Privacy Policy

At Koskie Glavin Gordon, protecting your privacy and maintaining high standards of confidentiality with respect to Personal Information in our possession is an important part of our daily routines. This Privacy Policy informs you of our approach to privacy and tells you about the ways we ensure your information is protected.

Our obligations as legal professionals are governed, in part, by the Rules of Professional Conduct that govern all members of the Law Society of British Columbia. These Rules require us, in part, to hold in strict confidence all information concerning the business and affairs of our clients acquired in the course of the professional relationship and we are not permitted to divulge any such information unless we have received express or implied consent from the client or are required by law to do so. These obligations apply not only to lawyers but to all professionals, employees, contractors and agents who provide services related to the delivery of our legal and other services.

The terms of this Privacy Policy also accord with other applicable laws and policies, including the federal Protection of Personal Information and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).

What is Personal Information? 

“Personal Information” means any information about an identified individual, or an individual whose identity may be inferred or determined from the information. It includes, for example, names, home addresses, phone numbers, financial information, medical information and employment information.

The Collection, Use & Disclosure of Personal Information 

All Personal Information that is collected either to determine whether Koskie Glavin Gordon will enter into a professional relationship with a person or organization, or in the course of a professional relationship, is held in strict confidence and not revealed to any third parties unless expressly or implicitly authorized by the person or organization concerned. A professional relationship develops when Koskie Glavin Gordon agrees to be retained to provide services to a particular individual or organization.

Either before or when we collect Personal Information about you, we will explain how we intend to use it. We will limit the information we collect to what we need for those purposes and will only use it for those purposes. We will obtain your consent before using your information for any other purpose and before collecting information about you from third parties. We endeavour, wherever possible, to collect Personal Information directly from the individual concerned, rather than relying on third parties.

By providing Personal Information to our firm, you agree and consent that we may collect, use and disclose your Personal Information in accordance with this Privacy Policy and any other applicable privacy legislation. If you do not agree with these terms, please do not provide any Personal Information to Koskie Glavin Gordon. Unfortunately, certain services can only be offered if you provide Personal Information to us. If you choose not to provide us with any required Personal Information, we may not be able to offer you those services.

In order to protect their own interests, individuals or organizations should not send confidential information to Koskie Glavin Gordon until they have had a direct discussion with a professional at the firm about retaining Koskie Glavin Gordon to provide legal services.

Koskie Glavin Gordon only collects information from individuals or organizations that is required to provide services or information to them.  We collect e-mail and mailing addresses when individuals subscribe to a publication offered by the Koskie Glavin Gordon. We use information collected through such subscriptions to send subscribers the publication they have requested, and to provide information that may be of possible interest.

Koskie Glavin Gordon does not sell, trade, barter or exchange for consideration any Personal Information it has obtained.

Koskie Glavin Gordon may disclose Personal Information to organizations that perform services on behalf of our firm.  Personal Information will only be provided to such organizations if they agree to use such information solely for the purposes of providing services to Koskie Glavin Gordon and under the instruction of Koskie Glavin Gordon.  Further, they must agree to act in a manner consistent with the relevant principles articulated in this Policy.
Please note that there are circumstances where the use and/or disclosure of Personal Information may be justified or permitted or where our firm is obliged to disclose information without consent. Such circumstances include:

  • Where Koskie Glavin Gordon is required by law or by order or requirement of a court, administrative agency or other governmental tribunal to disclose certain information;
  • Where Koskie Glavin Gordon believes, upon reasonable grounds, that disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, privacy, safety or property of an identifiable person or group;
  • Where disclosure is necessary to establish or collect money owing to Koskie Glavin Gordon;
  • Where disclosure is necessary to permit Koskie Glavin Gordon to pursue available remedies or limit any damages that Koskie Glavin Gordon may sustain; or
  • Where the information is public.

Where obliged or permitted to disclose information without consent, Koskie Glavin Gordon will not disclose more information than is required.

Accuracy and Access 

We will give you access to the information we retain about you. Koskie Glavin Gordon will also make every reasonable effort to keep your Personal Information accurate, current and as complete as necessary for the purposes for which we have collected the information. We expect our clients to participate in keeping their Personal Information as up-to-date and accurate as possible.

Retention 

Koskie Glavin Gordon keeps Personal Information only as long as it is required for the reasons it was collected. The length of time we retain information varies, depending on the product or service and the nature of the information. This period may extend beyond the end of a person’s relationship with us but only as long as necessary for us to have sufficient information to respond to any issues that may arise at a later date. At all times, Koskie Glavin Gordon protects your privacy by making every reasonable effort to keep your personal information in secure locations.

Currently, Koskie Glavin Gordon holds Personal Information at our office.

Security 

Koskie Glavin Gordon endeavours to maintain adequate physical, procedural and technical security with respect to its office so as to prevent any loss, misuse, unauthorized access, disclosure, or modification of Personal Information. It is sometimes necessary to transport Personal Information to other locations such as Courts, Tribunals or meetings.  Our lawyers and staff are careful to keep your Personal Information secure if and when it must leave our office.

In terms of communicating Personal Information to Koskie Glavin Gordon, you should note there is no method of transmitting or storing data that is completely secure.  Mail, telephone calls, faxes and transmissions over the Internet are all susceptible to possible loss, misrouting, interception and misuse of the information being communicated or transmitted.

Koskie Glavin Gordon attempts to strike a reasonable balance between security and convenience. In communicating with clients and others, Koskie Glavin Gordon can request the right to use a method of communication that is less secure than some of its less convenient alternatives.  An example of this is e-mail.

Our suppliers, agents and service providers, as part of their contracts with Koskie Glavin Gordon, are bound to maintain your confidentiality and may not use the information for any unauthorized purpose.

Koskie Glavin Gordon Website 

The only Personal Information Koskie Glavin Gordon collects on its website is the information voluntarily supplied by you if you contact us through our website. This information typically is restricted to your name and e-mail address. We do not employ any electronic means to automatically collect personally identifiable information from any visitor or user of our website or from their computers. We may use your Personal Information collected through our website to respond to your inquiries, contact you or provide you with e-mails or brochures that we believe will interest you or as otherwise permitted or required by law.

Koskie Glavin Gordon’s website does not presently use cookies, clear GIFs or any type of “web bug.”

 

Website Statistics

When you visit our websites, we may collect your IP address.  We record  what pages you visit and for how long, how you arrived at our site, where approximately you are located (according to IP addresses), what kind of operating system you are on, if you are using a cell phone or tablet to access the site, and what types of media you view on our site.
We collect anonymous statistics about how visitors use our website to better tailor the knowledge information we provide to meet our visitors’ needs. We use this information to manage our website, develop valuable knowledge publications, seminars and events and to ensure we are keeping our technology upgraded to sufficiently meet your needs.

 

EMAIL POLICY

We communicate with you regarding our services, publications and events in various ways, including email.  If you received an email from us, your email address is either listed with us as someone who has expressly shared this address for the purpose of receiving information in the future or you have an existing relationship with us. We respect your time and want to ensure we only send information to you that you will find valuable. We will always permit you to unsubscribe or opt-out of receiving these emails.

 Email Statistics

We collect statistics about how you use our email communication to better tailor the information we provide to your needs. These statistics include when you open our emails, forward them , click through links, and download files. If you use a link in an email from us that directs you to a page on our website, we will be able to associate your email address with that specific visit to our website.

External Links

We may have links in our emails to other sites and resources that provide information or materials we feel interests you. We are not responsible for the contents or security of those sites or the collection, use and disclosure of your personal information on those sites.

 Consent and Opting Out

If you provide us with your personal information for the purposes of receiving emails, you have “opted-in” to our communications. If we send you knowledge, announcement or invitation emails and you do not “opt-out” of receiving the specific type of communication or all marketing communications, we will assume your consent to receive future emails. You may, at any time opt-out or opt-in email communications using our opt-out link on each email or the sign-up form on our website.

Questions

If you have questions about accessing your Personal Information; Koskie Glavin Gordon ‘s collection, use, management or disclosure of Personal Information; or this Privacy Policy, please contact our Privacy Officer, Will Clements , at 604.734.8001, 1650- 409 Granville Street, Vancouver, British Columbia  V6C 1T2, Canada.

We will respond to written requests from individuals who seek to access their personal information or who wish to challenge the accuracy and completeness of their information and to have it amended. We will also respond to written complaints regarding Koskie Glavin Gordon’s information and privacy practices.

Koskie Glavin Gordon may revise this Privacy Policy, without notice, if we change our personal information management practices, are required by law to make certain revisions, or for any other reason.


If you have any questions about Koskie Glavin Gordon ‘s legal services, or for more information about any of the material contained on this website, please contact Koskie Glavin Gordon by telephone at 604.734.8001 or by e-mail at info@koskieglavin.com.