Privacy Policy

Pink Larkin recognizes the importance of privacy and the sensitivity of personal information. We collect, use and disclose personal information according to our professional obligations as lawyers, and consistent with the requirements of the federal Personal Information Privacy and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).

What is “Personal Information”?

Personal information is any information about an identifiable individual, or information that allows an individual to be identified. Personal information does not include certain business contact information used for employment, business or professional purposes.

Your Privacy Rights

As lawyers, we are obligated to keep confidential all information we receive in the context of a lawyer/client relationship.

The PIPEDA requirements extend beyond that to provide additional rights related to all personal information collected in the course of commercial activities.

Consent

By submitting personal information to Pink Larkin, or its service providers and agents, you agree that we may collect, use and disclose that personal information in accordance with this privacy policy, and as permitted or required by law. Subject to legal and contractual requirements, you may refuse or withdraw your consent to any of the identified purposes for which we collect information at any time by contacting the Pink Larkin privacy officer. If you provide Pink Larkin, or our service providers and agents, with personal information of another individual, you represent that you have all necessary authority and/or have obtained all necessary consents from such person to enable us to collect, use and disclose such personal information for the purposes set forth in this privacy policy.

We may obtain consent for the collection, use and/or disclosure of personal information orally or in writing, and consent may be given by you expressly or implied by the circumstances. How we obtain consent will be determined based on what is appropriate to each situation.

Why do we collect personal information?

We collect personal information from our clients for purposes that include the following:

• providing legal services in accordance with your instructions;
• avoiding conflicts of interest;
• managing payment for legal services;
• in the course of providing legal services, sharing personal information to and from third parties as described below; and
• any other purpose to which you consent.
  
  

How do we collect personal information?

We may collect personal information directly from you at the start of a retainer and/or in the course of our representation of you.

Sometimes, we may also obtain information about you from other sources, such as:

• your accountant;
• your medical providers;
• your employer;
• your union; and
• public bodies such as health care facilities.
  
  

Use of Information

When you provide us with personal information to provide legal advice and services to you, including for billing purposes, Pink Larkin will assume that you have consented to the use, unless you specifically advise otherwise.

Pink Larkin does not disclose your personal information to any third party to enable them to market their products.

Disclosure of Personal Information

Pink Larkin may sometimes disclose your personal information. For example, we may disclose your personal information:

• when we are required or authorized by law;
• when you have consented to the disclosure;
• when the legal services we are providing to you require us to give your information to a third party (in such cases, your consent will be implied, unless you tell us otherwise);
• where it is necessary in relation to our legal fees and billing;
• if we engage a third party to provide administrative or computer services to us (in such cases, the third party will also be bound by our privacy policy);
• if we engage expert witnesses on your behalf; and
• any third party or parties where you consent to such disclosures, or where disclosure is required or permitted by law.
  
  

Updating Information

It is important that the information that you provide us be accurate and up to date. If, during the course of the retainer, any of your information changes, please let us know so that we can adjust our records.

Protection of Personal Information

Pink Larkin takes all reasonable precautions to ensure your personal information is kept safe from loss, unauthorized access, modification or disclosure. This includes:

• securing our physical premises;
• securing our technological tools such as computers and software programs;
• using appropriate passwords; and
• complying with all professional obligations per the Codes of Conduct of the applicable provincial Barristers’ Society or Law Society.
  
  

Privacy and Our Website

We may collect personal information from you using our website, including financial information. We collect only the information you give us voluntarily by sending us an email message, completing forms, or using the links contained on the website. Pink Larkin collects and uses your name, address, telephone number, email address, and other information you submit on or through the website for purposes for which you provided the personal information, to respond to your inquiries and applications for positions, and to provide you with updates and information that we think may be of interest to you. By providing Pink Larkin with personal information on or through the website, you consent to the collection and use of that information for these purposes.

Like most other commercial websites, we may monitor traffic patterns, site usage and related site information on our website in order to optimize our web service. We may provide aggregated information to third parties, but these statistics do not include identifiable personal information.

Emails to us

Please be aware that, while we take all reasonable measures to ensure the security of email, email is never perfectly secure. We ask you to consider this when sending us personal information by email. We can arrange more secure transmission of information via secure file-transfer programs.

Changes to this Policy

Pink Larkin reserves the right to modify or supplement this policy at any time.