Privacy Policy

"Personal Information"

Privacy legislation in Canada defines "personal information" broadly as any information about an identifiable individual. In general, personal information does not include business contact information, including your name, title or position, business, telephone or facsimile number.

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What Personal Information Do We Collect?

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 our firm. 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.

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We may also collect information about your online interactions through our criminallawgroup.ca website and our other web-enabled extranet services (collectively, the “Sites”), our email communications, and our online ads. We may collect this information for the purposes of (i) tailoring content that we may send or show you, (ii) to authenticate you, enable access to information, and otherwise administer the Sites, and (iii) for analytical purposes to better understand digital interactions with our firm.

 

Our Purposes for Collecting, Using or Disclosing Personal Information

GBS collects, uses and discloses personal information for the primary purpose of providing our clients with professional legal services and representation, including for the following 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 the admission of individuals as employees and members of the firm;

• 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; and

• as permitted by, and to comply with, applicable legal or regulatory requirements or provisions.

Consent

We will obtain a client's consent to the collection, use and disclosure of personal information about the client, and the consent of other individuals where required by applicable privacy legislation. We assume that an individual has consented to our reasonable collection and use of personal information consistent with the purposes for which the information was given, when the individual initiates contact with us or voluntarily provides personal information to us. We also assume that clients who retain us, or individuals involved in proceedings or matters opposite or adverse to our clients, consent to the reasonable collection, use and disclosure of their personal information by our professionals and agents for purposes of our representation or provision of legal advice to our clients and the conduct of the transactions or proceedings involving our clients.

 

We do not collect, use or disclose personal information without consent unless authorized or required by law to do so, such as in the following circumstances:

• if a client provides personal information about third parties to us for purposes of our legal representation or advice to the client;

• where a court order or subpoena is issued, or under applicable rules of production, a regulatory or other body with jurisdiction to compel production so requires;

• when the information is publicly available within the meaning of applicable privacy legislation, such as in professional or other directories, in public registries, publicly-filed court records or information appearing in published form;

• if we are investigating the breach of an agreement, a legal duty or contravention of a law and obtaining consent would compromise the investigation or the accuracy of the information;

• if we are required to disclose personal information to a lawful authority;

• as otherwise authorized by law.

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

We obtain the electronic or oral consent of individuals who subscribe to our publications program or who indicate an interest to members of the firm in receiving such materials. We provide an opt-out opportunity to individuals from our publications, seminar and other events on an ongoing basis.

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By calling or texting this number 1-866-720-2245, Customers agree to receive text messages, If you no Longer wish to receive text Messages, you may opt out at any time by replying "STOP".

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Should you have any question about our privacy policy, please email us at info@criminallawgroup.ca