Privacy Policy

This policy explains what personal information I collect through this website and in the course of my practice, what I do with it, and how you can get access to it or have it corrected. I am Christopher Sheen, a barrister practising as a sole practitioner from Owen Dixon Chambers East in Melbourne.

I handle personal information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). Separately, and regardless of that Act, I am bound by the duties of confidentiality that apply to every Australian barrister under the Legal Profession Uniform Conduct (Barristers) Rules 2015, and by legal professional privilege. In practice those professional duties are stricter than this policy.

What I collect

Through the enquiry forms on this website, I collect the information you choose to type in. Depending on which form you use, that is your name, your phone number, your email address, the charge you are facing, your court date, which court you are listed at, when you would prefer to be called, and anything you write in the message field.

If you phone or email me instead, I collect whatever you tell me in that conversation.

If you go on to instruct me, I collect the information needed to run your matter. That will usually include the police brief, your criminal history if you have one, and personal circumstances relevant to a plea, such as your employment, your health and your family situation.

Enquiries sent through this website go to me. They are not copied to any marketing list, agency or third party.

My website also records standard technical information: your IP address is used briefly to limit how many times a form can be submitted from one connection, which is an anti-spam measure, and analytics data is collected as described below.

Sensitive information

Information about a criminal charge or a criminal record is sensitive information under the Privacy Act, and it attracts stronger protection than ordinary personal information. So does health information, which sometimes matters to a plea.

I collect that information only where it is directly related to defending or advising you, and only with your consent. Submitting an enquiry form, or telling me about your charge on the phone, is that consent. You are not obliged to give me any of it, but I cannot usefully advise you on a charge you have not told me about.

If you would rather not put charge details into a web form, phone me instead on 0413 941 990.

What I use it for

I use your personal information to respond to your enquiry, to work out whether I am the right person for your matter, to give you advice, to run your case and appear for you, to send you a costs agreement and invoices, and to meet the record-keeping obligations that apply to me as a barrister.

I do not sell personal information. I do not use it for marketing lists, and I do not send marketing email.

Who I disclose it to

I disclose personal information only where it is necessary, or where you have asked me to. That may include:

• the instructing solicitor on your matter, where there is one, and any solicitor I recommend you engage;
• the court, the prosecution and other parties, to the extent required to run your matter;
• my clerk on the Holmes List, who handles my bookings and billing;
• experts or other professionals engaged on your matter, with your instructions;
• my website provider, Uppercut Digital, which maintains this site and can access what is stored on it in the course of that work;
• my hosting and email providers, as described below.

I will also disclose information where I am required to by law, or where a professional conduct rule requires it. Legal professional privilege applies to communications between us for the purpose of legal advice, and I do not waive it.

Website analytics and cookies

This site uses Google Analytics to understand how visitors find and use it. It sets cookies in your browser and records information such as the pages you view, roughly where you are, and what device you use. It is configured for aggregate reporting, not to identify individual visitors, and I do not connect it to enquiry records.

You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings, or install Google’s own opt-out browser add-on. The site works without them.

This site also loads fonts from Google Fonts and links to Google Maps. Loading those sends your IP address to Google. Pages that link out to the Victorian Bar, the Holmes List or LinkedIn are ordinary links: those organisations have their own privacy policies and this one does not cover them.

Where your information is stored

This website and its database are hosted in Sydney, Australia. Enquiries submitted through the site are stored in that database and are also emailed to me.

Two of those flows involve overseas providers. Outgoing email from the website is relayed through a mail provider located outside Australia, and Google Analytics data is processed by Google, which stores data outside Australia. By using the enquiry forms you consent to that handling. Matter files themselves are held in my chambers and are not sent overseas.

Security and how long I keep it

The site runs over an encrypted connection, and access to the enquiry records is limited to me and to my website provider. No system is perfectly secure, and I cannot guarantee the security of information while it is in transit to me.

I keep enquiries that do not become matters only for as long as there is a reason to, and then delete them. Where I have acted for you, I keep the file in line with the record-keeping obligations that apply to barristers, which is generally seven years from the end of the matter.

Access and correction

You can ask me for a copy of the personal information I hold about you, and you can ask me to correct it if it is wrong or out of date. Email me at csheen@vicbar.com.au and I will respond within a reasonable time, usually 30 days.

There are limited situations where I may not be able to give you everything, for example where it would reveal information about another person, or where the material is subject to privilege belonging to someone else. If that happens I will tell you why.

Complaints

If you think I have mishandled your personal information, tell me first. Email csheen@vicbar.com.au setting out what happened, and I will look into it and reply in writing.

If you are not satisfied with my response, you can complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at oaic.gov.au. Complaints about a lawyer’s conduct more generally go to the Victorian Legal Services Board and Commissioner at lsbc.vic.gov.au.

Changes to this policy

I update this policy when what I do with personal information changes. The date at the top of this page is when it was last revised.

How to contact me

Christopher Sheen, Barrister and Australian Lawyer
Owen Dixon Chambers East, Level 9/205 William St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone 0413 941 990
Email csheen@vicbar.com.au