Last updated: June 2026 | Ross Legal Pty Ltd
1. Our Commitment to Privacy
Ross Legal Pty Ltd (“Ross Legal”, “we”, “us”, “our”) is committed to protecting your personal information and respecting your privacy. We comply with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) contained therein, as amended by the Privacy and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2024 (Cth), and the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic). As legal practitioners, we are also bound by the Legal Profession Uniform Law (Victoria), the Legal Profession Uniform Law Australian Solicitors’ Conduct Rules 2015, and the Law Institute of Victoria’s Ethics Guidelines, including our duty of confidentiality to clients under Rule 9.
This Privacy Policy sets out how we collect, use, store, disclose and protect your personal information, and how you may access or correct it.
2. What Personal Information We Collect
We may collect the following types of personal information:
- Name, address, date of birth and contact details (phone, email)
- Information relevant to your legal matter, which may include sensitive information such as health information, financial information, and family circumstances
- Correspondence and documents provided during the course of your engagement
- Payment and billing information
- Website usage information (such as IP address, browser type and pages visited) collected via cookies or similar technologies
We will only collect sensitive information with your consent, or where otherwise permitted or required by law.
3. How We Collect Personal Information
We collect personal information in the following ways:
- Directly from you — when you contact us by phone, email, through this website, or attend an appointment
- From third parties — such as courts, tribunals, other solicitors, government agencies, or other parties to your legal matter, where authorised by you or required by law
- Through our website — via contact forms or general browsing
Where practicable, we will collect personal information directly from you. You may have the option of interacting with us anonymously, however this may limit our ability to provide legal services to you.
4. How We Use Your Personal Information
We use your personal information primarily to provide legal services to you. This includes:
- Providing legal advice, representation, and related services
- Communicating with you about your matter
- Complying with our legal, regulatory, and professional obligations
- Managing our relationship with you, including billing and administration
- Improving our services and website
We will not use your personal information for direct marketing without your consent, and you may withdraw consent at any time.
5. Confidentiality and Legal Professional Privilege
As solicitors, we owe you a strict duty of confidentiality. Information you provide to us in the context of seeking legal advice is confidential and may be protected by legal professional privilege. We will not disclose confidential client information to third parties except:
- With your consent
- As required or permitted by law
- To barristers, agents, or other professionals engaged by us on your behalf
- As necessary to prevent a serious and imminent threat to health or safety
- As required by court order or subpoena
This duty of confidentiality continues after your matter is finalised and after our engagement ends.
6. Disclosure of Personal Information
Other than as described above, we do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may share your information with:
- Barristers and expert witnesses engaged for your matter
- Courts, tribunals, and government bodies as required
- Our insurers and professional indemnity providers
- IT service providers and cloud storage providers, where data is held securely
Where personal information is disclosed to overseas recipients, we take reasonable steps to ensure the recipient complies with the APPs or is subject to a substantially similar privacy regime.
7. Storage and Security
We take all reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. Our security measures include secure electronic file management, password-protected systems, encrypted email communications where possible, and physical security of any paper records.
We retain personal information for as long as required to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law (including limitation periods applicable to legal claims). We follow the Law Institute of Victoria’s recommended file retention periods for legal matters. When information is no longer required, it is securely destroyed or de-identified.
8. Notifiable Data Breaches
We comply with the Notifiable Data Breaches (NDB) scheme under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). In the event of an eligible data breach that is likely to result in serious harm to you, we will notify the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) and affected individuals as soon as practicable.
9. Your Rights — Access and Correction
You have the right to request access to personal information we hold about you, and to request its correction if it is inaccurate, incomplete, or out of date. To make such a request, please contact us using the details below. We will respond within a reasonable timeframe. In some circumstances we may be unable to provide access (for example, where access would prejudice ongoing legal proceedings), and we will explain the reasons in writing.
10. Website and Cookies
Our website may use cookies or similar technologies to improve your browsing experience and analyse site traffic. You may disable cookies through your browser settings, although this may affect the functionality of our website. We do not use cookies for targeted advertising. Any personal information submitted through our contact form is used solely to respond to your enquiry.
11. Complaints
If you believe we have not handled your personal information in accordance with this Policy or the APPs, please contact us in the first instance. We will investigate your complaint and respond within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the:
- Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) — www.oaic.gov.au · 1300 363 992
- Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner (OVIC) — www.ovic.vic.gov.au
- Victorian Legal Services Board and Commissioner (VLSB+C) — for matters relating to our professional conduct
12. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, our practices, or technology. The current version will always be available on our website. We encourage you to review this Policy periodically.
13. Contact Us
For all privacy-related enquiries, requests, or complaints, please contact:
Ross Legal Pty Ltd
Privacy Officer / Principal Solicitor
PO BOX 7065, Upper Ferntree Gully VIC 3156
Phone: (03) 9752 2388
Email: info@rosslegal.com.au