Compensation at Shine Lawyers Compensation at Shine Lawyers

Client Privacy Policy

Last updated May 2025

  1. Privacy Policy

Here at Shine Justice (Shine Justice Ltd, ACN 162 817 905), we value your trust and are committed to protecting your privacy. Whether you are a client, employee, shareholder, contractor or member of the public, we take the privacy and security of your personal information very seriously. This policy outlines the way we collect, secure, use and share client personal information.

Shine Justice (Shine) and its related entities are bound by the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) and the provisions of the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (the Privacy Act).

From time to time we may update this privacy policy to account for changes in the ways that we collect, handle and process personal information in our business. In these circumstances we will publish updates on our website.

  1. Your Privacy

We are committed to protecting your privacy with your rights and personal preferences in mind.

Giving Consent

By voluntarily providing us with your personal, financial, health or other sensitive information, you consent to us using this information to (i) assist you with your enquiry, (ii) investigate, process, progress and settle your claim and (iii) offer services that may be relevant to you. Without this information we will be unable to provide you with our services, which may include assessing your eligibility to receive compensation.

  1. What kind of information do we collect and hold

We collect, receive, use, disclose and hold the following types of information:

'Personal data' or 'personal information' which is information or an opinion about an identified natural person or an individual who is reasonably identifiable, whether true or not and regardless of the form in which it is recorded. An identifiable natural person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person.

Examples include an individual's name, date of birth, signature, address and contact details, occupation, employment history, family situations, bank account details, financial and tax information and IP address. Unless specified otherwise, 'personal data' includes Government Related Identifiers (GRI).

'Sensitive information' (also referred to as 'special categories of personal information') is a sub category of personal information and includes information or opinion about an individual's racial or ethnic origin, political opinions and affiliations, religious or philosophical beliefs, membership of professional or trade associations or of a trade union, sexual orientation or practices, criminal record, health information including information about physical and mental health, notes on symptoms, diagnosis, disability and treatment, information about suitability for work and other health related information.

'Government Related Identifiers' ('GRI') are numbers, letters or symbols assigned by a State or Territory authority or agency to identify an individual or verify identity. Examples include Tax File Numbers, Medicare Numbers, Centrelink References, Driver's Licence Numbers and Passport details. We only collect, receive, use, disclose or manage GRI in accordance with the law.

The words 'information about you' refers to personal and sensitive information (or special categories of information) and GRI about you which is managed by us.

  1. Why we collect and process information about you.

We collect, receive, use, disclose and otherwise process personal information only where it is reasonably necessary for us to do so and for the primary purposes of providing you with our legal services.

We may also need to process special categories of personal information in order to provide legal services to you (for example, your financial or medical records). In these instances we will obtain your consent prior to doing so.

We also process information about you for the following related purposes:

  • determining if we are able to assist you with your legal matter;
  • assessing and processing inquiries and requests for legal services;
  • securing litigation and/or disbursement funding;
  • market research, analysis and business development (for example, to develop a better understanding of our existing client base and the types of people who may be interested in our legal services);
  • analysing and improving our legal services business (for example, by reviewing data about our matter management processes and financial performance to identify areas for improvement to enhance your client experience);
  • recovering moneys that you may owe us; or
  • to inform you about any relevant legal services provided by us.

We may monitor and record telephone calls from prospective clients for training and security purposes.

You are not obligated to provide the requested information about you. However, if it is not given, we will be unable to provide the legal services you require.

  1. How we collect and hold information about you

Most information about you is collected directly from you either verbally, in writing or from your provided documents. Where permitted by law, we may also collect and receive information from the following parties:

  • material provided under freedom of information, health records and other legislation;
  • taxation records from the Australian Taxation Office;
  • information from other government agencies;
  • medical records and information from treating doctors and other health professionals;
  • statements from policing authorities and witnesses, if relevant;
  • employment records and information from employers and former employers;
  • financial information from accountants and financial advisors;
  • claims records and other information from insurers;
  • data from our website and the internet as a result of receiving subscription applications and emails;
  • market research companies and consultants that help us with our market research, analysis and business development activities; or
  • data analytics companies and consultants that help us to analyse and improve our legal services business.

  1. Website and Cookies

We collect information about you from our website and social networking services. We use this information and feedback to assist you in your website navigation and to improve our services and web content.

We use cookies for a range of purposes such as helping you navigate between pages efficiently, remembering any preferences you have set and ensuring that the online advertisements you see are more relevant to you. Cookies also allow us to analyse user behaviours and help us make informed decisions on how to improve your experience with our website.

If you do not wish for this to occur, you can remove cookies from your computer by following the standard procedures for your internet browser to do so. Further information on our cookies policy can be found on our website at www.shine.com.au/cookies-policy

  1. Use or disclosure of information about you

We may disclose information about you to third parties or entities outside of Shine including where it is reasonably necessary for the purpose of assessing, managing and progressing your claim or enquiry or where we are required to disclose your information by law such as in the instance of an investigation into bankruptcy, counter-terrorism, fraud, taxation or in response to a subpoena.

We may disclose your information and (with your consent) collect your information from:

  • courts, tribunals, ombudsmen and commissions;
  • government departments, agencies and regulatory bodies including the Australian Taxation Office, Medicare, Centrelink, the National Disability Insurance Agency or a worker’s compensation authority;
  • third party experts and other persons including doctors, health professionals, accountants, actuaries, third-party law practices and barristers;
  • third-party insurers including private health insurers for the purpose of discussing your claim, obtaining information about services provided to you, and/or negotiating refunds;
  • third-party medical and health service providers for the purpose of obtaining medical records or information;
  • employers, former employers and superannuation providers; or
  • third parties when outsourcing services, such as data storage, debt collection, bulk distribution and mailing services, direct marketing, technology support services, business development and obtaining expert help from consultants to improve our services.

If your personal information is made available to the Court, that information will usually be on public record.

We use reasonable endeavours to have contractual arrangements with our service providers which require them to protect your personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act, including that they only use it for the purpose for which it is disclosed.

Shine may disclose your personal and health information where it is required by law to do so, or where it is necessary to assess your eligibility to receive compensation or otherwise manage or progress your claim.

  1. Disclosure of personal information to overseas entities

We do not generally transfer personal information from Australia to overseas parties, unless working with international service providers or where required by law.

There may be situations where we consult overseas-based experts and/or law practices regarding your claim, or where your matter is funded by an overseas-based litigation funder. We may also engage overseas-based service providers.

If these situations apply, we will be required to disclose your personal information to recipients outside Australia. To the best of our knowledge at this time, any such recipients would likely be located in the United Kingdom, European Union, United States of America, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore and the Philippines.

  1. Managing information about you

We take all reasonable steps to ensure that information we collect, use or disclose is accurate, complete, up-to-date and securely stored. We take steps to protect your personal information from misuse, loss and unauthorised access.

Once we are no longer legally or contractually obliged to retain information about you for any lawful purpose, we will either destroy or de-identify it. If you are a client, we are required to retain information collected to progress your legal matter for seven (7) years once your case is closed. In some cases, we may be required to retain documents for a longer period of time (for example, the making of a Will).

Where information about you is held electronically and it is not possible to irretrievably destroy or de-identify it without compromising other information that we are entitled or obliged at law to retain, we will restrict access or put the information about you beyond use.

  1. Your rights (Australian Privacy Principles)

a) Access to and Correction of Information

You have the right to request access to or correct the personal information that we hold about you.

If you would like to access or correct your personal information, please contact our Privacy Officer by email on privacy@shine.com.au or by post to the Privacy Officer, Shine Lawyers, PO Box 12011, George Street, Brisbane, QLD, 4003, Australia. We will respond as soon as reasonably possible. In some circumstances, we are permitted to deny your request for access or limit the access we provide.

b) Complaints

If you are dissatisfied with how we have managed information about you, or if you believe that we have breached the Australian Privacy Laws, you may make a written complaint to us. Please address any complaint to our Privacy Officer by email on privacy@shine.com.au or by post to the Privacy Officer, Shine Lawyers, PO Box 12011, George Street, Brisbane, QLD, 4003, Australia.

We will respond as soon as reasonably possible. If your concerns have not been resolved, you may refer the matter to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) via their website www.oaic.gov.au

c) Accessing the Privacy Policy

A copy of this Privacy Policy regarding the management of personal information can be obtained by either downloading this Policy from our website at www.shine.com.au/privacy-policy or by requesting a copy by email from our Privacy Officer on privacy@shine.com.au or by post to the Privacy Officer, Shine Lawyers, PO Box 12011, George Street, Brisbane, QLD, 4003, Australia.