Legal Notice

Disclaimer

The content of the Barrila Law website is provided to you for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject matter. Visitors who use the Barrila Law website should act or refrain from acting without seeking the appropriate legal or professional advice having regard to the particular facts and circumstances at issue. There is no replacement for seeking the legal advice of a lawyer or applicable professional.

The viewing of the Barrila Law website, in whole or in part, and the communication with a lawyer at the Barrila Law by way of Internet, e-mail, or via the website does not constitute solicitor-client privilege between the Barrila Law and any recipients.

Privacy Policy

INTRODUCTION
Barrila Law is committed to the protection and management of the personal information that we collect, use and disclose in the course of providing professional legal services in the operation our law firm. In providing legal services to our clients, we have a professional obligation to maintain the confidentiality of information that we receive within the lawyer-client relationship, and are obligated to act in accordance with all regulatory requirements including applicable privacy legislation. The practices of which are set out in this privacy policy (the “Policy”) strives to balance an individual’s right to the privacy of his or her personal information and BARRILA LAW’s need to receive, use or disclose personal information of our clients, other individuals and our web site users.

The collection, use and disclosure of personal information is a continuing process. BARRILA LAW will continue to review our personal information management practices and strive to better protect the private information of those we work with.

WHAT IS PERSONAL INFORMATION?

“Personal Information” according to Canadian privacy legislation is defined broadly as any information about or that can be used to identify you as an individual. In general, Personal Information does not include information that would appear on a business card or information that is readily available in public records, nor does it include your corporate information, for example, business address and telephone number. It is important to note that if we do not collect your Personal Information, we cannot provide you with legal services.

RESPONSIBILITY

BARRILA LAW is responsible under privacy legislation for the Personal Information we possess or control. This Personal Information includes information we receive directly from clients and other persons, and Personal Information we receive indirectly from clients and other persons. We have established procedures with the objective of protecting Personal Information and have created a Privacy Officer position for which such individual is to oversee privacy issues for our law firm. Our Privacy Officer, Gaetano Barrila, can be reached at (905) 326-2767 ext. 111.

WHAT KIND OF INFORMATION DO WE COLLECT?

We will not collect Personal Information indiscriminately. Types of information we collect from you may include your name, home contact information, billing and account information, information relevant to a client’s legal matter and other information incidental to the provision of legal advice and services given by our firm.

Examples of Personal Information we collect may include, but is not limited to:

information needed to establish and maintain client relationships, provision of legal services, provide legal advice, and avoid conflicts of interest;
sharing Personal Information to and from third parties for the purpose of providing legal services. Third parties may include opposing parties, parties in interest, counsel, advisors, witnesses, decision makers, and experts;
information to create and maintain commercial relationships with clients, suppliers,and other third parties, including the issuance invoices, administering accounts, collecting and processing payments, and to fulfill contractual obligations;
information to develop, enhance, market, sell or otherwise provide our products and services;
information used to distribute our general information material to individuals on our mail and email lists, including via third party mailing houses and e-mail service providers;
information used to develop and manage our knowledge-management precedent systems and databases; information used to develop and manage our business and operations;
Personal Information used to engage in business transactions, including the purchase, sale, lease, mortgage, merger, amalgamation or any other type of acquisition, disposal, securization or financing; Personal Information about directors, officers, shareholders, security holders, investors, potential investors or buyers and employees of a client or other party;
Personal Information about witnesses, beneficiaries, family members, adverse parties or parties in interest;
Personal Information from your real estate agent in a property transaction or from your accountant in a business transaction;
Personal Information regarding the financial situation of our clients or third party individuals;
Information that is permitted by, and used to comply with, any legal or regulatory requirements or provisions;
and for any other purpose to which you consent.

YOUR CONSENT

When you provide us with your Personal Information, you consent to the collection, use and disclosure of that information as described in this Policy. 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, where an individual initiates contact with us or voluntarily provides us with Personal Information. We will also assume that clients who retain us, or other individuals that are 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.

As lawyers, we are subject to numerous professional and ethical obligations and we shall not disclose Personal Information which is subject to lawyer-client privilege unless privilege is lawfully waived or we are required by law to divulge such information.

HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION

BARRILA LAW collection of Personal Information will be by fair and lawful means and, when appropriate, directly from the individual. We attempt to limit the amount of Personal Information we collect, use or disclose to that which is necessary and appropriate to allow for the provision of legal services, representation and to properly and effectively operate our firm. We keep detailed records of the work we perform and services we provide within the realms of applicable regulatory requirements and professional standards.

TO WHOM DO WE DISCLOSE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION?

As a firm we may from time to time need to disclose your Personal Information in order to complete services you have requested, these disclosures may include but are not limited to:

service providers, which includes organizations and individuals retained by us to perform certain functions on our behalf including but not limited to, data processing, document management and office services;
an organization or individual retained by us to evaluate your creditworthiness or to collect debts outstanding on an account;
a financial institution, on a confidential basis and solely in connection with the assignment of a right to receive payment, the provision of security or other financing arrangements;
a person who, in our reasonable judgment, is providing or seeking the information as your agent;
any third party, where you consent to such disclosure or where disclosure is required or permitted by law;
to experts and outside organizations we retain for the purposes of providing legal services; and
other parties to a claim, action or proceeding where we reasonably deem appropriate or as may be required by law.

OUR WEBSITE

Our website is meant to be an interactive and informative tool to keep our clients informed and also to be used as a communication tool for our clients to contact us and submit Personal Information regarding the provision of legal services. It is important to understand how your Personal Information is gathered and stored when using our online system.

Internet Cookies: Cookies use small data files that are sent to your browser and stored on your computer’s hard-drive when you visit certain web sites in order to “track” your visit to the site. BARRILA LAW may, from time to time, collect non-Personal Information about you and your use of the site through the use of cookies.

On–line Communications: To provide our web-site users with publications, information or requested services, visitors may voluntarily submit Personal Information to us for such purposes as subscribing to or downloading publications, participating in surveys or asking questions. We use the Personal Information you provide only for the purpose for which you have provided it.

E–mail Communications: We may send e-mail communications to subscribers or other individuals in our contact database to advise of legal developments, distribute publications or to advise of events and seminars. Each e-mail includes an opt-out feature and instructions on how to un-subscribe if you do not wish to receive future emails from BARRILA LAW for these purposes.

Links: Our web site may present links to other websites. You should note that operators of linked websites may also collect your Personal Information and information generated through the use of cookies when you link to their web sites. BARRILA LAW will not be responsible for how third parties collect, use or disclose your Personal Information, so it is important to review their privacy policies before providing them with your Personal Information.

Fillable Forms: In order to provide our clients with the highest level of service, BARRILA LAW has made a commitment to the creation of online fillable forms (“Fillable Form)” to create a user friendly experience. Prior to the submission of our Fillable Form documents on our website, you will be requested to acknowledge a number of important provisions, including but not limited to the following:

the information provided to BARRILA LAW will be held in strict confidence;
upon the submission of a Fillable Form, BARRILA LAW reserves the right, in its sole and absolute discretion, not to retain any individual(s) for whatever reason, including the arising of a conflict of interest, or if prescribed by the Rules of Professional Conduct;
that the information provided by in the form is true, complete, and accurate;
that you have completed the form for the purposes of providing preliminary information to BARRILA LAW in order that it may complete legal services in connection thereto and for no other improper or irrelevant purpose;
that BARRILA LAW is relying on the information provided in the Fillable Form and will not be held liable for any inaccuracies or omissions in connection with the information for which you have provided;
that BARRILA LAW may require you to produce valid photo identification to substantiate the information provided herein; and
that you have fully read and understand the Fillable Form and the acknowledgement.

SERVICE PROVIDERS

Where we enter into arrangements with service providers, agents and contractors to store, handle or process Personal Information on our behalf, including data processing, document storage software support and office services, our policy is to require that such parties by contract or other means to provide comparable privacy protection while the information is processed or handled by them.

ACCURACY OF INFORMATION

To provide our clients with the professional level of service they deserve and to maintain appropriate contact preferences, we may ask you to update your Personal Information, contact information or preferences from time to time, and you can opt-out at any time from such communications. Clients are encouraged to contact their lawyer to update the Personal Information we maintain in our client files.

HOW IS YOUR INFORMATION STORED?

Your Personal Information is stored in secured locations and on servers controlled by us, located either at our offices or at the offices of our service providers.
HOW CAN YOU OBTAIN ACCESS TO YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION?
Upon your submitted written request, subject to certain exceptions, we will inform you of the existence, use, and disclosure of your Personal Information and will give you access to that information. Access requests should be sent to our Privacy Officer, using the contact information given below.

PROTECTION OF YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

In order to help protect your Personal Information, BARRILA LAW employs administrative and technological safeguards which are appropriate to the sensitivity of your Personal Information. At BARRILA LAW we have in place and operate a secure data computer system protected by industry firewall and password protection systems. In addition, where Personal Information is sent to a third party for processing, we require that all Personal Information is kept secure.

CHANGES TO THE PRIVACY POLICY

In our sole and absolute discretion, BARRILA LAW may modify or supplement this Privacy Policy at any time.

FURTHER INFORMATION

For further information on BARRILA LAW’s privacy practices, please contact the BARRILA LAW Privacy Officer at:

Law Offices of Gaetano Barrila
Privacy Officer (Gaetano Barrila)
37 Jacob Keffer Parkway, Suite 301,
Vaughan, Ontario
L4K 5N8

Tel: (905) 326-2767
Fax: 1 (888) 326-0172

Consent 

By using the website of Law Offices of Gaetano Barrila (“Barrila Law”) you consent to our legal notice and privacy policy.