Privacy Policy
DDCS Lawyers Privacy Policy
DDCS Lawyers is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles and our professional obligations. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, store and protect your personal information, including information we are required to collect to comply with the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (Cth).
Who We Are
DDCS Lawyers is the trading name of Dobinson Davey Clifford Simpson Pty Limited.
ABN 21 724 334 406
18 Kendall Lane
Canberra ACT 2601
Email: management@ddcslawyers.com.au
Phone: 02 6212 7600
In this policy, “we”, “us” and “our” refers to DDCS Lawyers.
What Personal Information We Collect
The personal information we collect will depend on the nature of your enquiry, instructions or matter. This may include your name, date of birth, address, contact details, personal, family, financial or business information, identification documents and verification information.
We may also collect information about your legal matter, including documents, correspondence and instructions you provide to us, together with billing, payment and trust account information. Where relevant, we may collect information about third parties connected to your matter, including spouses, former spouses, partners, children, beneficiaries, trustees, companies, directors, shareholders, attorneys, accountants, financial advisers and other professional advisers.
We may also collect information submitted through our website, online enquiry forms or other electronic platforms, and any other information reasonably necessary for us to provide legal services to you or comply with our legal and professional obligations. In some matters, we may need to collect sensitive information. This may include information about your health, family circumstances, financial position, relationships, cultural background or other sensitive matters relevant to your legal instructions. We will only collect sensitive information where it is reasonably necessary for your matter or where we are required or authorised by law to do so.
How We Collect Personal Information
We usually collect personal information directly from you, including when you contact us, complete an enquiry form, attend an appointment, provide instructions, send us documents, enter into a costs agreement or otherwise communicate with us. We may also collect personal information from other sources where it is necessary or appropriate to do so. This may include information from your authorised representatives or professional advisers, other parties to your matter, courts, tribunals, government agencies, public registers and searches, banks, valuers, experts, mediators, barristers and other service providers.
We may also collect information through online verification, screening or matter management platforms, third-party funding providers where relevant, and publicly available sources.
Why We Collect, Use and Disclose Personal Information
We collect, use and disclose personal information so that we can provide legal advice and legal services, open and manage your matter, communicate with you and others involved in your matter, verify your identity and comply with our legal, regulatory and professional obligations.
We may also use your personal information to manage billing, trust accounting, payments and debt recovery, conduct conflict checks and risk assessments, engage barristers, experts, mediators, agents and other service providers, respond to enquiries, complaints or requests, maintain our business records and file management systems, improve our services and business operations, and comply with applicable laws, including privacy, legal profession, taxation, trust accounting and anti-money laundering laws.
Disclosure of Personal Information
We may disclose your personal information where it is necessary for the conduct of your matter or the operation of our legal practice.
This may include disclosure to courts, tribunals, commissions and government agencies, other parties and their legal representatives, barristers, experts, mediators, valuers, accountants, financial advisers, investigators, process servers and other service providers. We may also disclose personal information to banks, trust account providers, payment providers, debt recovery providers, our practice management, document management, verification, screening and technology providers, our insurers, auditors, independent reviewers and legal advisers, regulatory bodies where required by law, AUSTRAC where required under the AML/CTF Act, and any third party you have authorised us to disclose information to. We will not sell your personal information.
AML/CTF Customer Due Diligence
DDCS Lawyers are required by the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (Cth) to identify you, verify your identity and, where you are not a natural person, identify and verify your beneficial owners before we provide certain services to you.
This section explains how your personal information will be handled for AML/CTF Customer Due Diligence purposes.
Why We Collect Your Information for AML/CTF Purposes
We collect your personal information for AML/CTF purposes so that we can identify and verify you, screen against politically exposed persons and sanctions lists, understand the source of your funds and, where the matter requires it, the source of your wealth. We also collect this information so that we can assess the risk of money laundering, terrorism financing or proliferation financing, submit reports to the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre, AUSTRAC, where required, and maintain the records the AML/CTF Act requires us to keep.
What We Collect for AML/CTF Purposes
The information we may collect for AML/CTF purposes includes identity information, such as your full name, date of birth, address and identification documents. Where relevant, we may also collect information about beneficial owners, settlors, trustees, beneficiaries, partners and signatories, together with information about your source of funds and source of wealth. We may also collect sanctions, politically exposed persons and adverse media check results, and keep a record of our risk rating and rationale. The firm uses government identifiers only to verify identity as authorised by the AML/CTF Act and does not adopt them as its own client identifier.
From Whom We Collect AML/CTF Information
We collect AML/CTF information primarily from you. We may also collect this information from government registers, including the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and Land Titles Office, commercial sanctions, politically exposed persons and adverse media data feeds, including Dow Jones via LEAP, and your other professional advisers, with your consent.
AUSTRAC Notice
The AML/CTF Act authorises and requires us to collect and keep AML/CTF information and, in some circumstances, to disclose it to AUSTRAC. We must not tell you whether or not we have made, or will make, a report to AUSTRAC.
Disclosure of AML/CTF Information
We may disclose your personal information to AUSTRAC as required by law. We may also disclose your personal information to our Customer Due Diligence service providers, including LEAP, Settify and Dow Jones, our auditors, independent reviewer and legal advisers under confidentiality obligations, and your nominated third parties where you have asked us to disclose information to them.
Overseas Disclosure
Our practice management system, LEAP, is hosted in the AWS Sydney region. Settify is hosted in the AWS Australia/New Zealand region. Some screening providers, including Dow Jones, may process data outside Australia. The relevant jurisdiction or jurisdictions are to be confirmed. Our cross-border disclosure register and the contractual and security arrangements we maintain with each provider are available on request from our Privacy Officer.
Consequences If You Do Not Provide AML/CTF Information
The AML/CTF Act prevents us from providing certain services if we cannot complete Customer Due Diligence. If you do not provide the information we require, we may have to delay the provision of services, refuse to act for you, or terminate our engagement.
How Long We Keep AML/CTF Information
We keep AML/CTF records for at least seven years from the end of our relationship with you, in line with sections 113 to 116 of the AML/CTF Act. Other personal information is kept for the period required by the Legal Profession Act 2006 (ACT) and any applicable insurance and limitation periods.
Access to and Correction of Personal Information
You may request access to, or correction of, your personal information at any time by contacting our Privacy Officer / AMLCO. For information collected for AML/CTF purposes, there are limited circumstances where we may refuse access. For example, we may refuse access where giving access would itself be contrary to law, including section 123 of the AML/CTF Act. If we refuse access, we will give you written reasons for that refusal and tell you how you can complain.
Storage and Security of Personal Information
We take reasonable steps to protect the personal information we hold from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. We may store your information in physical files, electronic files, cloud-based systems, legal practice management systems, accounting systems, email systems and secure third-party platforms used by our firm. Access to personal information is limited to those who need it for the purpose of providing legal services, managing your matter, administering our practice or complying with legal and professional obligations. The firm has an incident response plan and will notify the OAIC and affected individuals of eligible data breaches under Part IIIC
Retention of Information
We retain personal information for as long as required by law, professional obligations, insurance requirements and limitation periods. Client files are generally retained for at least seven years after the end of a matter, unless a longer period is required or appropriate.
AML/CTF records are retained for at least seven years from the end of our relationship with you. When information is no longer required, we may securely destroy or de-identify it.
Website and Online Information
When you visit our website, we may collect limited information about your use of the website, including through cookies, analytics tools or online forms. This information may include your IP address, browser type, device information, pages visited, time spent on our website and information you submit through online enquiry forms. We use this information to respond to enquiries, maintain website functionality, improve our website and understand how visitors use our online services.
Complaints
If you believe we have breached the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) or mishandled your personal information, please contact our Privacy Officer / AMLCO in the first instance. We will consider your complaint and respond within 30 Days. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at oaic.gov.au.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, or if you wish to request access to or correction of your personal information, please contact:
Privacy Officer / AML Compliance Officer
DDCS Lawyers
18 Kendall Lane
Canberra ACT 2601
Email: management@ddcslawyers.com.au
Phone: 02 6212 7600
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time.
Last updated: 16 June 2026