Updated: January 18, 2024

This privacy policy describes the information submitted by users (“Users” or “you”) and collected by Scardicchio Litigation Counsel Professional Corporation (“we” or “us” or “SLC Law”), how that information may be used, with whom it may be shared, and your choices about such uses and disclosures. By using the slclaw.ca website (the “Website”), and all content, and products available at or through the Website, and by submitting information through the Website you are agreeing to the terms of this privacy policy (the “Policy”) to the maximum extent of the law. We encourage you to read this Policy carefully when using our Website or transacting business with us. By using the Website, you are accepting the practices described in this Policy.

This Policy forms an integral part of the Terms of Use, which is incorporated by reference. If you have any questions about the Policy, please contact us directly before entering any information by sending an email with your questions to our Privacy Officer / Data Protection Officer.

We collect, use and disclose personal information as necessary to offer and provide clients and potential clients with legal services and information, and generally to fulfill our professional legal responsibilities and manage our business. As lawyers, we have a professional obligation to keep confidential all information we obtain within a lawyer-client relationship. This Policy supplements our professional obligations of client confidentiality and sets out in general terms how we collect, use, disclose and protect the personal information of our clients, other individuals and Users.

INFORMATION WE COLLECT

We collect two types of information through our Website: "Personal Information" and "Non-personal Information". Personal Information means information about an identifiable individual, such as your name and email address. Non-personal Information consists of aggregate information or any information that does not reveal your identity. The types of information we collect depend on the nature of your interaction with us.

We understand the importance of protecting your Personal Information. We are committed to appropriately handling and safeguarding your Personal Information.

HOW WE COLLECT INFORMATION

Information you provide. The types of Personal Information we may collect about you include your name and home contact information, billing and account information, information relevant to a client's legal matters and other information incidental to the provision of legal advice and services by us. Examples of the types of personal information we may collect include Personal Information about directors, officers, and employees of a client or other party, witnesses, beneficiaries, family members, adverse parties or parties-in-interest, and information about shareholders, security-holders, investors, potential investors or buyers, business partners, targets, competitors or customers of clients, individuals, clients, pension plan members, or other parties who are individuals.

Use of cookies and other technologies to collect information. To learn about your user experience and to make periodic improvements to the Website, we also collect the information regularly collected by web browsers. We will automatically record information and your activity. This may include your Internet Protocol (“IP”) address, Media Access Control ("MAC") address, country, city, browser type, the web page visited before you visited the Website, information you search for on the Website, locale preferences, identification numbers associated with your devices, your mobile carrier, date and time stamps, system configuration information, metadata concerning your files, and other interactions with the Website.

We use optional cookies: in order to collect usage data through Google Analytics to ensure you get the best experience on our website

We use necessary cookies: in order to store your cookie preferences.

Google Analytics. We also use third party cookies from Google Analytics to collect information about use of the Website. Google Analytics allows us to keep our website relevant by helping us understand how people use the Website. The information collected by Google Analytics is anonymous and only used for statistical purposes, and it helps us to analyse patterns of user activity and to develop a better user experience. Google Analytics cookies do not provide us with any Personal Information.

Google Analytics for Display Advertisers. We may use Google Analytics code that allows for certain forms of display advertising and other advanced features. Subject to change, the Google Display Advertising features we currently use are Remarketing, Google Display Network Impression Reporting, the DoubleClick Campaign Manager Integration, and Google Analytics Demographics and Interest Reporting. These features are used to advertise online; to allow third-party vendors, including Google, to show you advertising across the Internet; to allow the Website and third-party vendors, including Google, to use first-party cookies (such as the Google Analytics cookie) and third-party cookies (such as the DoubleClick cookie) together to inform, optimize, and serve ads based on your past visits to the Website and to report how ad impressions, uses of ad services, and interactions with these ad impressions and ad services are related to visits to the Website. Data from Google's interest-based advertising or third-party audience data (such as age, gender, and interests) is also combined with Google Analytics to better understand the needs of our users and to improve the Website. You can access information about Google's Privacy Policy here.

Opt-Out. You may opt out of such display advertising at any time by visiting your Google Ads Settings page or by installing and running the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. Most computer and some mobile web browsers automatically accept cookies but, if you prefer, you can change your browser to prevent that or to notify you each time a cookie is set. Refer to your browser help menu for further information. Please note however that, by blocking or deleting cookies, you may not be able to take full advantage of the Website. If you do not want to receive tracking pixels, you will need to disable HTML images in your email client, and that may affect your ability to view images in other emails that you receive.

Information from mobile devices. If you use any mobile device to access the Website and download any of our applications, we may collect device information (such as your mobile device ID, model, and manufacturer), operating system and version information, and IP address. We may collect your location-based information (geolocation).

We also use “cookies” to collect information and make improvements to the Website. A cookie is a small data file that we transfer to your device. We may use “persistent cookies” to save user ID's and login passwords for future logins to the Website. We may use “session ID cookies” to enable certain features of the Website, to better understand how you interact with the Website and to monitor aggregate usage and web traffic routing on the Website. However, none of this is associated with you as an individual. It is measured only in aggregate. Cookies do not capture your individual email address or any private information about you. You can instruct your browser, by changing its options, to stop accepting cookies or to prompt you before accepting a cookie from the sites you visit. If you do not accept cookies, however, you may not be able to use all aspects of the Website.

We may use technologies, such as “web beacons” and other similar technologies, to track your use of the Website. We also may include web beacons in advertisements or email messages to determine whether messages have been opened and acted upon. The information we obtain in this manner enables us to customize the services we offer our Website or application visitors to deliver targeted advertisements and to measure the overall effectiveness of our online advertising, content, programming or other activities.

HOW WE USE THE INFORMATION WE COLLECT

We may collect, use, and disclose your Personal Information for a number of different purposes:

• To establish and manage client relationships, provide legal advice, perform legal services, fulfil legal duties, and avoid legal conflicts of interest.
• To share personal information with third parties for the purpose of providing legal services in the context of legal proceedings, including conducting litigation, arbitrations, mediations or other proceedings. Such third parties may include opposing parties, parties in interest, opposing, foreign and other counsel and advisors, witnesses, courts, adjudicators, arbitrators, other decision-makers and experts.
• To represent clients in the context of business transactions involving the exchange or disclosure of personal information, including by purchase, sale, lease, merger, amalgamation, arrangement. or any other type of acquisition, disposition, public offering, securitization, investment, financing, or other transaction.
• To establish and maintain commercial relationships with clients, suppliers and other third parties, including to issue invoices, administer accounts, collect and process payments, evaluate credit standing, and to fulfil contractual obligations.
• To contact and communicate with clients and other individuals for the purpose of conducting market research, and evaluating client service and satisfaction.
• To distribute our publications and invitations to events to individuals who subscribe to our mailing lists.
• To maintain, develop, and manage our document management, knowledge-management, and precedent systems and databases.
• To consider employees and members of SLC Law.
• To develop and manage our business and operations.
• To detect and protect against error, negligence, breach of contract, fraud, theft, and other illegal activity, and where necessary to meet our insurance requirements.
• As permitted by, and to comply with, applicable legal or regulatory requirements or provisions.
• For other purposes as described in this Policy.

CONSENT

When you choose to provide us with your Personal Information you consent to the use of your Personal Information as identified in this Policy and as may be further identified at the time of collection. Sometimes you will be asked to give your express consent to our collection, use, or disclosure of Personal Information (for example, by being asked to check a box to indicate your consent to receive marketing communications). You may also provide your implied consent to our collection, use, or disclosure of Personal Information when we can reasonably conclude that you have given consent by some action you have taken or an action you have decided not to take.

You may notify us at any time that you wish to withdraw or change your consent to our use and disclosure of your information. We will accommodate your request subject to legal and contractual restrictions.

As lawyers, we are subject to professional and ethical obligations and we do not disclose Personal Information subject to lawyer-client privilege unless the privilege is lawfully waived or we are required by law to do so.

ACCESS TO YOUR INFORMATION

Individual clients may review any personal information concerning themselves we have on file in our offices by contacting their lawyer. Individuals who are not clients may request access to personal information we hold about them by written request to our Privacy Officer / Data Protection Officer.

RETENTION

We retain your Personal Information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purpose(s) for which it was collected and to comply with applicable rules, laws, and regulations, and your consent to such purpose(s) remains valid after termination of your relationship with us. Your Personal Information may be processed and stored outside of the province in which you reside or outside of Canada by us, an affiliate, or an unaffiliated service provider for the purposes set out in this privacy statement and, under the laws of these other jurisdictions, in certain circumstances foreign courts, law enforcement agencies or regulatory agencies may be entitled to access your personal information.

SERVICE PROVIDERS

We may use third party service providers (for example, web hosting providers, data management providers, or payment processers) to manage one or more aspects of our business operations, including the processing or handing of Personal Information. When we do use an outside company, we use contractual or other appropriate means to ensure that your Personal Information is used in a manner that is consistent with this Policy.

By providing your credit card details to us, we will use the credit card information you provide to bill you for goods and services. By providing your credit card details to us, you consent to and authorize us to provide your credit card details to payment processors and financial institutions necessary to process your payment. However, payments by credit card are taken through a third party service, and our Privacy Policy will no longer apply once you leave our website and/or use a third party service. We recommend that you review the privacy statements of any third party website we may link to in order to learn how your information may be collected, used, shared, and disclosed.

To provide increased availability of the Website, some of these operations may result in Personal Information collected by us being stored outside Canada and, as a result, such personal information stored outside of Canada may be accessible to law enforcement and regulatory authorities in accordance with applicable laws of countries outside Canada.

SECURITY

We protect Personal Information in our files and document management systems from loss, misuse, unauthorized access, and alteration by using physically secure facilities, password protection, standard security practices and tools, and well-defined internal policies and practices.

FOLLOW-UPS AND SURVEYS

From time to time, we may send you a follow-up letter to thank you for your use of the Website, or we may contact you to ensure that you are completely satisfied. We may use contact information collected online to conduct occasional surveys and other customer research. These surveys are entirely voluntary and you may easily decline to participate.

INFORMATION SHARED AMONGST OUR AFFILIATES, SUBSIDIARIES, AND DIVISIONS

We may share Personal Information gathered on the Website with and amongst our corporate subsidiaries, affiliates, or divisions for internal business purposes in accordance with this Policy. If we do, we will ensure that your information continues to be used only in accordance with this Policy and your expressed choices.

REQUESTS FOR ACCESS TO AND CORRECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

Applicable privacy laws allow any individual the right to access and request the correction of errors or omissions in his or her Personal Information that is in our custody or under our control. This includes identification of Personal Information under our custody or control and information about how Personal Information under our control may be or has been used by us. We will respond to requests within the time allowed by applicable privacy laws and will make every effort to respond as accurately and completely as possible. Any corrections made to Personal Information will be promptly sent to any organization it was disclosed to.

Individual clients may review any personal information concerning themselves we have on file in our offices by contacting their lawyer. Individuals who are not clients may request access to personal information we hold about them by written request to our Privacy Officer / Data Protection Officer.

Privacy Officer / Data Protection Officer
201 City Centre Dr, Suite 200
Mississauga, ON L5B 2T4

Privacy Officer / Data Protection Officer

+1 (416) 319-2220

We will provide access to such Personal Information, subject to exceptions stipulated or required by applicable privacy legislation. Examples of such exceptions include information protected by lawyer-client privilege, information generated in the course of a formal dispute resolution process, information about another individual where disclosure would reveal confidential commercial information, or information disclosed to the police or other lawful authorities where we are required to withhold disclosure. If you are concerned about the access we have provided or wish to advise us of inaccuracies in the information, you may contact our Privacy Officer / Data Protection Officer here or, in the case of clients, their lawyer.

You may also make a complaint about our information and privacy practices to the Information and Privacy Commissioner at:

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
30, Victoria Street
Gatineau, QC K1A 1H3

1 (800) 282-1376