Privacy Policy

Last Updated: 12 April 2026

Our Commitment to Your Privacy

KM Legal is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information with care and respect. This policy outlines how we collect, use, store, and disclose personal information in accordance with our obligations under the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020 and its Information Privacy Principles (IPPs).

This policy applies to all personal information we collect from clients, website visitors, and any other individuals in the course of providing our legal services.

What Personal Information We Collect

As a specialist family law firm, we may collect a wide range of personal information, including:

  • Identity and Contact Information: Your name, address, phone number, email address, date of birth, and identification documents (e.g., driver licence, passport).
  • Case-Related Information: Details about your family circumstances, relationships, children, employment, finances, property, and personal history relevant to your legal matter.
  • Sensitive Information: This may include information about your health, family violence history, or criminal record where it is directly relevant to the legal services we are providing.
  • Information about Children: When acting as a Lawyer for Child or in parenting matters, we will collect information about the children involved, including their views, needs, and welfare. 
  • Billing Information: Bank account details, credit card information, and transaction history.
  • Technical Information: When you visit our website (www.kmlegal.nz), we may collect your IP address, browser type, and information on how you use our site, through the use of cookies.

 

How We Collect Your Information

We collect personal information in two primary ways:

Directly from You

We collect information directly when you:

  • Engage us as your legal representative.
  • Communicate with us by phone, email, or in person.
  • Complete forms on our website or in our office.
  • Provide us with documents relevant to your case.

Indirectly from Third Parties

In the course of our work, particularly when appointed as Lawyer for Child or when required for your case, we must gather information from other sources. This is known as indirect collection. These sources may include:

  • Government agencies (e.g., Oranga Tamariki, New Zealand Police, Inland Revenue).
  • Courts and tribunals.
  • Schools, kura, and early childhood education centres.
  • Medical professionals, counsellors, and psychologists.
  • Other parties involved in legal proceedings and their legal counsel.

 

The purpose of this indirect collection is to fulfil our professional and legal obligations, particularly to act in a way that promotes the welfare and best interests of a child and to provide the Court with a complete and accurate understanding of the circumstances. 

Notification of Indirect Collection (Our IPP3A Obligation)

In accordance with the Privacy Act 2020, where we collect your personal information from a third party, we will take reasonable steps to notify you as soon as practicable. This notification will confirm that we have collected your information, the purpose for doing so, and your rights of access and correction under the Act.

How We Use and Disclose Your Information

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

  • To Provide Legal Services: To represent you, provide legal advice, and manage your case.
  • To Fulfil Court-Appointed Roles: To carry out our duties as Lawyer for Child or in any other capacity appointed by the Court. 
  • To Communicate with You: To keep you informed about your matter and respond to your inquiries.
  • To Administer Our Business: For billing,  and file management.
  • To Comply with Legal Obligations: To meet our obligations under the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006, Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act 2009, and any Court orders.

 

We will only disclose your personal information to others where it is necessary and lawful to do so. This may include disclosing information to:

  • The Family Court, or other relevant courts.
  • Other parties involved in your legal proceedings and their lawyers.
  • Barristers or expert witnesses (e.g., psychologists, valuers) engaged on your behalf.
  • Government agencies, where required or authorised by law. 
  • Our trusted third-party service providers, such as IT support, data storage, and document management services. 
  • Any other person you have authorised us to disclose it to.

 

Data Security and International Disclosure

We take all reasonable steps to protect your personal information from loss, unauthorised access, or misuse. This includes using secure physical storage, robust IT systems, and password protection.

Some of our third-party service providers may store data in the cloud on servers located outside of New Zealand. Where we disclose your personal information to an overseas recipient, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that they are subject to privacy laws that provide comparable safeguards to those in New Zealand.

Your Rights: Access and Correction

You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you and to ask for it to be corrected if you believe it is inaccurate. To make a request, please contact our Privacy Officer in writing.

In respect of a request for correction, if we think the correction is reasonable and we are reasonably able to change the personal information, we will make the correction. If we do not make the correction, we will take reasonable steps to note on the personal information that you requested the correction.

Please note that your right to access may be limited in certain circumstances, such as where information is subject to legal professional privilege or where disclosure would breach our duty of confidence to another person.

Privacy Breaches

If a privacy breach occurs that has caused or is likely to cause serious harm, we will notify the Office of the Privacy Commissioner and affected individuals as required by the Privacy Act 2020.

Privacy Officer and Contact Details

We have appointed a Privacy Officer to handle any questions or concerns you may have about this policy or our privacy practices.

Our Privacy Officer is Kelly Marriner.

Email: kelly@kmlegal.nz

Address: 17A Brougham Street, New Plymouth

If you are not satisfied with our response to your privacy concern, you have the right to make a complaint to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner at www.privacy.org.nz.

Changes to this Policy

We may update this policy from time to time by publishing a new version on our website. This policy was last updated on the date noted at the top of this document