Advance Family Law Privacy Policy

Last Updated: March, 2026

At Advance Family Law, (ABN 23 973 817 812), we are committed to providing our clients with the highest standard of legal services. To achieve this, we must collect and manage personal information. We treat any information received in connection with your case with the utmost confidentiality and in strict accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).

While the Privacy Act gives you the right to remain anonymous or use a pseudonym, it is generally impracticable – and often legally impossible due to court rules and conflict-of-interest checks – for us to provide legal advice to an unidentified person.

1. What Personal Information We Collect

At the start of your case, we require important information to provide you with the best possible legal representation. This information is collected by Advance Family Law (ABN 23 973 817 812), located at Unit 6, 215 Brisbane Road, Biggera Waters QLD 4216.

Depending on your legal matter, this may include:

  • Your name, address, phone number, email, and contact details.
  • Financial records, including details of assets and liabilities.
  • Employment history and business details.
  • Personal relationships and family circumstances.

Sensitive Information: We will only collect sensitive information (such as medical history, racial or ethnic origin, or criminal records) by lawful and fair means with your express consent, unless an exception applies under the Privacy Act (such as where collection is required or authorised by law, or necessary to lessen or prevent a serious threat to life, health, or safety). We only collect this information where it is reasonably necessary for, or directly related to, our primary function of providing legal services.

2. How We Collect Your Information

We collect personal information only by lawful and fair means, and not in an unreasonably intrusive way. We aim to collect this information directly from you (e.g., when taking your instructions in person, by phone, or in writing). 

At or before the time we collect your personal information (or as soon as practicable after), we will take reasonable steps to ensure you are aware of the purposes for which the information is collected, the organisations to which we usually disclose such information, and the consequences if the information is not provided (which may include our inability to provide you with legal services).

However, we may also collect data through:

  • Third Parties: We may receive documents or information about you from another party as part of legal proceedings, or we may seek your consent to obtain information from third parties (e.g., medical professionals or accountants). Where we collect information from a third party, we will take reasonable steps to ensure you are made aware of this collection.
  • Our Website: When you visit our website, we collect standard data to assess our site’s functionality. This includes your IP address, browser type, search terms, and time spent on pages. Our website also uses cookies to improve user experience. You can choose to disable cookies through your browser settings, though this may affect how the website functions.
  • Unsolicited Information: If we receive personal information about you that we did not request and which is not relevant to your legal matter, we will safely destroy or de-identify it as required by law.

3. How We Use and Disclose Your Information

We use your personal information for the primary purpose of providing you with legal services. We respect your privacy and will not sell your data.

We will only share your information for a ‘secondary purpose’ if:

  • It is directly related to your case and you would reasonably expect us to share it (e.g., briefing a barrister or providing documents to a court).
  • We have your explicit consent.
  • We are required or authorised to do so by law (e.g., responding to a subpoena).
  • It is reasonably necessary to prevent a serious threat to the life, health, or safety of an individual or the public.

4. Cloud Storage and Overseas Disclosure

To provide efficient and secure legal services, Advance Family Law utilises industry-leading practice management software and cloud storage solutions.

While we do not disclose your personal information to overseas third parties for marketing purposes, your data is stored and processed on secure servers which may be located outside of Australia. It is not always practicable to specify every country in which your data may be located.

The Australian Privacy Principle 8 requires some Australian businesses to ensure that overseas recipients handle your personal information in accordance with Australian standards. We take reasonable steps to ensure our providers maintain high security standards; however, Advance Family Law acknowledges that we remain legally accountable for the protection of your personal information even when it is stored or processed by these overseas service providers.

5. How We Keep Your Information Secure

We take all appropriate measures to safeguard your confidential information from unauthorised access, loss, or misuse. Our security measures include:

  • Storing all electronic data securely, encrypted at rest using industry-standard encryption.
  • Restricting internal access to your file to authorised personnel only.
  • Requiring all staff to sign strict confidentiality agreements.
  • Employing comprehensive physical shredding procedures for paper documents.
  • Maintaining up-to-date computer firewalls and cybersecurity systems.

Data Retention: Once your case is concluded, we securely archive your documents. We retain client files for the period required by applicable legal and professional obligations. While this is typically seven years for standard matters, some documents (such as original Wills or trust records) may be retained for longer periods as required by specific state or federal legislation. Once the applicable retention period expires, and if the information is no longer needed, your data will be securely and permanently disposed of or de-identified.

6. Notifiable Data Breaches

In the highly unlikely event of a data breach that is likely to result in serious harm to you, Advance Family Law complies fully with the Notifiable Data Breaches (NDB) scheme under the Privacy Act. Where an ‘eligible data breach’ occurs, we will promptly notify you and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), outlining the nature of the breach, the types of information involved and the steps we are taking to mitigate any risk to you.

7. Direct Marketing

We may occasionally contact you with updates about legal services, firm news, or offerings that may benefit you. All such communications will be conducted in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Spam Act 2003 (Cth). Where required by law, we will obtain your express or implied consent before sending marketing materials. We do not sell or disclose your personal information to any third party for the purposes of allowing them to market their own products or services to you.

To opt out of receiving marketing materials at any time, please contact us at [Email Address], call 1300 876 596, or use the ‘unsubscribe’ facility provided in our digital communications. We will process your request to opt out promptly and at no cost to you.

8. Accessing and Updating Your Information

To successfully manage your legal matter, your information must be accurate, complete, and up to date. If your details change, please call us on 1300 876 596 to update our records.

In accordance with Australian Privacy Principle 13, you have the right to request the correction of any personal information we hold about you that is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant, or misleading. We will take reasonable steps to correct that information to ensure it is accurate and relevant to the purpose for which it is held.

You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you under Australian Privacy Principle 12. Simply contact us at info@advancefamilylaw.com.au to submit your request in writing. We may require identification before releasing the information to ensure we are not disclosing data to an unauthorised person. In some complex instances, reasonable costs may apply for retrieving large volumes of data. If we must legally deny your request for access or correction, we will provide you with a clear written explanation detailing the reasons for the refusal and the mechanisms available to complain about the refusal.

9. Changes to this Policy

As laws, regulations, and technology evolve, we may update this Privacy Policy. We reserve the right to modify this policy as necessary, and the most current version will always be available on our website. Any such changes will take effect immediately upon being published on our website. The date of the most recent update will be clearly displayed at the top of this policy. 

If we make material changes to this policy that significantly affect how we collect, use, or disclose your personal information, we will take reasonable steps to notify you (for example, by posting a prominent notice on our website or contacting you directly). We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information.

10. Complaints and Contact Information

We value your privacy and are committed to complying with the highest standards. If you believe we have mishandled your personal information or breached our obligations under the Australian Privacy Principles, please bring it to our attention immediately so we can resolve the issue.

Please address your concerns to our Privacy Officer:

  • Email: info@advancefamilylaw.com.au
  • Phone:1300 876 596
  • Address: Unit 6, 215 Brisbane Road, Biggera Waters QLD 4216

We will investigate your complaint and provide you with a written response, generally within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with how we have addressed your complaint, you have the right to refer the matter to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC):

  • Phone: 1300 363 992
  • Mail: GPO Box 5218, Sydney NSW 2001