This privacy policy (the “Privacy Policy”) explains how we collect, use and disclose personal information in Canada. Broadly speaking, “personal information” includes any information about or that can be used to identify an individual. The term “personal information” is subject to more particular definitions or interpretations under applicable law.
In order to provide legal services to our clients and potential clients and to fulfill our professional legal responsibilities and manage our business, we collect, use and disclose certain personal information. As lawyers we are also subject to professional and ethical obligations relating to the confidentiality of the information we receive in the context of the lawyer-client relationship.
The types of personal information we may collect about an individual will depend upon the nature of the services we are requested to provide or the purpose for collecting the information (see “Purposes for Collecting, Using or Disclosing Personal Information”, below). Generally, personal information may include a person’s name and home contact information, billing and account information, information relevant to their legal matters (such as information about their business or financial affairs) and other information incidental to the provision of legal advice and services by our firm. We may also collect personal information about directors, officers, shareholders and employees of a client, adverse parties and other parties who are individuals. In certain circumstances, we may be required pursuant to our professional or statutory obligations, including “Know Your Client” requirements imposed by our governing law societies, to verify the identity of a client or its representatives. This may include obtaining additional personal information, such as a person’s occupation or date of birth and we may be required to obtain and retain a copy of an individual’s personal identification document.
Personal information may not include business contact information, including your name, title or position, business or business email address, telephone or facsimile number in your capacity as an employee of an organization. Personal information also excludes certain publicly available information, such as information listed in a public telephone directory. This privacy policy does not apply to personal information about employees, partners or other temporary or permanent staff, consultants, volunteers or other individuals assigned to Hansell LLP.
We collect, use and disclose personal information only for purposes that a reasonable person would consider appropriate in the circumstances, and we limit the amount and type of personal information we collect, use or disclose to that necessary for the purposes identified. Generally speaking, Hansell LLP collects uses and discloses personal information of clients and other individuals for the primary purpose of providing legal services and advice on matters in which we have been retained. In some cases, we may be required pursuant to “Know Your Client” regulations applicable to our profession to obtain certain personal information and in such cases the purpose is to comply with our regulatory obligations. We also collect and use personal information for administrative purposes (such as billing and payment processing) and the maintenance of our document management and precedent systems.
We also collect and use personal information of clients and prospective clients to establish and foster relationships by communicating about our firm and our services. We use personal information to distribute publications and invitations to events to individuals who subscribe to our mailing lists or are invited by firm members, to maintain contact lists and to conduct other activities to market our firm.
We may share personal information with third parties in the course of representing clients, including conducting negotiations, litigation or other proceedings. Such third parties may include opposing parties and their counsel, foreign counsel and advisors, witnesses, courts and adjudicators.
In addition to the above we may collect, use and disclose personal information for other purposes ancillary to our business. Examples include:
We collect, use and disclose personal information only with consent. However, because we collect only such information as is necessary for our intended purposes, as a general rule our practice is not to request written consent to do so because consent can reasonably be implied in most cases. By contacting us or voluntarily providing us with your personal information or by subscribing to any mailing list of Hansell LLP, you consent to the collection, use and disclosure of that information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. To the extent that you provide personal information of another individual to us, you represent that you have the necessary consent or authority to permit us to collect, use and disclose such personal information for the purposes set out in, and in accordance with, this Privacy Policy. You may withdraw your consent to our continued use and disclosure of your personal information (upon reasonable notice and subject to legal or contractual restrictions), and we provide an opt-out opportunity to individuals from our publications and distribution lists.
In some cases we may be authorized or required by law to collect, use or disclose personal information without consent. For instance, we may be required to disclose information to civil or regulatory authorities or pursuant to a subpoena or court order.
Hansell LLP retains personal information for as long as it is needed for the purposes for which it was collected or in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements and professional standards.
We use safeguards that are standard in the legal profession to protect the security of personal information in our possession. This includes the establishment of policies and procedures and the training of personnel, the use of physically secure facilities, the adoption of other standard security practices and the appointment of a Privacy Officer.
Any information or documentation which we collect in compliance with our “Know Your Client” obligations is stored separately from other files and access thereto is limited to personnel who are responsible for ensuring that we comply with our obligations.
To the extent we enter into arrangements with service providers, agents and contractors to store, handle or process personal information on our behalf, such as for data processing, document storage and office services, we will take reasonable steps, by contractual means or otherwise, to ensure that such parties use the information only for the purposes of complying with such arrangements and that they provide comparable privacy protection while the information is in their possession or control.
Visitors to our website are not required to provide any individually identifiable information, such as a name or address, nor do we collect such information passively by electronic means. We may collect general information about visitors, such as their IP addresses and times of visit, and use this information to improve our website. However, if you decide to give us personal information, such as your email address, we will use it only for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. Hansell LLP does not provide information to third parties regarding individual visitors to its website. While reasonable precautions are taken to protect all information given to Hansell LLP, due to the nature of the Internet, we cannot guarantee that there will not be any unauthorized access to your information. From time to time, our website may contain links to other websites which may collect your personal information. We do not assume any responsibility for the privacy practices of the third parties operating such websites. You should read the privacy policies of these websites and in light of such policies, decide whether or not you want to provide your personal information to the operators of these third-party websites.
You have the right to access and challenge the accuracy and completeness of any personal information about you in our possession, and to have such information amended, subject to exceptions permitted or required by applicable law. To make an access or amendment request or if you have a question or concern about your personal information or this Privacy Policy, please send a written request to:
Or
We reserve the right to change our Privacy Policy at any time by updating our Privacy Policy on our website. Please check back frequently for the most current version of our Privacy Policy.