Look, we get it - nobody actually enjoys reading privacy policies. But here's the thing: when you're trusting us with your legal matters, you deserve to know exactly what we're doing with your information.
At Emberion Ascendant Legal, we've been handling sensitive corporate data for years, and we treat your personal information with the same level of care we'd expect for our own. This isn't just some boilerplate document our IT guy threw together - it's our actual commitment to keeping your data safe and sound.
We're based in Toronto and operate under Canadian privacy laws, which means we follow PIPEDA (Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act) guidelines. Basically, we can't mess around with your data even if we wanted to.
Here's what we typically gather when you reach out to us or become a client:
Let's be straight about what we do with your data:
Providing you with actual legal services - litigation support, contract reviews, M&A advisory, all that good stuff we're here for.
Keeping you in the loop about your cases, answering your questions, sending updates when there's news worth sharing.
Processing invoices, managing retainers, keeping financial records straight (nobody likes billing confusion).
Meeting our professional obligations under Law Society rules and other legal requirements we can't wiggle out of.
Making our site work better, fixing bugs, figuring out what content actually helps people.
Conflict checks, due diligence, making sure we're not stepping on any ethical landmines.
We won't use your information for random marketing campaigns or sell it to third parties looking to spam you. That's just not our style.
We're pretty protective of your data, but there are some situations where we need to share it:
Sometimes we work with other professionals who help us do our job better - think expert witnesses, investigators, accountants, IT support folks. They only get access to what they absolutely need, and they're bound by confidentiality agreements just like we are.
If a court orders us to disclose something, or if there's a legal investigation where we're required to cooperate, we don't have much choice. We'll always let you know when this happens unless we're legally prohibited from doing so.
If you specifically tell us it's okay to share your info with someone (like opposing counsel during negotiations), we'll do that. But we'll make sure we've got clear authorization first.
In the unlikely event our firm merges with another or gets acquired (hey, it happens), your information would transfer as part of that deal. Any new owners would still be bound by this privacy policy and professional conduct rules.
We take security seriously - probably more seriously than we take our coffee orders (and that's saying something around here).
That said, no system is 100% bulletproof. While we do everything reasonable to protect your data, we can't guarantee absolute security. If there's ever a breach that affects your information, we'll let you know promptly and tell you what steps we're taking to fix it.
Under Canadian privacy laws, you've got some solid rights when it comes to your personal information:
To exercise any of these rights, just shoot us an email at info@emberionascendant.info or give us a call at (416) 555-8742. We'll need to verify your identity first (can't just hand out client info to anyone who asks), but we'll make the process as painless as possible.
Yeah, we use cookies - not the chocolate chip kind, unfortunately. Here's what's happening behind the scenes:
These keep the website functioning properly. They remember your session, keep you logged in to our client portal, that kind of thing. You can't really turn these off without breaking the site.
We use these to understand how people use our site - which pages get the most traffic, where people tend to get stuck, how long they hang around. It's all anonymous data that helps us improve the user experience. We're currently using Google Analytics, but we've configured it to respect your privacy as much as possible.
These remember your preferences - like if you've already dismissed a notification or chosen a particular setting. Makes your experience smoother on return visits.
Most browsers let you control cookies through their settings. You can block them entirely if you want, though some parts of our site might not work as well. Check your browser's help section for instructions on managing cookies.
Some browsers send "Do Not Track" signals. We respect those where technically feasible, though there's no universal standard for how websites should respond to them yet.
We can't just delete your information the moment your case wraps up. There are some legal and professional requirements we need to follow:
Under Law Society of Ontario rules, we're required to keep client files for at least 10 years after the matter closes. This includes all correspondence, documents, notes, and billing records. It's not optional - it's part of our professional obligations.
Tax laws and accounting standards require us to keep financial records for 7 years. This includes invoices, payment records, trust account transactions, all that fun stuff.
If you've just contacted us for general inquiries but never became a client, we'll typically keep that information for about 3 years. After that, if we haven't heard from you, we'll delete it.
Once the required retention period expires and we no longer have a legitimate reason to keep your data, we'll either delete it securely or anonymize it so it can't be traced back to you. Physical documents get shredded, digital files get permanently wiped.
If you've got specific concerns about how long we're keeping your information, just ask. We're happy to explain our reasoning for any particular retention decision.
If you've made it this far, congrats - you're one of the few who actually reads these things. We respect that.
If something's unclear or you've got specific questions about how we handle your information, don't hesitate to reach out. We'd rather answer your questions upfront than have you wondering what we're up to.
(416) 555-8742
info@emberionascendant.info
1250 Bay Street, Suite 1800
Toronto, ON M5R 2A5