Who we are
Fraser Lawyers Pty Ltd (ACN 165 251 543), trading as Fraser Lawyers, is a Gold Coast law firm based in Bundall, principal Blake Fraser, established in 2013. The firm acts for individuals, families and businesses across Queensland. Fraser Lawyers Pty Ltd is the entity responsible for personal information under this policy; our contact details are at the end of this page.
In this policy, "we", "us" and "our" refer to Fraser Lawyers. "You" and "your" refer to any person whose personal information we collect or hold, whether you are a current client, a prospective client, a beneficiary of an estate, a witness, an opposing party, or a website visitor.
What information we collect
The personal information we collect depends on what you ask us to do for you. Most files involve some combination of the following:
- Identification information: name, date of birth, address, and identity-verification records. We collect identity information where it is reasonably necessary or required for verification of identity, customer due diligence, trust-account, transaction and other legal or regulatory purposes, including under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (Cth) and the Legal Profession Act 2007 (Qld). What we retain depends on the applicable obligation. We minimise full copies of identity documents and keep them only where a separate lawful purpose or obligation supports doing so.
- Contact information: phone number, email address, postal address.
- Matter information: the facts of your matter, documents you provide, correspondence with third parties, court documents, and our notes and advice.
- Financial information: bank account details for trust account purposes, billing details, and (in property and commercial files) information about assets and liabilities.
- Sensitive information: in some matters (for example personal injury, family or criminal files) we collect sensitive information, including health information and criminal-record information, as defined in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). We collect sensitive information where it is reasonably necessary for our functions as a law practice and with your consent, unless a permitted exception applies (for example, where collection is required or authorised by law, or is reasonably necessary for a legal or equitable claim). We may also receive sensitive information about people other than our client, such as witnesses and opposing parties, from sources other than that individual, where reasonably necessary for a matter.
- Website information: when you visit our website, we collect technical information such as your IP address, browser type, the pages you visit and the time spent on the site, through standard server logs and analytics.
- Enquiry information: when you send an enquiry through a website form, by email or by phone, we create and keep a record of it, including your name, contact details, the outline of your matter, the page you contacted us from, and the date, time and IP address of the submission. We use this to respond, to run a conflict check, and for administration and security. Where we do not go on to act, we keep declined and unanswered enquiries only for as long as reasonably necessary and then destroy or de-identify them. Sending an enquiry does not create a solicitor-client relationship and is not acceptance of a retainer or legal advice.
How we collect it
We collect personal information in the following ways:
- Directly from you: when you call, email, complete a contact form, or attend a meeting.
- From documents you provide: contracts, court documents, medical records, identification documents, financial statements.
- From third parties: with your consent, from medical providers, insurers, government agencies (Titles Queensland, ASIC, the Department of Transport and Main Roads), other lawyers, and counterparties.
- From public sources: court records, ASIC searches, land title searches, and similar public registers.
- Through our website: through forms, server logs, cookies and analytics tools.
How we use your information
We use personal information for the primary purpose for which it was collected, and for related secondary purposes you would reasonably expect. The main purposes are:
- Providing legal services to you, including investigating, advising on, and acting in your matter.
- Conducting conflict checks before opening a file.
- Issuing costs disclosures, invoices and receipts under the Legal Profession Act 2007 (Qld).
- Complying with our legal and regulatory obligations, including identity verification, trust account compliance, and court rules.
- Communicating with you about your matter and (where you have asked) about other relevant updates from the firm.
- Improving our services, including analysing how the website is used.
When we disclose your information
We disclose personal information only as necessary to act on your matter or as required or permitted by law. The categories we disclose to are:
- Counterparties and their lawyers: where the matter requires correspondence, exchange of documents, or court proceedings.
- Courts, tribunals and government agencies: as required by court rules, tribunal procedure, or statutory obligations.
- Experts, barristers and consultants: where their input is needed for your matter, and only with your consent.
- Insurers and brokers: where they are involved in your matter (for example in personal injury or commercial liability files).
- Service providers: limited to suppliers who help us deliver legal services, including IT and document storage providers, billing providers, our practice management system, and the AI providers described below. They are bound by confidentiality and data-protection obligations.
We do not sell personal information. Some of our service providers, including Google, Microsoft and Cloudflare, store or process information on servers outside Australia, including in the United States. Where we disclose personal information to an overseas recipient, we take reasonable steps to ensure it is handled consistently with the Australian Privacy Principles. Information about a matter may also be disclosed overseas where the matter itself has an international element.
Storage and security
We store personal information in our practice management system and in secure document storage. Reasonable steps are taken to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. These steps include encrypted storage, password protection, restricted internal access, and confidentiality obligations on all staff.
Where we no longer need information for any purpose for which it may be used or disclosed, we take reasonable steps to destroy or de-identify it, subject to our obligation to retain records for the periods required by applicable professional, trust-account, anti-money-laundering, transaction and other legal obligations, and for as long as reasonably necessary having regard to the nature and risk of the matter. Relevant limitation periods (for example under the Limitation of Actions Act 1974 (Qld)) may support longer retention. Subject to those obligations and any other lawful purpose, we destroy or de-identify personal information when APP 11 requires it.
Artificial intelligence
We use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to help us carry out legal work. Typical uses are summarising and indexing the documents on a file, preparing first drafts of letters, agreements and court documents, searching and organising material, legal research, and routine administration such as file notes and managing correspondence.
AI assists our lawyers; it does not replace them. A solicitor reviews, and is responsible for, every document and every piece of advice that leaves this firm. We do not use AI to make a decision about your matter, or to do anything substantially and directly related to making such a decision. Decisions affecting your rights or interests are made by a solicitor.
Where an AI tool processes information from your file, it does so as one of our service providers, on the same footing as the practice management and document storage providers described above. We only use tools that allow us to control how the information is handled, and we configure them so that your information is not used to train the provider's models.
Some AI providers process information on servers outside Australia, including in the United States. Where that occurs we take reasonable steps to ensure the information is handled consistently with the Australian Privacy Principles.
Using these tools does not reduce our duty of confidentiality or affect legal professional privilege.
Cookies and website analytics
Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to remember your preferences, understand how visitors use the site, and improve performance. We use Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager (provided by Google) to measure and analyse website traffic. These tools collect information such as your IP address, device and browser information, and the pages you view, using cookies and similar identifiers, which in some contexts may be personal information. Our website is served through Cloudflare (a content-delivery and security provider), and we use Microsoft 365 (provided by Microsoft) to receive and manage enquiries and email. You can disable cookies in your browser settings, and you can opt out of Google Analytics using Google's browser add-on, though some parts of the site may not function as intended. We do not use analytics to identify individual visitors, and we treat visits to injury, health, criminal and family-law pages with particular care.
The website may include links to third-party sites. Once you leave our site, those sites' privacy policies apply, not ours.
Job applicants and recruitment
If you apply for a role with us, we collect the personal information in your application, including your CV, academic transcripts, right-to-work information and referee details. We use this to assess your application, to verify your qualifications and right to work, and to contact your referees. We will not contact a referee without first telling you. If your application is unsuccessful, we keep your details only where you have agreed for us to consider you for future roles, and only for 12 months, after which we destroy or de-identify them. Tell us at any time if you want your application deleted.
Access and correction
Under APP 12 you have a right to ask us for access to the personal information we hold about you. Under APP 13 you have a right to ask us to correct it if it is inaccurate, incomplete or out of date. Most requests can be dealt with informally; if a formal response is needed, we will reply within 30 days.
We may decline access in limited circumstances, for example where access would be unlawful, would prejudice an ongoing investigation, or where the information is subject to legal professional privilege. We will explain our reasons in writing and tell you what alternative steps are available.
Privacy complaints
If you believe we have not complied with this policy or with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), please tell us in writing at the address below. We will investigate the complaint and respond within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our response, you can complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at oaic.gov.au or by phone on 1300 363 992.
Contact us about privacy
If you have a question about this policy or about how we handle your personal information, contact us:
- By email: [email protected]
- By phone: (07) 5554 6116 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm)
- By post: Privacy Officer, Fraser Lawyers, 86 Bundall Road, Bundall QLD 4217
We may update this policy from time to time. The "last updated" date at the top of this page reflects the most recent version. Material changes will be flagged at the top of the page for at least 30 days.