Privacy policy

Pine Lawyers (we, us, our) recognises that your privacy is important and we are committed to protecting the personal information we hold in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth)  (Privacy Act), including the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information about individuals who interact with us, including clients, prospective clients, visitors to our website and other contacts. If there is any inconsistency between this Privacy Policy and the Privacy Act, the Privacy Act will prevail to the extent of the inconsistency.

We may update this privacy policy from time to time by publishing the updated policy on our website.  We encourage you to check our website regularly to ensure you are aware of our current privacy policy.

Personal information means information or an opinion about an identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable.

The type of personal information we collect will depend on the nature of your interaction with us, and may include:

name, contact details such as address, email address and telephone number;

• date of birth;
• information about your business, occupation or professional role;
• information relevant to legal services we provide or are asked to provide;
• identification information required for verification of identity;
• information required for client due diligence, AML/CTF checks, sanctions screening, politically exposed person checks and adverse media checks;
• information about source of funds, source of wealth, beneficial ownership, control, authority to act, company or trust structures and people connected with a matter;
• billing and payment information;
• communications between you and us; and
• information collected through your use of our website, including IP address, browser type and usage data.

We may also collect personal information about people connected with a matter, including clients, prospective clients, directors, trustees, beneficiaries, shareholders, beneficial owners, controllers, attorneys, agents, representatives, buyers, sellers, transferors, transferees and other parties to a transaction.

We endeavour to collect personal information directly from you where it is reasonable and practicable to do so.

Sensitive information is a subset of personal information and includes information about an individual’s racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs or affiliations, membership of a professional or trade association, membership of a trade union, sexual orientation, health information, genetic information, biometric information or criminal record.

We do not knowingly collect sensitive information unless it is reasonably necessary for the provision of legal services, required for AML/CTF purposes, required or authorised by law, or otherwise permitted under the Privacy Act.

Where sensitive information is provided to us, we will handle it in accordance with the Privacy Act and other applicable laws.

Where we, or a third-party verification provider, collect or use biometric information for identity verification, such as facial matching or a liveness check, information about that process will be provided and consent will be sought where required.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 18 unless it is necessary in connection with legal services we are providing.

If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a minor in circumstances where it is not required, we will take reasonable steps to delete that information.

We may collect personal information to comply with our obligations under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (Cth), the AML/CTF Rules and other applicable laws.

This may include information needed to:

• identify and verify clients and other relevant people;
• understand the nature and purpose of the legal services or transaction;
• assess and respond to AML/CTF risk;
• conduct sanctions, politically exposed person and adverse media checks;
• identify beneficial owners, controllers and people acting on behalf of a client;
• verify source of funds or source of wealth where required;
• keep AML/CTF records; and
• make reports where required or authorised by law.

We will only collect AML/CTF-related information where it is required, authorised or reasonably necessary having regard to the service, transaction and relevant risk.

Where required or authorised by law, we may use or disclose personal information without your consent. For example, we may be required to provide information to AUSTRAC or another government agency.

In some circumstances, the law may prevent us from telling you that information has been disclosed.

We may collect personal information when you:

• enquire about or engage our legal services;
• communicate with us by telephone, email, post, online form or in person;
• provide information in connection with a legal matter;
• complete onboarding, verification of identity, client due diligence or AML/CTF processes;
• visit or use our website;
• attend events or seminars hosted by us; or
• otherwise interact with us in the course of our business.

In some circumstances, we may collect personal information from third parties where it is reasonable, necessary, required or authorised.

This may include information from clients, prospective clients, real estate agents, mortgage brokers, banks, other lawyers or conveyancers, accountants, financial advisers, verification providers, AML/CTF screening providers, search providers, electronic settlement platforms, courts, government agencies, public registers, referrers and publicly available sources.

We may collect, hold, use and disclose personal information for purposes including:

• providing legal services to clients;
• responding to enquiries and providing quotes;
• opening, managing and administering client files;
• verifying identity and authority to give instructions;
• conducting client due diligence and AML/CTF checks;
• checking for conflicts;
• preparing, reviewing and exchanging documents;
• conducting searches;
• arranging settlements and using electronic conveyancing platforms;
• communicating with you, other parties and service providers;
• billing, payment and trust accounting;
• complying with legal, regulatory and professional obligations;
• internal research, reporting, training, audit and risk management;
• improving our services and client experience; and
• marketing and business development activities, where permitted by law.

We will not use personal information for purposes unrelated to the above without your consent, unless otherwise permitted or required by law.

We may disclose personal information to third parties where necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, including:

• barristers, experts, consultants and other professional advisers engaged in connection with a legal matter;
• real estate agents, mortgage brokers, banks, lenders, accountants, financial advisers, other lawyers or conveyancers and other parties involved in your matter;
• courts, tribunals, government agencies, regulators and statutory authorities;
• Titles Queensland, Revenue Queensland, the Australian Taxation Office, local councils, water authorities, PEXA and other electronic settlement platforms;
• verification providers, AML/CTF providers, search providers and identity checking providers;
• AUSTRAC or another government agency where required or authorised by law;
• service providers who assist us with IT, administration, accounting, billing, document management, cloud storage, forms, practice management or other business operations;
• insurers, auditors, consultants and contractors; and
• other parties with your consent or where you would reasonably expect the disclosure.

We may also disclose relevant information under an approved reliance arrangement where appropriate, including with real estate agencies, brokers, other law firms or transaction parties.

We do not sell personal information.

We may disclose personal information to service providers located outside Australia, including for data storage, IT support or administrative services. Where we do so, we take reasonable steps to ensure that overseas recipients handle personal information in a manner consistent with the APPs.

By providing personal information to us, you consent to the disclosure of your information overseas in these circumstances.

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to improve functionality and analyse website traffic. Cookies do not identify you personally, but may collect information about how you use our website.

You can configure your browser to refuse cookies or notify you when cookies are being used. Disabling cookies may affect the functionality of our website.

We may use third-party analytics tools (such as Google Analytics) to collect information about website usage. Information collected through these tools may be processed outside Australia.

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information we hold from misuse, interference, loss and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.

Personal information may be stored in electronic or paper form, and we use appropriate physical, technical and organisational safeguards to protect it. These may include secure practice management and document systems, access controls, password protection, multi-factor authentication where available, secure storage, staff training, confidentiality obligations, reputable third-party providers and procedures for responding to data incidents.

We also take reasonable steps to limit access to AML/CTF information to personnel and service providers who need access for the purposes of providing services, completing checks, meeting legal obligations, managing risk or administering our business.

However, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

You may request access to personal information we hold about you, or request correction of inaccurate or outdated information, by contacting us using the details below.

We may need to verify your identity before providing access or making corrections.

In some circumstances, we may refuse access or correction as permitted by law. If we do so, we will provide reasons where required, unless it would be unreasonable or unlawful for us to do so.

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including to meet legal, regulatory, AML/CTF, professional, insurance, audit and business obligations.

Records obtained for AML/CTF compliance purposes may be required to be kept for 7 years, or for another period required by law.

When personal information is no longer required, we take reasonable steps to destroy or de-identify it, unless we are required or permitted by law to retain it.

If you have a complaint about how we handle personal information, please contact us using the details below. We will investigate the complaint and respond within a reasonable timeframe.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at oaic.gov.au

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The current version will be published on our website, and the date of the last update will be noted at the top of the policy.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to make a privacy request or complaint, please contact:

Street address: Level 10, 10 Market Street, Brisbane, QLD 4000
Postal address: GPO Box 5218, Brisbane, QLD 4001
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: +61 7 3709 1367

Our privacy policy was last updated in June 2026.