Privacy Policy
At Five Paralegal and Notary Solutions (“Five” or “we”), we understand the significance of privacy and the sensitivity surrounding personal data. As a licensed paralegal, we have professional responsibilities to maintain the confidentiality of information received in the context of our paralegal-client relationships. We are dedicated to safeguarding the personal information we collect in compliance with applicable laws. This Privacy Policy details our practices for handling personal information and protecting your privacy.
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Personal information refers to details about an identifiable individual, excluding the name, title, business address, or telephone number of an employee within an organization.
PIPEDA
Effective January 1, 2004, all Canadian entities engaged in commercial activities are required to adhere to the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (“PIPEDA”) along with the Canadian Standards Association Model Code for the Protection of Personal Information, which is integrated into PIPEDA. These requirements also apply to paralegals and paralegal firms, including Five.
PERSONAL INFORMATION AT FIVE
COLLECTING PERSONAL INFORMATION
We gather personal information in a fair manner and in compliance with legal standards. Typically, we collect your personal data directly from you, either at the beginning of our relationship or during the course of our engagement.
In some cases, we may obtain your information from external sources, which could include:
– government agencies or registries;
– other professionals who assist you, such as your accountant;
– witnesses or other parties involved in litigation;
– and participants in a business transaction.
CONSENT
Generally, we will seek your consent before collecting, using, or disclosing your personal information. While we may request written consent, we might also accept verbal consent in certain situations. Your consent could be implied based on your interactions with us or the nature of our engagement. Please note that withdrawing your consent may affect our ability to assist you and maintain our working relationship.
USE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
We utilize your personal information to offer you legal advice and services, manage our client databases (including time and billing), enhance our firm’s knowledge and expertise, and include you in our marketing and information-sharing activities. Should you decide that you no longer wish to receive updates about legal developments or our services, you can instruct us to stop sending such information.
DISCLOSURE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
Five does not share your personal information with third parties for their marketing purposes. However, there are specific circumstances under which we may disclose your personal information, including:
– when you have given your consent;
– when we are legally obliged or permitted to do so, such as in response to a court warrant or subpoena;
– to comply with the requirements of the Law Society of Ontario, which regulates legal practice in Ontario;
– when the legal services we are providing necessitate sharing your information with third parties, with your consent being implied unless you specify otherwise;
– for the purpose of collecting fees or disbursements;
– if we hire a third party to provide administrative services (such as data backup, archival storage, or insurance) and that party adheres to privacy obligations consistent with this policy;
– in the event of a merger or expansion of Five;
– if we engage expert witnesses on your behalf;
– or if we need to retain another law firm (including those in different jurisdictions) on your behalf.
UPDATING YOUR INFORMATION
It is essential for us to have accurate and current personal information to provide legal services effectively. If any of your information changes during our engagement, please let us know so we can update our records accordingly.
SECURING PERSONAL INFORMATION
Five employs various measures to ensure that your personal information is protected from loss, unauthorized access, alteration, or disclosure. These protective measures include:
– confidentiality policies in line with our professional obligations;
– implementing technological safeguards such as security software and firewalls to prevent unauthorized computer access or hacking;
– and internal security and password policies.
E-MAIL
Please be aware that e-mail is not a completely secure method of communication, and you should keep this in mind when sending personal or confidential information to us.
You will not be recognized as a client of Five until we have formally agreed to represent you according to our standard client acceptance procedures, which include a signed written retainer agreement.
Please refrain from including confidential information in your e-mails, as any such information will be promptly deleted by Five.
ACCESSING PERSONAL INFORMATION
You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you.
Requests that require significant archiving or retrieval efforts may incur our usual professional and disbursement fees.
Your access rights are not absolute; there are specific situations in which we may deny access. If we refuse your request for access or to correct personal information, we will provide an explanation.
REQUESTS FOR ACCESS
For inquiries or to access your personal information, please contact Five in writing at the following address:
Five Notary & Legal Solutions
1735 Bay Road
L’Orignal, ON
K0B 1K0
If you are not satisfied with our response, you can reach the Privacy Commissioner of Canada at:
112 Kent Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 1H3
1 (800) 282-1376
CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY
Five periodically reviews its policies and procedures and reserves the right to modify this Privacy Policy as necessary.