Lawyers can't do their job without knowing the personal stuff. So we've written this in plain English — no fine print, no surprises — so you know exactly what we do with what you tell us.
About this policy
This Privacy Policy applies to JR Legal Limited, trading as Jackson Reeves Lawyers (referred to as "we", "us" or "our" throughout). It governs how we handle personal information collected through our website, our offices at 31 Hamilton Street, Tauranga, and the course of our legal services.
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We are bound by the Privacy Act 2020 and the Information Privacy Principles ("IPPs") it sets out. As lawyers, we are also bound by the New Zealand Law Society's Conduct and Client Care Rules, which include obligations around confidentiality that often go further than the Privacy Act requires.
By engaging us or using this website, you agree to the practices described here. If you don't agree, please don't use the site or send us information — and feel free to get in touch to talk it through.
- SECTION 01 -
The information we collect.
The information we hold about you depends on what you're working with us on. Broadly, it falls into the categories below.
Identity & contact information
Your full legal name, preferred name, date of birth, residential address, phone numbers, email address, and where required by law (e.g. trust account work or property transactions) — passport, driver's licence, or other identity documents to meet our Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act 2009 (AML/CFT) obligations.
Matter information
The facts and documents relevant to the legal matter we're handling — which will vary widely. This might include details of property you're buying or selling, business records, family circumstances, employment history, financial information, or anything else relevant to the advice you've come to us for.
Financial information
Bank account details (for transferring settlement funds, refunds, or paying invoices), KiwiSaver information where you're using it toward a property purchase, and billing/payment records.
Information from our website
If you fill in our enquiry form, we collect the details you give us. We also collect limited technical information automatically — see Section 07.
Information from third parties
With your consent (or where the law permits or requires it), we may receive information about you from other parties — for example, other lawyers on the other side of a transaction, real estate agents, banks, government registers (LINZ, the Companies Office), credit reporting bodies, or referees you've asked us to speak to.
âš Sensitive information
We will sometimes need information that is sensitive — health information for estate planning, details of a relationship for separation matters, etc. We only collect what's necessary for the matter, treat it with proportional care, and store it in line with Section 05.
- SECTION 02 -
How we use your information.
We use the personal information we hold for the purpose it was collected, and for related purposes a reasonable person would expect. In practice that means:
Providing legal services:
Advising you, drafting and reviewing documents, representing you in dealings with third parties, conducting the transaction or matter you've engaged us for.
Meeting our legal & regulatory obligations:
Including AML/CFT identity verification, Law Society reporting requirements, court directions, and statutory disclosure obligations.
Administering our relationship with you:
Opening and maintaining a client file, issuing invoices, taking and refunding payments, managing the trust account, and responding to your enquiries.
Improving how we work:
Analysing how clients use our website (in aggregate, see Section 07), and reviewing our internal processes.
Staying in touch:
Sending you occasional updates relevant to your matter or your relationship with us. You can unsubscribe from any non-essential communications at any time.
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We do not sell your personal information to anyone, ever. We do not use it for advertising, profiling, or any purpose unrelated to providing you with legal services or running our practice.
- SECTION 03 -
When & with whom we share information.
Your information stays inside our firm, with the following exceptions — each one is either necessary for us to do our job, required by law, or something you've specifically asked us to do.
Within Jackson Reeves:
Our lawyers, legal executives, and support staff who need access to do their part of your matter.
Other parties to your matter:
With your authority, we'll share information with lawyers acting for the other side, real estate agents, accountants, financial advisers, banks, and government bodies (LINZ, IRD, the Companies Office, Courts) as the matter requires.
Service providers:
IT, document storage, e-signature platforms, and trust accounting software providers who help us run the practice. Each is bound by confidentiality obligations and uses your information only to provide their service to us.
Regulators & auditors:
The New Zealand Law Society, our trust account auditor, and the Department of Internal Affairs (in connection with AML/CFT) as required.
Where required by law:
Including in response to a court order, statutory notice, or to comply with a legal obligation we have.
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If your matter requires us to send your information overseas (for example, you live abroad, or a counterparty is overseas), we'll let you know and take reasonable steps to ensure your information is protected to a comparable standard.
- SECTION 04 -
How we store & protect your information.
We hold your information in a mix of physical files (kept securely at our Hamilton Street office) and electronic systems (operated by reputable, primarily New Zealand and Australian-based providers).
Security measures
We take reasonable steps to protect your information from loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. These include access controls, encryption in transit and at rest where appropriate, multi-factor authentication for our systems, staff training, and regular review of our processes.
How long we keep it
The Law Society requires lawyers to retain client files for at least seven years from the date a matter is closed. We typically retain files for that minimum period, and sometimes longer if there's a continuing reason to (for example, an active trust we administer, or a will we hold for safekeeping). After the retention period, files are securely destroyed.
A real-world note
No system is ever completely secure. If we become aware of a privacy breach that has caused, or is likely to cause, you serious harm, we will notify you and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner as required by the Privacy Act.
- SECTION 05 -
Your rights — and how to use them.
Access
You can ask us for a copy of the personal information we hold about you. We will respond within 20 working days.
Correction
If you think any information we hold about you is wrong or out of date, you can ask us to correct it.
Withdraw consent
Where we rely on your consent (e.g. for marketing communications), you can withdraw it at any time.
Dispute
If you're not happy with how we've handled your information, you can dispute it to us, and ultimately to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.
Some rights are subject to legal exceptions — for example, we may need to withhold certain information if disclosing it would breach our obligations to another client, or if a court has prohibited disclosure. We'll always explain our reasoning if that's the case.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us or write to our Privacy Officer at the address in Section 10.
External recourse
Office of the Privacy Commissioner
If you're not satisfied with how we respond to a privacy complaint, you can take the matter to the Privacy Commissioner.
- SECTION 06 -
Cookies & website analytics.
Our website uses cookies — small text files stored on your device — for two purposes:
Essential cookies:
Remember your basic preferences (like whether you've dismissed a notification banner) and keep the site working as expected.
Analytics cookies:
Where you've consented to them, allow us to see how visitors use the site in aggregate. This helps us improve the things people are actually using and remove the things they aren't.
We do not use advertising cookies, retargeting pixels, or any technology that builds an individual profile of you for marketing. You can disable cookies in your browser at any time — the essentials of the site will keep working.
- SECTION 07 -
Children's information.
Our services are not directed at children. We will sometimes hold limited information about children in the context of family matters or estate planning — and where we do, we treat that information with appropriate care and only collect what's necessary for the matter.
If you believe we hold information about a child that we shouldn't, please contact our Privacy Officer.
- SECTION 08 -
Changes to this policy.
We review this policy at least annually, and may update it from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or the law. When we do, we'll update the "Effective" and "Version" details at the top of this page.
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If we make a material change that affects how we use information we already hold about you, we'll let you know directly — by email if you're a current client, and by a prominent notice on this page otherwise.
- SECTION 09 -
How to contact our Privacy Officer.
If you have questions about this policy, want to exercise any of the rights described in Section 06, or want to raise a concern about how we've handled your information, please get in touch:
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Privacy Officer, Jackson Reeves Lawyers
31 Hamilton Street, Tauranga 3144
In person
Mon–Fri, 8:30am–5:00pm. We'd ask that you make an appointment first.