Irvine Law Group respects your privacy. We understand that people who contact a lawyer may provide sensitive personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, protect, and retain personal information.
1. Our obligations
Irvine Law Group handles personal information in accordance with British Columbia’s Personal Information Protection Act and our professional obligations as lawyers.
We also have duties to protect confidential client information and solicitor-client privilege. Nothing in this Privacy Policy limits those protections.
2. Personal information we collect
We may collect personal information that is reasonably necessary to respond to inquiries, determine whether we can act, and provide legal services.
This may include your contact information, information about your legal matter, employment or workplace information, billing and payment information, identification information where required, and information contained in correspondence, documents, evidence, notes, and records related to a legal matter.
We usually collect personal information directly from you. In some cases, we may collect information from other sources, such as unions, employers, witnesses, opposing parties, courts, tribunals, government agencies, public records, or others involved in a legal matter.
3. How we use personal information
We use personal information to respond to inquiries, check for conflicts, and determine whether the firm can assist with a matter. If a lawyer-client relationship is formed, we use personal information to provide legal advice and representation, communicate with people involved in a matter, prepare and file documents, and manage billing and records.
We also use personal information to comply with our legal and professional obligations, and to operate our law practice.
We do not sell personal information.
4. Disclosure of personal information
We may disclose personal information where reasonably necessary to provide legal services, manage our practice, or comply with legal or professional obligations.
This may include disclosure to courts, tribunals, arbitrators, mediators, opposing parties, lawyers, witnesses, experts, consultants, service providers, financial institutions, insurers, regulators, or others where required or permitted by law.
Some service providers may store or process information outside British Columbia or outside Canada. Where we use service providers, we take reasonable steps to protect personal information, but information may be subject to the laws of the place where it is stored or processed.
5. Consent
By contacting Irvine Law Group, providing personal information to us, using our website, or retaining us, you consent to our collection, use, and disclosure of personal information for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy and for related legal-service purposes.
You may withdraw consent, subject to legal, professional, contractual, and practical limits. For example, we may need to retain or use certain information to comply with legal obligations, maintain proper records, preserve privilege, respond to claims, or complete a legal matter.
6. Website, contact forms, and server analytics
You may visit our website without directly providing personal information.
Our website is built using WordPress and may use cookies or similar technologies that are necessary for the website to function, maintain security, remember basic settings, or operate website features such as contact forms.
Our website hosting provider may collect basic server log information, such as IP address, browser type, device information, pages visited, referring page, and the date and time of access. We may use this information to monitor website performance, diagnose technical issues, maintain security, understand general website traffic, and improve the website.
We do not use advertising pixels, retargeting tools, or third-party advertising trackers on our website.
If you submit information through a contact form, we will use that information to respond to your inquiry. Please do not send confidential or highly sensitive information through the website unless we have asked you to do so.
Sending information through the website, by email, or through a contact form does not by itself create a lawyer-client relationship. We only become your lawyers once we have agreed to act for you and any required retainer steps have been completed.
7. Email and electronic communications
Email and other electronic communications may not be secure. Although we take reasonable steps to protect communications, we cannot guarantee the security or confidentiality of information sent electronically.
By communicating with us electronically, you accept the risks associated with electronic communication unless you make other arrangements with us.
8. Security and retention
We use reasonable physical, organizational, and technical safeguards to protect personal information against unauthorized access, use, disclosure, copying, modification, or disposal.
We retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary for legal, professional, insurance, accounting, business, and regulatory purposes. When personal information is no longer required, we take reasonable steps to securely destroy it, erase it, or make it anonymous.
9. Access and correction
You may request access to personal information about you that is in our custody or control. You may also request correction of personal information that you believe is inaccurate or incomplete.
These rights are subject to legal limits. For example, we may not be able to provide access where disclosure would reveal confidential information, personal information about another person, or information protected by solicitor-client privilege.
10. Questions or complaints
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, or if you wish to request access to or correction of your personal information, please contact our privacy officer, M. Diane Irvine, by submitting a request through our contact form.
If you are dissatisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia.