Privacy Policy

Look, we get it - nobody really enjoys reading privacy policies. But since we're lawyers who deal with international business stuff, we figured we'd better be straight with you about how we handle your personal info.

Bottom line? We collect some data about you when you use our site or work with us, and we're gonna explain exactly what we do with it. We follow all the Canadian privacy rules (there's this law called PIPEDA that keeps us honest), and we don't mess around when it comes to keeping your information secure.

If you're using our website or hiring us for legal work, you're cool with what's outlined here. Fair enough?

Here's what we actually do with your info:

• Do our job: Provide you with legal advice, handle your corporate matters, draft contracts, do research - all the stuff you're hiring us for.
• Stay legit: We've got professional rules to follow, anti-money laundering checks to run, conflicts to avoid, taxes to report - the regulatory stuff we can't skip.
• Run the business: Send you bills, keep your files organized, make sure we're doing quality work, improve our services based on what works and what doesn't.
• Keep in touch: Answer your questions, update you on your case, let you know about changes in the law that might affect you. We won't spam you with marketing emails unless you've said that's cool.

We don't go around blabbing your info to random people. But there are times when we have to or need to share it:

• You give us the green light: If you specifically tell us to share something with someone, we will.
• Our tech and admin folks: Companies that help us with IT, file storage, accounting, etc. They're bound by confidentiality agreements too.
• Other professionals on your team: Sometimes we need to work with other lawyers, accountants, or experts to help with your case.
• The law makes us: If there's a court order or legal requirement, we've gotta comply.
• International deals: Since we handle cross-border stuff, we might need to share info with lawyers in other countries. We make sure they're trustworthy first.
• If we sell the firm: In the unlikely event we merge or get acquired, your files would transfer but still stay protected.

One thing we'll NEVER do? Sell your data to marketers. That's just not happening.

We take security seriously. Here's how we keep your stuff safe:

• Who gets in: Not everyone here can access everything. We use role-based access (you only see what you need to see), require multiple authentication steps for sensitive stuff, and regularly check who's accessing what.
• Locked down tight: We encrypt data when it's moving around the internet and when it's sitting on our servers. Think of it like putting your info in a safe that only we have the combination to.
• Physical protection: Our offices are secured, documents are locked up, and when we dispose of stuff, we do it properly (shredding, secure deletion, the works).

Look, we're not gonna pretend we're unhackable - nobody is. But we stay on top of security trends and keep updating our defenses as new threats pop up.

You've got rights when it comes to your personal info. Here's what you can do:

• See what we've got: You can ask to see what personal information we're holding about you. There might be some limits here if it involves legal privilege or someone else's confidential info, but we'll tell you what we can.
• Fix mistakes: If we've got something wrong about you, let us know and we'll correct it.
• Change your mind: You can withdraw consent for certain things (like marketing emails), though some stuff we legally have to keep for professional reasons.
• Raise hell if needed: If you think we've messed up with your privacy, you can complain to us directly or go straight to the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

We'll get back to you within 30 days on any request. If there are legal reasons we can't give you everything you're asking for, we'll explain why.

Cookies aren't just delicious treats - they're also little files that websites stick on your computer to make things work better. Here's what we use 'em for:

• The must-haves: Some cookies are needed for basic stuff like security and making the site work. You can't turn these off without breaking things.
• The number crunchers: These help us figure out which pages people actually read, what's popular, where folks get stuck - basically helping us make the site better.
• The helpful ones: These remember your preferences so you don't have to keep setting things up every time you visit.
• The marketing types: These track what you're interested in so we can show you relevant stuff. We only use these if you say it's okay.

Your browser probably has settings where you can block cookies if you want. Just know that some parts of the site might not work as smoothly if you do.

Since we deal with international business law, sometimes your info needs to cross borders. Maybe we're working with lawyers in another country on your deal, or we're using cloud services that store data on servers abroad.

When that happens, we make sure it's protected:

• We only send data to countries with decent privacy laws (comparable to ours in Canada)
• We make foreign service providers sign agreements promising to protect your data
• We'll ask for your okay if we need to send sensitive stuff overseas
• Everything's encrypted when it travels internationally

Just so you know, other countries might have different privacy rules than we do here in Canada. We'll let you know if your data's heading abroad and what protections are in place.

We can't just delete your info the day after we finish working together. There are legal requirements about how long we have to keep stuff:

• Client files: We've gotta keep these for at least 10 years after your matter wraps up. That's a Law Society rule, not us being pack rats.
• Money stuff: Financial records stick around for 7 years because of tax laws.
• Marketing emails: We'll keep sending these until you tell us to stop or we're no longer working together.
• Website stats: Usually about 26 months, and it's anonymized anyway so nobody can tell it was you.
• Conflict checks: We keep these forever to make sure we don't accidentally take on clients with opposing interests down the road.

Once we're legally allowed to get rid of stuff, we do it properly - secure shredding, permanent deletion, or turning it into anonymous data that can't be traced back to you.

Got questions about privacy stuff? Want to exercise your rights? Just wanna chat about how we handle data? Get in touch with our Privacy Officer: