Terms of Use Policy.
Privacy.
Megan Stephens Law recognizes the importance of privacy and the sensitivity of personal information. Lawyers have a professional obligation to keep information received within a lawyer-client relationship confidential. This privacy policy outlines how Megan Stephens Law deals with your personal information. We reserve the right to modify or supplement this policy.
Your privacy rights
In Ontario, lawyers have always been obligated by the Law Society of Ontario’s Rules of Professional Conduct to keep client information confidential. Since January 1, 2004, organizations engaged in commercial activities have also been required to comply with the Personal Information Privacy and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). PIPEDA gives you additional rights concerning the privacy of your personal information.
What is personal information and why do we collect it?
Personal information is information that allows an individual to be identified. It does not include the name, business address or telephone number of an employee of an organization.
We may collect personal information directly from you at the start of a retainer or during the course of our representation of you. We may also obtain information about you from other sources, such as your insurance company, a government agency or registry, or your employer.
We collect personal information to: provide you with legal services based on your instructions; fulfill legal duties; avoid conflicts of interest; share personal information to and from third parties relating to the provision of legal services; provide updates about legal developments; advise you of upcoming events relating to Megan Stephens Law; develop and manage our precedent systems and databases; detect and protect Megan Stephens Law and other third parties against error, negligence, breach of contract, fraud, theft, and other illegal activity, and to comply with policies and contractual obligations; and other purposes to which you consent.
It is important that you provide us with accurate and up-to-date information. If, during the course of the retainer, any of your information changes, please let us know so that we can adjust our records.
Consent
By submitting personal information to Megan Stephens Law, or its service providers and agents, you agree that we may collect, use and disclose such personal information in accordance with this privacy policy, and as permitted or required by law. Subject to legal and contractual requirements, you may contact Megan Stephens Law at any time to refuse or withdraw your consent to some of the identified purposes for which we collect information.
If you provide Megan Stephens Law, or our service providers and agents, with personal information of another individual, you represent that you have all necessary authority and/or have obtained all necessary consents from such person to enable us to collect, use and disclose such personal information for the purposes set forth in this privacy policy.
Consent for the collection, use and/or disclosure of personal information may be obtained orally or in writing and may be given or implied. In determining how we obtain your consent, we take into account the sensitivity of the personal information that we are collecting, using or disclosing.
Using and disclosing your personal information
Unless you specifically advise us otherwise, we will assume that you have consented to the use of your personal information when we provide legal advice and services to you, including for billing purposes. If you tell us you no longer wish to receive information about our services or about new legal developments, we will not send any further material.
Megan Stephens Law does not disclose your personal information to any third party in relation to marketing their products or services without obtaining your express consent.
From time to time, under certain circumstances, Megan Stephens Law may disclose your personal information. For example, we may disclose your personal information when:
we are required or authorized by law to do so;
you have consented to the disclosure;
in the course of providing legal services to you, we are required to give your information to a third party, in which case your consent will be implied, unless you tell us otherwise;
necessary to establish or collect fees;
we engage expert witnesses on your behalf;
we retain other law firms on your behalf or a person who, in the reasonable judgment of Megan Stephens Law, is providing or seeking the information as your agent; or
we engage third parties to provide administrative services to us (like computer back-up services or archival file storage) in which case, they will be bound by our privacy policy.
Megan Stephens Law takes all reasonable precautions to ensure your personal information is kept safe from loss, unauthorized access, modification or disclosure. This includes maintaining secure premises and restricting access to personal information stored electronically.
Our Website, email communications and privacy
Our website, stephenslaw.ca, contains links to other sites not governed by this privacy policy. We may also collect personal information on our website.
We collect only the information you give us voluntarily by sending us an email message, completing forms, or using the links contained on the website. Megan Stephens Law collects and uses your name, address, telephone number, email address, and other information you submit through the website to respond to your inquiries and to provide you with information that we think may be of interest to you. In providing Megan Stephens Law with personal information on or through the website, you consent to the collection and use of that information for these purposes.
When you send us personal or confidential information via email, you should be aware that email is not an entirely secure medium.
Disclaimer of Liability.
Transmissions do not create a solicitor-client relationship
Email transmissions to anyone at Megan Stephens Law do not create a solicitor-client relationship. Viewing this website, sending an email to anyone at Megan Stephens Law, or submitting a request for information via the website does not create a professional relationship. You do not become a client unless and until Megan Stephens agrees to act for you and that agreement is confirmed in a retainer agreement or retainer letter in accordance with our usual policies.
Transmissions are not confidential
Megan Stephens Law does not guarantee the confidentiality of the content of any email transmitted by way of this website. If you wish to provide confidential information to any lawyer at Megan Stephens Law, please contact the lawyer by telephone.