Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Freedman Benipal Wu LLP ("FBW Law," "we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting the privacy of individuals who visit our website and interact with our firm. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard personal information in connection with our website at fbwlaw.ca and our legal services.

FBW complies with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, S.C. 2000, c. 5 ("PIPEDA"), applicable Ontario privacy legislation, and the privacy obligations imposed on lawyers under the Law Society of Ontario's Rules of Professional Conduct.

2. What Is Personal Information

Personal information means any information about an identifiable individual. This includes, but is not limited to, your name, email address, phone number, mailing address, and any details about a legal matter you share with us.

Personal information does not include aggregated or anonymized data that cannot reasonably be used to identify an individual, or the name, title, business address, or business telephone number of an employee of an organization (as provided under PIPEDA).

3. Information We Collect

We may collect personal information in the following ways:

Through our website contact form. When you submit an inquiry through our website, we collect your name, email address, phone number, and the details you provide in the message field. We remind you not to send confidential matter details before we confirm we are able to act for you.

Through direct communications. When you contact us by email or telephone, we collect the information you provide in the course of that communication.

Through the provision of legal services. If you retain FBW Law, we collect personal information necessary to provide legal advice and representation, fulfill our professional obligations, and comply with applicable law.

Automatically through your use of our website. We may collect certain technical information automatically when you visit our website, including your IP address, browser type, pages visited, and time of visit. This information is collected through standard web server logs and, where applicable, cookies or similar technologies. This information is used in aggregate form to understand how visitors use our website and to improve its performance.

4. Cookies

Our website may use cookies, which are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. We use cookies solely for functional and analytical purposes, such as understanding how visitors navigate the site. We do not use cookies to build individual user profiles or for advertising purposes.

You may disable cookies in your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect the functionality of certain features of this website.

5. How We Use Personal Information

We use personal information for the following purposes:

• To respond to your inquiry and determine whether we are able to assist you
• To perform conflict of interest checks before establishing a retainer
• To provide legal services to clients under an established retainer
• To communicate with you about your matter
• To comply with our professional obligations under the Law Society of Ontario's Rules of Professional Conduct
• To comply with applicable law, court orders, and legal process
• To improve our website and understand how it is being used

We do not use your personal information for marketing or solicitation purposes without your consent.

6. Legal Basis and Consent

We collect and use personal information with your knowledge and consent, except where the law permits or requires otherwise. By submitting an inquiry through our website or contacting us directly, you consent to the collection and use of your personal information for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.

You may withdraw your consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice. Withdrawal of consent may affect our ability to provide services to you. To withdraw consent, please contact us using the information in section 13 below.

7. Disclosure of Personal Information

FBW Law does not sell, rent, or trade personal information. We may disclose personal information in the following limited circumstances:

With your consent. We may disclose your information to third parties where you have authorized us to do so in the course of providing legal services.

Service providers. We may share information with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating our website or practice, such as cloud storage, document management, and communication platforms. These providers are required to maintain the confidentiality of your information and to use it only for the purposes for which it was disclosed.

Legal and professional obligations. We may disclose information where required by law, court order, or our professional obligations as lawyers, including obligations under the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act, S.C. 2000, c. 17, where applicable.

Solicitor-client privilege. Where a solicitor-client relationship has been established, all communications are subject to solicitor-client privilege, subject to the limited exceptions recognized at law.

8. Retention of Personal Information

We retain personal information for as long as is necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, to comply with our professional obligations, and as required by applicable law. The Law Society of Ontario requires lawyers to retain client files for a minimum period following the conclusion of a matter. After the applicable retention period, personal information is securely destroyed or anonymized.

9. Security

We take reasonable physical, administrative, and technical measures to protect personal information from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include secure file storage, access controls, and the use of encrypted communication platforms where appropriate.

No method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is completely secure. While we strive to use commercially reasonable means to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. Access and Correction

Subject to applicable law and our professional obligations, you have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you and to request that inaccurate information be corrected. To make such a request, please contact us using the information in section 13 below.

We will respond to access requests within 30 days, or notify you if additional time is required. We may charge a reasonable fee for access requests in certain circumstances, in accordance with PIPEDA.

We may be unable to provide access to information that is subject to solicitor-client privilege, that relates to another individual whose privacy interests would be affected, or that is otherwise exempt under applicable law.

11. Links to Third-Party Websites

This website may contain links to third-party websites. FBW Law is not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page will reflect when the Policy was last revised. We encourage you to review this Policy periodically. Continued use of our website following any update constitutes acceptance of the revised Policy.

13. Contact Our Privacy Officer

FBW Law has designated a Privacy Officer responsible for overseeing compliance with this Privacy Policy and applicable privacy legislation. If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding your personal information or this Privacy Policy, please contact:

Privacy Officer
Freedman Benipal Wu LLP
130 King Street West, Suite 1205
Toronto, Ontario M5X 2A2
T: +1 416-603-3298
E: info@fbwlaw.ca

If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada at www.priv.gc.ca or by calling 1-800-282-1376.