Privacy Policy

CONTINENT LAW ("we", "us", or "our") is a property law practice providing conveyancing and property transfer services across the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria, Queensland, and Western Australia.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information when you engage our services, browse our website, or otherwise interact with us. It applies to all clients, prospective clients, and visitors to our website.

We are committed to complying with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) contained within it, as well as any applicable state-based privacy legislation relevant to the jurisdictions in which we operate.

We collect personal information that is reasonably necessary for the provision of property law and conveyancing services. This may include:

• Your full name, date of birth, and contact details (email address, phone number, and postal address).

• Identification documents such as your driver's licence, passport, or other government-issued identification, which we are required to verify under Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Counter-Terrorism Financing (CTF) legislation.

• Property-related information including property addresses, contract details, settlement dates, and financial information relevant to your transaction.

• Bank account details where necessary for settlement and trust account purposes.

• Communications between you and our solicitors, including emails, telephone records, and written instructions, which may form part of our legal file.

• Website usage data such as IP address, browser type, and pages visited, collected through analytics tools and cookies.

We collect personal information directly from you when you:

• Complete an inquiry or contact form on our website.

• Register for a contract review or request a quote.

• Email, call, or meet with our solicitors.

• Provide documents and identification as part of your property transaction.

In some circumstances, we may collect information from third parties such as real estate agents, mortgage brokers, banks, government land registries, or other parties involved in your transaction, where you have consented or where it is reasonably necessary for our engagement.

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

• To provide conveyancing and property law services you have engaged us to perform.

• To verify your identity as required by AML/CTF laws and other regulatory obligations.

• To communicate with you about your matter, including updates, requests for information, and settlement arrangements.

• To liaise with third parties involved in your transaction, such as agents, banks, and government authorities.

• To maintain accurate legal records and comply with our professional and legal obligations as solicitors.

• To send you service-related communications and, where you have consented, marketing or informational content.

• To improve our website, services, and client experience.

If we intend to use your information for a purpose not identified at the time of collection, we will seek your consent before doing so, unless that use is required or authorised by law.

We may disclose your personal information to:

• Third parties involved in your property transaction, including real estate agents, mortgage providers, opposing solicitors, and settlement agents.

• Government agencies and land registries in ACT, NSW, SA, VIC, QLD, and WA for the purposes of property registration, stamp duty assessment, and other statutory requirements.

• Financial institutions where necessary for settlement, trust account management, or electronic funds transfer.

• Service providers who assist us in delivering our services, such as IT providers, document storage providers, and accounting platforms, under contractual obligations of confidentiality.

• Law enforcement or regulatory bodies where we are legally required or authorised to disclose information.

We do not sell or rent your personal information to any third party.

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

These measures include secure document storage, access controls limited to authorised personnel, encrypted email communications where practicable, and secure handling of identification documents.

Our practice management and document systems are hosted on secure, access-controlled platforms. Trust account and financial information is handled in accordance with the legal profession regulations applicable in each state and territory in which we operate.

Despite our best efforts, no method of electronic storage is completely secure. If a data breach occurs that is likely to result in serious harm, we will take steps to notify affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) as required by the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme.

We retain your personal information for as long as is necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, and to comply with our legal and professional obligations.

Property law and conveyancing records are generally retained for a minimum of seven years after the completion of a matter, in line with the record-keeping requirements imposed by the legal profession legislation in ACT, NSW, SA, VIC, QLD, and WA.

After this period, we will securely destroy or de-identify your personal information, unless retention is required for a longer period by law or for ongoing legal proceedings.

Under the Australian Privacy Principles, you have the right to:

• Request access to the personal information we hold about you.

• Request correction of personal information that is inaccurate, outdated, incomplete, or irrelevant.

• Request that we handle a complaint about our management of your personal information.

• In some circumstances, request that we limit the use or disclosure of your personal information.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in Section 10. We will respond to your request within a reasonable timeframe, typically within 30 days.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at www.oaic.gov.au or by calling 1300 363 992.

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to enhance your browsing experience and to collect anonymous analytics about how visitors use the site.

Cookies are small text files stored on your device. You can configure your browser to refuse cookies or to alert you when cookies are being sent; however, some parts of our website may not function properly without them.

We do not use cookies to collect personal information directly. Any analytics data collected is aggregated and used only to improve our website performance and content.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, or if you wish to make a request regarding your personal information, please contact us:

CONTINENT LAW

Phone: 0473 015 282

Email: info@continentlaw.com.au

Servicing: ACT, NSW, SA, VIC, QLD & WA

We are available Monday — Friday, 8:00 AM — 7:00 PM AEST. Weekend support is available by prior appointment.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal obligations. Any updates will be posted on this page with a revised effective date.

We encourage you to review this page periodically to stay informed about how we protect your personal information.