  • to improve the website, including the compilation of anonymous statistics profiling the visitors to or website including date, time and duration of visit;

  • marketing of our services, seminars, publications, events and developments in the law

  • to fulfil our legal obligations, including where required by a court order or other legal or regulatory requirement;

  • for recruitment purposes, in particular the “Work with us” platform on the website; and 

  • other legitimate business matters.


If you do not provide us with information as requested, we may not be able to provide services to you or otherwise fulfil the purpose for which we have requested the information.

Disclosure through our network

Any information that you provide to us may be shared with and processed by any entity in the region-wide network of the Pacific Legal Network, our associated firms and certain of our service providers. This includes the firms operating a Pacific Legal Network in any of the following jurisdictions from time to time: 
 

  • Australia

  • Fiji

  • Kiribati

  • New Caledonia

  • Papua New Guinea

  • Samoa

  • Solomon Islands

  • Timor Leste

  • Tonga

  • Vanuatu


A list of current firms can be found on our website. This disclosure may involve sending your personal information to these offices overseas. R&S may also disclose your information to service providers, agents and contractors from time to time to help us to provide and market our services to you or as otherwise required or authorised by law.

Your information will not be provided to a third party. It may, however, be handled by a third party. For example, we may occasionally hire other companies to provide services on our behalf, including but not limited to storing and archiving our completed client files or handling enquiries. Those companies will be permitted to obtain only the personal information they need to deliver the service. R&S takes reasonable steps to ensure that these organisations are bound by confidentiality and privacy obligations in relation to the protection of your personal information.

If we collect, hold or use your information in ways other than as stated in this Policy, we will ensure we do so pursuant to any relevant regulatory requirements in Tonga. 

Access to information

You have the right to access your personal information upon request, subject to exceptions allowed by law. If you would like to do so please let us know. You can gain access to most personal information that we hold about you by emailing admin@pln.com.au or by writing to our postal address below. We will require you to provide some identification so we can verify you against the information you have requested. We may also charge an administrative fee to cover the costs of access in some situations. 

We will endeavour to deal with your request for access to personal information as quickly as possible. If we refuse to give you access, we will provide reasons for our refusal.

Correction of information

You have the right to correct the personal information held by us in the event of information that is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading, subject to exceptions allowed by law. Please contact us using the details below if you wish to correct the information and we will take such steps as are reasonable in the circumstances to correct that information. We will also take such steps as are reasonable to notify third parties of the corrections. 

If a request to correct information is made we will respond to the request within a reasonable period. If we refuse to correct the information we will give you written notice as to why we have refused your request and outline the mechanisms available to complain about the refusal. 
Opt out of receiving marketing communications (Unsubscribe)

If you are receiving marketing communication from us and no longer wish to receive such communication please let us know by contacting our office. You can also email admin@pln.com.au and we will remove you from any further marketing communications list.

Security

R&S will endeavour to take all reasonable steps to protect the personal information we hold from misuse and loss and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. This includes reasonable steps to destroy and de-identify information that is no longer required for the primary purpose it was supplied for, subject to statutory record keeping requirements.

We use a variety of physical and electronic security measures including restricting physical access to our offices, and firewalls and secure databases to keep personal information secure.

Information supplied electronically, including on the website request form, may not be secure, and, unless you are already a client of R&S , will not be treated as private and confidential. 

Our employees are also required to respect the confidentiality of any personal information held by R&S. 

Complaints

If you have any complaints in relation to the handling or use of your personal information we ask that you please contact us. We will conduct an internal review of the information collected and respond within a reasonable timeframe. 

Changes to this Privacy Policy

Where this privacy Policy is changed or updated, we will provide an updated Policy on this website. Please note that it may take up to 30 business days for new privacy practices to be implemented. The amended Policy will apply between us whether or not we have given you specific notice of any change. Please regularly monitor this page for any amendments.

Contact Details

To contact us about how your personal information is handled, update your personal information details, or for any concerns or complaints you may have on our approach to privacy please write, telephone or email to:

R&S
P. O. Box 203
Nuku'alofa
Tonga 

E: admin@pln.com.au

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