Emerald Legal Professional Corporation (ELPC) adheres to the privacy regulations as laid out in the Federal Privacy Act and the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (“PIPEDA”) and applicable Provincial Statutes. Furthermore, we strictly adhere to the rules stipulated by the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) in relation to the preservation and use of clients’ confidential information collected in the process of rendering our legal services.
We collect and host ELPC client data. This data remains the exclusive property of ELPC. We do not rent, trade, or otherwise disclose personal data in any format (electronic or other) to any third party — individual, company, or organization. ELPC ensures that each of the members’ records contained within our data set was consented to be collected for the purpose(s) intended as detailed in the section of the Federal Act and in PIPEDA covering the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information.
Your Privacy
Your privacy is of the utmost importance to us. We are committed to respecting your privacy through the protection of your Personal Information. The following outlines our pledge to you:
- Purpose and Consent: Before storing your Personal Information, we determine the purpose and ensure that effective consent has been gathered.
- Limiting Collection: Collection of Personal Information is limited to what is reasonable under the circumstances and if requested to use or disclose your information, we will only do so for the purpose for which it was collected.
- Security: Your Personal Information is kept confidential and secure, using industry-standard practices for data safeguards.
- Access: You have the right to access your own Personal Information, and to correct any inaccuracies.
Every business is responsible for the Personal Information under its control and is required to designate a “Privacy Officer” who is accountable for compliance with the Privacy Legislations.
Our Privacy Officer is:
Mohammad Abdur Razzak
Barrister, Solicitor, & Notary Public
Emerald Legal Professional Corporation
Personal Information
Personal Information is broadly defined as information about an identifiable individual but does not include the name, title, business address, or telephone number of an employee of an organization.
The type of information we usually maintain may include (but may not be limited to) your:
- Name
- Company Name
- Delivery Address
- Email Address
- Registered Account Access Password
It is always your choice whether or not you consent to us managing your Personal Information. However, a decision to withhold certain, or all, Personal Information may restrict or prevent us from providing services to you.
How Your Information May Be Used
Client confidentiality is important to us. We pride ourselves on our ability to create and maintain leading communication systems and services that enable us to have ongoing communication with you on value-added services, and to establish long-lasting relationships with you that will grow and change to meet your needs.
Your Personal Information may be used in the following situations:
- To identify you (such as when you come back to a website)
- To establish and maintain a relationship with you
- To provide you with the appropriate legal services
- To protect you and us, against error and fraud
- To comply with legal requirements
Your Personal Information may also be used to create statistics about our business. The statistics that we provide do not contain any information that would identify you personally. Your Personal Information will not be used or disclosed without your consent, except where required or permitted by law. We will not sell or share your Personal Information to/with any organization, for any purpose, except in prior written direction.
Giving Consent
The cornerstone to protecting your privacy is consent. We only collect, use, and disclose your Personal Information on direct instructions by you, or as required to provide our services via the mobile application/website, or where otherwise permitted by law.
Withdrawing Consent
You may withdraw your consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions and with reasonable notice. To withdraw your consent, simply contact and advise us of what Personal Information you no longer wish to store.
Security and Disclosure of Your Personal Information
We know you may be concerned about the security of the information provided to us. To ensure security, we have developed processes and procedures to keep your Personal Information safe and secure.
We have appropriate safeguards in place, which include:
- Physical: Locked filing cabinets
- Technological: Password-protected computers/files, firewalls and encryption of sensitive data
- Organizational: All of our associates are trained on the importance of safeguarding your Personal Information from loss and unauthorized access
Disclosure of Your Personal Information
We will only use and disclose your Personal Information to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, or as may be required by law. We will keep your information only for as long as it is needed to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected. Furthermore, we have contractual agreements (Transfer for Processing) in place with our third parties who may come into contact with your Personal Information as a result of performing the services on behalf of clients and other partners. These contractual agreements prohibit our third parties from using, processing, storing, retaining, and/or disclosing that information other than for the purpose for which they have been retained with written consent.
Access to and Changing Your Personal Information
Accessing Your Personal Information
If you wish to access, verify, or change your Personal Information through us, it is likely that we will require specific information from you to verify your identity. Once we have positively identified you, we can provide you with the Personal Information we hold. There may be instances when we will not be able to provide you with the Personal Information that you request. Examples are if the Personal Information:
- Contains references to other persons
- Has already been destroyed due to legal requirements or because we no longer needed it for our purposes
- Is subject to solicitor-client or litigation privilege
- Cannot be disclosed for legal reasons
Changing Your Personal Information
We are committed to maintaining the accuracy of your Personal Information for as long as it is being used for the purposes identified. To help us keep your Personal Information up-to-date, we encourage you to notify us of inaccuracies or corrections, and we will assist you in the changes as requested. Keeping changes such as your email address up to date will help us provide you with the best possible service.
If you identify any incorrect or outdated information requiring amendment, please contact us directly. We may ask you to place your request for a correction in writing. Once we receive written consent, including the requested amendments, we will make the proper changes and, upon your request, will provide you with a copy of the corrected information.
Contact Us
If you have questions, concerns, or complaints about the privacy of your Personal Information managed by us, you may contact us at [email protected]. We will contact you to assist you in resolving the matter. If a complaint is justified, appropriate measures will be taken, including amending our practices and procedures, if necessary.