Privacy Policy

Last Modified: January 3, 2020

Wires Law is a business registered and operating in Ontario, Canada. Further to our terms of use (the "Terms"), this Privacy Policy sets out how we collect, store and use personal information and cookies in connection with our websites only. For the purpose of this Privacy Policy, our websites include:

Outside the context of this privacy policy, additional personal information may be collected from you if you engage Wires Law to act as your legal counsel.

No Solicitor-Client Relationship

BY NO MEANS DOES INTERACTING WITH OUR WEBSITES, OR PROVIDING US WITH ANY INFORMATION VIA OUR WEBSITES, CONSTITUTE A SOLICITOR-CLIENT RELATIONSHIP. WE ARE NOT YOUR LAWYERS UNLESS AND UNTIL WE CONFIRM WE CAN ACT FOR YOU IN A LEGAL SERVICES AGREEMENT. PLEASE DO NOT PROVIDE US WITH ANY CONFIDENTIAL OR SENSITIVE INFORMATION UNTIL WE CONFIRM WE CAN ACT AND WILL ACT AS YOUR LEGAL COUNSEL PURSUANT TO A LEGAL SERVICES AGREEMENT.

By agreeing to our Terms or by using our websites, you consent to the collection and use of personal information in accordance with this Privacy Policy, which may be updated from time to time. If you believe that we have not adhered to this Privacy Policy or would like to request an amendment to personal information being held by us, please contact us by e-mail at [email protected].

Part I: Collection of Personal Information

While we do not require that you upload or provide us with any personal information to use our websites, certain online forms on our websites may ask for and collect personal information, including your:

  • Name;
  • Business name(s);
  • Address;
  • Email address;
  • Phone number;
  • IP address;
  • Other types of raw data relating to how you interact with our websites, for example, your browser information and session duration; and
  • All other information you elect to provide to us, whether on our websites or otherwise.

The Personal Information of Other Individuals

To the extent you provide us with, or upload data that includes the personal information of another individual, you represent and warrant that you have that individual's consent to provide us with their information to use in accordance with this Privacy Policy and our Terms. If you do not have their consent, you agree not to upload or provide us with any such personal information.

Payment Processing

For clients who enter an engagement agreement and formally retain Wires Law, we may also collect credit card and payment information from you via a third-party payment processor. As of the last date this Privacy Policy was updated, we use the following payment processors:

Although we may host their forms on our websites or embed them in our legal services agreement, when you provide your payment details, you are providing them to the applicable payment processor. You acknowledge that our third-party payment processors may have their own agreements which apply to you. While we will not have access to your entire credit card number, we will be able to bill your credit card and may have access to certain card and payment details such as the name on your card, billing address and card expiration date. If you have questions regarding our payment processor, please contact us.

Part II: The Use of Personal Information

We may use personal information you provide us to:

  • Facilitate the ordinary operation of our websites;
  • Send you emails, including email newsletters, promoting our services or legal updates you may find interesting. You may unsubscribe from such communications at any time, just follow the links in the footer of our email newsletters;
  • Consider whether we will offer services to you;
  • To provide services to you, if we agree we may act as your legal counsel;
  • Bill and collect money owed to us;
  • Communicate with you about services we offer;
  • Pursue available legal remedies to us and to prosecute or defend a court, arbitration or similar proceeding;
  • To meet legal and regulatory requirements, including those of the Law Society of Ontario; and
  • To enforce compliance with our Terms and applicable laws, rules and regulations.

We do not sell personal information to third-parties and we will never amend these terms to permit us to sell your personal information.

Part III: The Disclosure of Personal Information

Sharing Personal Information and Content if Required by Law

We may share personal information and any content collected, uploaded or provided to us if required by law, such as in response to a subpoena, court order or other legal process in any jurisdiction. If we are required by law to make any disclosure of your personal information or content, we may, but are not obligated to, provide you with written notice of such disclosure, if permitted by law.

Sharing Personal Information to Cooperate with Investigations and Law Enforcement

Absent a court order, subpoena or other legal requirement to disclose personal information or content in our possession or control, you agree that we may also share personal information and content you upload or provide to us with law enforcement authorities in the investigation of any criminal matter if we reasonably believe doing so is necessary or beneficial in protecting your safety, or the safety of any third-party.

Sharing Personal Information with Third-Party Providers

Our suppliers, partners, independent contractors (collectively "Third-Party Providers") and/or employees, may have access to, or be shared personal information to use in connection with one or more of the purposes for which the information was collected.

Our Third-Party Providers may have access to personal information in providing services to us, or providing you with access to our websites. We may use a variety of Third-Party Providers in order to host our websites and facilitate their ordinary use, including for example, hosting servers which store personal information.

As of the last revision date of this Privacy Policy, among others, we use the following Third-Party Providers who may have access to, or store your personal information, by virtue of our use of their services:

  • Our website, email and data hosting providers include GoDaddy.com, LLC and their affiliates. For more information on their privacy practices please see https://www.godaddy.com/legal/agreements/privacy-policy.
  • Our email marketing and newsletter providers include:
    • The Rocket Science Group LLC, a company headquartered in the State of Georgia in the United States, who operate MailChimp. For more information on their privacy practices please see https://mailchimp.com/legal/privacy/; and
    • Substack Inc. together with their affiliated entities worldwide. For more information on their privacy practices please see https://substack.com/privacy/; and
  • Our practice management online software provider is Themis Solutions Inc. and their related and affiliated entities worldwide. For more information on their privacy practices please see https://www.clio.com/privacy/. When you complete online forms on our websites, some or all of the information you provide may be automatically uploaded to our account with Themis Solutions Inc.

We also use Google LLC together with their affiliated entities worldwide, in order to use Google Analytics. For details, visit https://analytics.google.com/analytics/web/.

We may update the above list of Third-Party Providers from time-to-time as our websites continue to evolve. Third-Party Providers may have their own agreements and privacy policies on the collection and use of personal information which either we or you provide them.

Your Personal Information May Not Be Stored in Canada

As we may have servers, Third-Party Providers, employees and other parties we share your personal information with in locations both inside and outside of Canada, your personal information may become subject to foreign laws and foreign legal proceedings.

European General Data Protection Regulation

Our technical measures to protect personal information take into account current technology available and the costs of implementing that technology in addition to the nature, scope, context and purposes of the personal information collected and processed. However, our collection processes and data practices, which include the involvement of Third-Party Providers outside the European Union, were not designed to meet the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation of the European Union. As such, you may only provide us with personal information if you are not a European person. To the extent you provide us with the personal information of any third parties, you agree to only provide us with their information if they are not European person. As we are a company registered and operating in Canada, you agree and acknowledge that your personal information will be accessed by us in Canada, although it may be stored with Third-Party Providers in locations both in and outside of Canada.

Sharing Personal Information if Our Business, Website(s) are Acquired

We may share personal information with our successors (if our business or one of our websites is acquired by another legal entity) or any assignee of our assets relating to the websites and our services. Disclosure in such circumstances is governed by the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, SC 2000, c 5 in Canada.

Disclaimer and Warning About Sharing Personal Information Online

YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WHEN SHARING PERSONAL INFORMATION ONLINE, THERE IS ALWAYS A RISK OF DATA BREACHES, INCLUDING DATA BREACHES IN WHICH THIRD PARTIES UNLAWFULLY ACCESS OUR SYSTEMS, OR THE SYSTEMS OF OUR THIRD-PARTY PROVIDERS, WHICH STORE PERSONAL INFORMATION.

WHILE WE TAKE MEASURES TO PROTECT PERSONAL INFORMATION, YOU AGREE THAT, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, IN NO EVENT WILL WE, OUR AFFILIATES, OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, SHAREHOLDERS, EMPLOYEES, CONTRACTORS, AGENTS, THIRD-PARTY PROVIDERS OR LICENSORS BE LIABLE, HOWSOEVER CAUSED, INCLUDING BY WAY OF NEGLIGENCE, FOR THE LOSS OR THEFT OF YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION OR ANY DAMAGES CAUSED AS A RESULT THEREOF, SO LONG AS WE WERE NOT DIRECTLY AND GROSSLY NEGLIGENT IN THE PROTECTION OF SAID INFORMATION.

Retention of Your Personal Information

We keep your personal information for as long as it is required for the purpose for which it was collected. There is no single retention period applicable to the various types of personal information collected. Please contact us if you would like to delete any personal information we hold about you. While we may do so, we also reserve the right to continue to hold personal information about you, to the extent it is required to be held by us by law, rule or regulation, including those imposed by the Law Society of Ontario.

Part IV: Our Use of Cookies

By using our websites, you consent to our use of cookies. This cookies policy explains what cookies are, how we use them and how Third-Party Providers may also use cookies on, or in connection with our websites.

What are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files sent to and automatically downloaded by your web browser (assuming you have cookies enabled) when you visit our websites. A cookie file is stored in your web browser and allows our websites and Third-Party Providers we use to recognize you, track your activity across our and other websites and is usually used in conjunction with logging your internet protocol ("IP") address.

Cookies can be "persistent" or "session" cookies. Persistent cookies remain on your computer (in your browser files) or mobile device when you go offline, while session cookies are deleted as soon as you close your web browser.

Can you block the use of Cookies?

Most web browsers allow you to disable the use of cookies. However, our websites or certain components of our websites may not operate properly, and you may not be able to access and use our websites if you disable cookies.

Can you delete Cookies once downloaded?

Most web browsers also permit you to delete cookies. This is typically done via your web browser's settings, which vary depending on which web browser you use. For details on managing cookies settings using:

How we use Cookies

Our use of cookies is primarily to analyze how you use our websites, for instance which pages you visit most often and where you found our websites online. This helps us better understand your user experience and other statistics which we may use to provide a better user experience in future updates to our websites.

For example, cookies are used in connection with our use of Google LLC's Google Analytics. For more information on Google Analytics and how cookies are used by Google Analytics, see Google LLC's information page at https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/analyticsjs/cookie-usage.

If you have questions, comments or suggestions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices that were not answered here, please email [email protected].