Privacy Policy

1. Our Commitment to Privacy

Goldstone Law PC (“we”, “us”, or “the Firm”) is committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of personal information in accordance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), the Law Society of Ontario’s Rules of Professional Conduct, and other applicable privacy legislation.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard personal information obtained through our website at www.goldstonelawpc.ca (the “Website”) and through the provision of our legal services.

2. What Information We Collect

We may collect the following categories of personal information:

• Contact information: your name, telephone number, and email address provided when you submit a contact or callback request through our Website.
• Matter-related information: the general nature of the legal matter you wish to discuss, and the names of other parties involved (collected for the purpose of conducting a conflicts of interest check).
• Website usage data: general information about your visit to our Website, including your IP address, browser type, pages visited, and the date and time of your visit, collected through standard web analytics tools.

We do not collect sensitive personal information, financial information, or government-issued identification through our Website. Such information, where required for the provision of legal services, is collected directly in person or by telephone in accordance with By-Law 7.1 of the Law Society of Ontario.

3. Why We Collect This Information

We collect personal information for the following purposes:

• To respond to your inquiry or callback request.
• To conduct a conflicts of interest check before agreeing to provide legal services.
• To communicate with you about your matter once a solicitor-client relationship has been established.
• To comply with our legal and regulatory obligations under the Law Society Act and By-Laws.
• To improve the content and functionality of our Website.

We collect only the minimum amount of personal information necessary for the above purposes.

4. How We Use Your Information

We will only use your personal information for the purposes for which it was collected, or as otherwise permitted or required by law. We will not use your personal information for marketing purposes without your express consent.

Please note that completing a contact form or submitting an inquiry through our Website does not establish a solicitor-client relationship. Information submitted prior to the formation of a solicitor-client relationship will be treated confidentially but is used solely to assess whether we are able to act for you.

5. Disclosure of Personal Information

Goldstone Law PC does not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties.

We may disclose your personal information in the following limited circumstances:

• To third-party service providers who assist us in operating our Website or our practice (such as our practice management software provider), provided they are bound by confidentiality obligations.
• To regulatory bodies such as the Law Society of Ontario, where required by our professional obligations.
• Where required or permitted by law, including in response to a valid court order, subpoena, or government request.
• With your express consent.

Where personal information is shared with third-party service providers, we take reasonable steps to ensure that those parties maintain appropriate security standards.

6. Solicitor-Client Privilege and Confidentiality

Once a solicitor-client relationship has been established, all information you provide to us in the context of that relationship is protected by solicitor-client privilege and our strict duty of confidentiality under the Rules of Professional Conduct of the Law Society of Ontario.

Solicitor-client privilege belongs to you as the client and may only be waived by you. We will not disclose privileged communications except as required by law or with your informed consent.

7. Security of Personal Information

We take reasonable technical and administrative measures to protect personal information against loss, theft, unauthorized access, use, disclosure, copying, modification, or disposal. Our office systems are password-protected and access to client information is restricted to authorized personnel only.

However, no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is completely secure. You acknowledge that any information you transmit to us through our Website is done at your own risk.

If you are communicating sensitive information, we encourage you to contact us by telephone rather than by email or web form. Please be aware that email communication carries inherent risks to confidentiality.

8. Retention of Personal Information

We retain personal information for as long as is necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law or our professional obligations. Client files and associated records are retained in accordance with the Law Society of Ontario’s requirements and our own records retention policy.

Inquiries that do not result in a retainer will be retained for a reasonable period for the purpose of conflicts management, in accordance with our obligations under the Rules of Professional Conduct.

9. Access and Correction

You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you, and to request that any inaccurate information be corrected. To make such a request, please contact us in writing using the contact information provided below.

We will respond to access requests within 30 days and will make reasonable efforts to provide the requested information. In some cases, we may not be able to disclose certain information, for example where it is subject to solicitor-client privilege or legal professional privilege.

10. Cookies and Website Analytics

Our Website may use cookies and similar tracking technologies to collect information about your use of the Website. A cookie is a small data file stored on your device that helps us understand how visitors use our Website and improve its functionality.

You may configure your browser to refuse cookies or to alert you when cookies are being sent. Please note that some features of our Website may not function properly if cookies are disabled.

We may use third-party analytics services (such as Google Analytics) to collect aggregate, non-identifiable information about Website traffic and usage patterns. This information does not identify you personally.

11. Links to Third-Party Websites

Our Website may contain links to third-party websites. This Privacy Policy applies only to information collected by our Website. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of any third-party websites and encourage you to review their privacy policies before submitting any personal information.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law. Any updated policy will be posted on our Website with the revised effective date. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, or about how we handle your personal information, please contact us:

Goldstone Law PC
201-186 Robert Speck Parkway
Mississauga, Ontario, L4Z 3G1
Tel: 905-595-9917
Website: www.goldstonelawpc.ca

If you are not satisfied with our response to a privacy concern, you may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada at www.priv.gc.ca or by telephone at 1-800-282-1376.