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Privacy
Statement on the Use and Collection of Personal Information
This Privacy
Statement outlines how we collect personal information and how
we use the personal information collected.
Confidentiality
of Personal Information
Consistent with
our duties as legal professionals we maintain a high level of
confidentiality in regards to a client’s information. Part of
these duties stem from our obligations under the Code of
Professional Conduct we are bound by as members of Law
Societies. As legal professionals we are bound by a Code of
Professional Conduct which often requires a duty of
confidentiality as high if not higher than the duty imposed by
the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents
Act.
Purpose
for collecting and using Personal Information
All personal
information collected from a client will only be used for the
purpose in which it is collected i.e. if the matter is a
trademark registration matter, any personal information
collected will be used to register the trademark.
The purpose for
which personal information is recorded in a matter is clearly
documented in our files.
Disclosure
of Personal Information
We will not
disclose personal information we have collected to a third party
unless:
- The disclosure is authorized
by the client;
- We are required by law or a
court order to do so;
- Where it is necessary to
establish or collect fees; or
- The disclosure is done in
accordance with the Personal Information Protection and
Electronic Documents Act and the applicable Code of
Professional Conduct.
When disclosing
information to third parties, we will not disclose more
information than is required.
Retention
of Personal Information
Due to the long
timelines of our files and the fact the files can become the
center of later disputes, we have a policy of retaining
collected personal information for long periods of time after
the matter becomes inactive. We endeavour to store retained
inactive files in manner that is secure.
Accuracy
of Collected Personal Information
We make
reasonable efforts to maintain the accuracy and completeness of
personal information on active matters. Personal information
recorded in inactive matters is not updated or maintained.
Safeguards
for Collected Personal Information
We endeavour to
provide sufficient security safeguards with respect to any
collected personal information to prevent loss or theft,
unauthorized access, copying, use or modification. These
safeguards include physical measures, organizational measures
and technological measures.
Because we are
legal professionals, all the legal professionals and support
staff are aware of the importance of maintaining confidential
information.
Commonly,
additional hard copies of personal information is often
generated in the process of pursuing a matter for a client (i.e.
computer print-outs of drafts, etc) that do not need to be
stored in the file. It is our policy to dispose of these
additional hard copies by shredding and destroying them.
Openness
of Collected Personal Information and Complaint Procedure
In the event that
a client has questions concerning the management of personal
information provided to our firm, the client should address
their questions to the professional responsible for the file.
Individual
Access by Third Parties to Collected Personal Information
Should a third
party individual request access to any personal information in
accordance with the Personal Information Protection and
Electronics Documents Act and the client does not consent to
the disclosure of the personal information, it is our policy to
refuse these requests on the basis of subsection 9(3)(a), (b) or
(d) of the Personal Information Protection and Electronics
Documents Act.
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