Shields Legal Privacy Policy
Shields Legal aims to provide the highest quality legal services to our clients. In order to do so, we collect and process certain information that you provide. We take your privacy seriously and we are committed to protecting your personal data.
This Privacy Policy states what information we collect, why we collect it, and how you can update, manage, and/or delete your information.
What We Collect & How We Do It
Website Interactions: We collect and store general traffic, website usage, browser information, length-of-stay, and location data in log files. We collect and use this information on an anonymous, aggregated basis. Which means, we do not connect this information to a name or other personal information.
Personal Information (Non-Financial): We collect all or some of the following personal information: first and last name, email address, company contact details, and other information for the purposes described below.
Alerts and Announcements: We may use your contact information to provide you with e-alerts about legal developments and information about Shields-sponsored seminars and events. We always give you the opportunity to opt-out of these communications.
Other Requests: When you make an inquiry on our website or request information, we collect contact details along with a description of your problem. When you contact us via the firm email addresses, we will collect your contact information and any information you include in your email.
What We Do With the Data We Collect
We process your information for the legitimate interest of communicating with clients, prospective clients, and other users about our legal services and our events and publications related to developments in the law. Processing your information for the purposes described is necessary for us to do what we do, and it is in both of our interests. If you have any questions or concerns with us processing your information for this legitimate interest, please email us at inquiry@shieldslegal.com.
We will ask for your consent before using your information for a purpose that extends beyond what you may reasonably expect from a law firm and that has a more significant privacy impact.
We occasionally hire other companies to provide limited services on our behalf, including website development and operation, preparing marketing materials, sending postal mail or email, analyzing website use, job applications, processing payments and processing data. We will only provide those companies with the information they need to deliver the service, and they are contractually prohibited from using that information for any other reason. We also may disclose your information in special cases. For example, when we believe that we must disclose information to bring legal action against someone who may be violating our Terms of Use or causing injury to us, our property, our website, our clients or others. We may disclose visitor information when subpoenaed, if ordered or otherwise required by a court of law, arbitrator, or other similar proceeding, for government investigations, with government agencies if required by law, and when we otherwise believe in good faith that any applicable law requires it.
Data Collection Technology
As part of offering and providing customizable and personalized services, we use online tracking technologies to store and sometimes track information about you to:
- Provide you with personalized content based on your use of our website
- Enable you to use our website more easily by remembering and using contact information
- Evaluate, monitor, and analyze the use of our site and its traffic patterns to help improve our website and services
The types of technologies we use include:
Pixel Tags
We also employ a software technology known as a pixel tag or Web beacon. A pixel tag is a line of code that we place on our website or in e-mails which allows us to analyze our marketing and the general usage patterns of visitors to our website. These help us better manage content on our website by informing us what content or promotions are effective. Unless you consent, we do not collect personally identifiable information from you through the use of pixel tags. You may not disable pixel tags.
IP Addresses and Log Files
We record the IP addresses of visitors to our website. Recording these IP addresses is necessary for the website to function. Our server software keeps access logs, error logs, and security audit logs. This collection is critical in detecting and preventing fraud or unauthorized system access and addressing threats such as a DOS attack. We do not associate this log file information with other information.
Indirect Collection — Social Networking
The website permits you to use a third-party social networking platform such as X and LinkedIn. When you use these social networking platforms and plugins, your username and password for the available service or collected from you on these services may be shared with us. When you use social networking platforms and plugins, you share your information with them, and their privacy policy applies to disclosure of such information. In addition, they may be able to collect information about you, including your activity or may notify your connections on the social networking platform about your use of the website. Such services may allow your activity to be monitored across multiple websites for purposes of delivering more targeted advertising. Please note that their privacy policies apply and we encourage you to read them. We may add new social networking plugins and buttons to our website from time to time.
Indirect Collection — Analytics
Our website uses Google Analytics, a web analysis service of Google, Inc. (“Google”). Learn more from their Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Opt-out: Download the browser plugin “Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on” here.
We use Google Analytics to analyze the use of our website. We do not transfer personal information to Google Analytics.
Managing Your Information
If you have signed up to receive e-alerts and marketing emails from us, you can unsubscribe or change your preferences by clicking on the links attached to the bottom of the email.
How We Protect Your Information
We have appropriate security measures in place to prevent personal information from being accidentally lost or used or accessed in an unauthorized way. We limit access to your personal information to those who have a genuine business need to know it. Those processing your information will do so only in an authorized manner and are subject to a duty of confidentiality.
We also have procedures in place to deal with any suspected data security breach. We will notify you and any applicable regulator of a suspected data security breach where we are legally required to do so.
How Long Do We Keep Your Information?
We keep your information only so long as we need it to provide the service you have requested of us (e-alerts, event information, etc.) and fulfill the purposes described in this policy. When we no longer need to use your information for the purpose, we collected it and there is no need for us to keep it to comply with our legal obligations, we will either remove it from our systems or depersonalize it so that we cannot identify you.
Our Policy on Children’s Information
If you are under 18 years of age you should not provide information to us without the involvement of a parent or guardian. We do not collect online contact information without prior parental consent or parental notification, including an opportunity for the parent to prevent use of the information and participation in the activity. We do not knowingly solicit personal information online from, or market online to, children under the age of 13.
Contact Us
We review our privacy policy and practices on a periodic basis and may change them from time to time. Please check this policy frequently to ensure that you are familiar with its current content. If you have any questions about this policy or need to reach out to Shields Legal for additional information, please contact us at inquiry@shieldslegal.com or call us at 972.788.2040.
Last Updated: January 24, 2024