Privacy Policy

Our Privacy Policy

Our Privacy Policy adheres to the provisions of the Privacy Act 2020 and the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act (Lawyers: Conduct and Client Care) Rules including:

  • the duty to protect and to hold in strict confidence all information concerning a client (rule 8) 

  • the requirement to provide in advance and in writing to a client information on the principal aspects of client service (rules 3.4 and 3.4A)

We collect personal information from you, including information about your:

  • name

  • contact information

  • location

  • interactions with us including email communications, your written and verbal interactions with us including instructions, meeting notes and voicemail files

  • any details you provide to us as part of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act 2009 due diligence process

  • your business interests and areas of interest and expertise (if you provide these to us or they are publicly available)

  • billing or purchase information

  • banking information

 

We collect your personal information in order to:

  • provide you with our services and to assist with your legal matter

  • fulfil our obligations under the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act 2009 and for other legislative requirements

  • facilitate other internal matters, including staff training, billing and invoicing

Besides our staff, we share this information with:

  • First AML in order to take action to fulfil our obligations in respect of the AML/CFT legislation

  • LINZ

  • those third parties who help us provide our services to you (for example, another consultancy firm, law firm, expert witness or barrister you have engaged, or your bank during the process of billing)

  • those third parties we are required to or permitted by law to disclose such information

  • those third parties that we are required to or permitted to by the New Zealand Law Society’s Rules of Professional Conduct

When disclosure is made to a third party overseas we will act in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020 and ensure adequate safe guards are in place.

Providing some information is optional. If you choose not to provide certain information, particularly for the AML/CFT purposes, we will not be unable to provide legal services.

We may obtain information from a third party with your permission. If we do so, we will advise you of:

  • the information requested

  • the reasons why we require it

  • the intended recipients of the information

  • the third party’s address details

You have the right to ask for a copy of any personal information we hold about you, and to ask for it to be corrected if you think it is wrong. If you would like to ask for a copy of your information, or to have it corrected, please contact us at reception@vatl.nz, or 09 2222650, or PO Box 106-551 Auckland Central Auckland 1143.