Privacy Policy

Spectrum HR Law

Privacy Policy

At Spectrum HR Law we are committed to maintaining the accuracy, confidentiality, security and privacy of all personal information that is entrusted with us. We manage personal information in accordance with the applicable privacy laws as well as in keeping with the Codes of Professional Conduct that govern lawyers and the requirements of the Law Societies. This Policy applies to all of Spectrum HR Law’s lawyers, paralegals, administrative professionals, any other person providing services on our Firm’s behalf and any of our corporate affiliates. We also ensure that any of our service providers that obtain your personal information in the course of providing services to Spectrum HR Law comply with applicable laws and also treat the personal information in a manner consistent with this Policy and our commitment to privacy.

A copy of this Policy can be accessed on our website: http://spectrumhrlaw.com and may be amended from time to time. We encourage you to often review this Policy so that you may be apprised of any amendments, which take effect on the date of posting.

Personal information

Personal information means any information that identifies an individual (including but not limited to name, address, age, gender, marital status, place of birth, ethnic origin, employment history, financial history, opinions, evaluations and comments). Personal information does not include business contact information (name, title or position, email address, business address or phone number) that was provided to us to contact individuals in relation to their business responsibilities or for business communications. It also does not include information that is derived from personal information that was aggregated by us, where individuals’ identities are unascertainable or where we have rendered the personal information non-identifiable.

Consent

Unless you have provided your personal information voluntarily and for an obvious purpose, we will inform you of the purposes for which we are collecting the information either before or at the time of collection, use or disclosure and obtain your consent where required by law. We will only collect your personal information for purposes that are reasonable. You may withdraw your consent at any time and inform us accordingly. In some instances we will require your express consent however in other instances your consent will be deemed. For instance, there are exceptions where we may not request consent including, for example, where the collection, use or disclosure is: permitted, authorized or required by law or by a public body acting under the authority or requirement of law; reasonable for an investigation or for legal, administrative or regulatory proceedings; for the purpose of complying with a subpoena, warrant or order issued or made by a court, person or body having jurisdiction to compel production or with a rule of court that relates to that production; required to collect a debt owed to our Firm or to pursue other legal remedies or damages potentially available to our Firm or to defend any actions brought against our Firm; related to a situation that threatens life, health or safety of person or property; necessary for a business transaction; required for an audit; provided to enroll you in or supply you with coverage in or a benefit from an insurance policy, pension plan, benefit plan or a similar policy, plan or contract as an individual other than the applicant to the policy, plan or contract; for a purpose where a reasonable person would consider the disclosure or use of information to be clearly in your interests and consent could not be obtained in a timely way or you would not reasonably be expected to withhold consent; or, is public or found in a public directory. This list is non-exhaustive.

In some circumstances, your consent may be obtained after collection but prior to our use or disclosure of your personal information. If we plan to use or disclose your personal information for a purpose not previously identified (either in this Privacy Policy or separately), we will endeavor to inform you of that purpose before such use or disclosure.

Collection, use and disclosure of personal information

We collect only the personal information that we need for the purposes of providing legal services to our clients and prospective clients and for the administration and management of our Firm. Generally, we may collect personal information to enter retainer agreements and open files or during the provision of our legal services. We may also collect, use or disclose personal information to: manage our legal files and accounts, including conducting conflict of interest searches and managing billing; communicate regarding our legal services; deliver materials, products and services related to law and follow up to determine satisfaction; notify of and register for seminars and functions; guarantee hotel reservations, travel or similar bookings; business transactions, for example, a current or prospective purchase, sale, lease, merger or amalgamation or any other type of business combination involving the Firm, which will be subject to this Policy, applicable law and appropriate confidentiality agreements; meet regulatory or statutory requirements; general business management needs; maintain knowledge management or for precedent purposes related to documents created on your behalf; and, for other contact or notification purposes related to our legal services and professional obligations. By providing us with your personal information, you consent to our collection, use and disclosure under the terms of this Policy. We request that you refrain from sending your personal information to our Firm without prior notice. We may also collect your personal information from others with your consent or as authorized by law. At any time, you may withdraw your consent and we will return or destroy the personal information we have in our possession, however please note that this withdrawal could compromise or discontinue our ability to provide legal services, representation or other valuable services to you.

Spectrum HR Law uses service providers to assist us in the overall administration, business and financial affairs of the Firm. Service providers are any organization including our affiliates, contractors, subcontractors or any other person or entity that directly or indirectly provides services on our behalf. Spectrum HR Law ensures that our service providers will not be privy to your personal information unless required during the provision of services to us, and if so required that they treat any personal information with which they become in contact in a manner consistent with the purpose for which the information was initially collected, this Policy and applicable laws. We do not use service providers outside of Canada nor does your personal information cross the border.

Safeguarding, ensuring accuracy of, and retaining personal information

We make every reasonable effort to ensure that personal information is accurate and complete. We rely on you to notify us if there is a change to the personal information that we have on file. We protect personal information in a manner appropriate for the sensitivity of the information. We make every reasonable effort to prevent any loss, misuse, disclosure or modification of personal information, as well as any unauthorized access to personal information. We retain personal information only as long as is reasonable to fulfill the purposes for which the information was collected or for legal or business purposes in accordance with or as required by applicable laws. We use appropriate security measures when destroying personal information, including shredding paper records, permanently deleting electronic records and otherwise rendering personal information non-identifiable. We will ensure that any loss of or unauthorized access to personal information is addressed without delay and in accordance with applicable laws. Any notification to the Privacy Commissioner in this regard should not affect any legal privilege otherwise attached to the personal information.

Spectrum HR Law will only collect, use or disclose personal information for opening or managing a legal file, providing legal services, transferring or providing the personal information to service providers, as permitted or required by law or under the non-exhaustive list of examples of exceptions listed above and only to the extent necessary and appropriate. Spectrum HR Law has also ensured that appropriate security measures are in place to protect the Firm and its property from external security threats and continually monitors the security policies and procedures that are in place. Mainly out of convenience for our clients and efficiency of services, Spectrum HR Law does not use encryption for emails however we do have measures in place to maintain privacy and confidentiality. These measures include direct contact to ensure email addresses can receive personal or confidential information, ongoing communication, and secondary review of the addressees of email correspondence before emails are sent. Any contact lists created within the Firm are monitored to ensure accuracy and appropriateness for the contact purposes.

Access to records containing personal information and requests for correction

You have a right of access to the personal information in a record that is in our custody or under our control, subject to some exceptions. For example, we may refuse to provide access to information that would reveal personal information about another individual or if disclosure would reveal confidential business information. Access may also be refused if the information is privileged, was required for an investigation or legal proceedings or is contained in mediation or arbitration records. If we refuse a request in whole or in part, we will provide the reasons for the refusal. In some cases where exceptions to access apply, we may withhold that information and provide you with the remainder of the record. You also have a right to request correction of an error or omission in the personal information in a record that is under our custody or control. You may make a request for access to or correction of your personal information by writing to our Privacy Officer, who is the designate for Spectrum HR Law to ensure compliance. You must provide sufficient information in your request to allow us to identify the information you are seeking. If the request for access or correction is not granted, a notation will be appended to the subject personal information. You may also request information about our collection, use or disclosure of your personal information and any use of that information that involves persons outside our Firm. For personal information collected before January 1, 2004, if we do not have a record of disclosures, we will provide information about any disclosure of your information that is likely to have occurred. We will respond to your request within a reasonable period of time and in accordance with applicable legislation. We may charge a reasonable fee for access to personal information, but not to make a correction. We will advise you of any fees that may apply before beginning to process your request.

Our website

We only collect information on our website that you provide through our “Contact Us” section or when you send us an email. We do not use cookies to store any personally identifiable information. Our website contains links to other websites for your convenience however we are not responsible for, legally or otherwise, the collection, use, disclosure or related practices of those other entities. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of those other entities for further information and before providing any of your personal information. For quality assurance and optimizing use of our website, we track usage patterns on our website including the date and time of page views, visitor IP addresses, referring URLs and information about types and versions of browsers used. This information is used in aggregate form to help us understand how our site is used by our visitors.

Questions and complaints

We have listed many but not all of the considerations relating to collection, use and disclosure of personal information and we recognize that we have not covered every scenario, situation or example for our handling policies and practices. If you have a question or concern about any collection, use or disclosure of personal information by Spectrum HR Law, our policies or practices, or about a request for access to or correction of your own personal information, please contact our Privacy Officer:

Privacy Officer
Spectrum HR Law LLP
Suite 1950, 639 5th Avenue SW
Calgary, Alberta T2P 0M9
Phone: 403. 444. 8100
Fax: 403.444.8101
Email: privacy@spectrumhrlaw.com

We truly value your business at Spectrum HR Law and we hope to impress upon you that we hold all information, personal or otherwise, entrusted with us up to the highest standards of confidentiality, in keeping with this Policy and in accordance with our professional standards and ethics. We would not sell, trade or otherwise improperly use or disclose any information you have provided to us and we will always use best efforts to maintain privacy and accuracy. If you have any questions related to the handling of your personal information, please contact us immediately.