Privacy Policy

D'Arcy & Deacon understands the importance of your personal privacy.  We have an ethical and professional obligation to keep confidential all information we receive from our clients.  The following policy outlines how we manage your personal information and safeguard your privacy.  It has been prepared to inform you of our practices concerning the collection, use and disclosure of information provided to our firm.

Privacy Rights

As of January 1, 2004, all law firms must comply with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (the "Act") and the Canadian Standards Association Model Code for the Protection of Personal Information which it incorporates. The Act gives you rights concerning the privacy of your personal information.

To ensure that your rights to privacy are protected, D'Arcy & Deacon has developed this policy, and trained our lawyers and support staff about our policies and practices. 

Purposes for Collecting Personal Information

D'Arcy & Deacon provides legal services and products to a wide range of clients.  We collect information about the client's legal issue including anything the client might have done or said that might affect their legal situation, so that we can advise the client as to their legal rights and responsibilities, their options for addressing the issue and then to carry out their instructions.

We may also collect information to establish mailing lists and inform our clients of marketing activities.

We do not collect information in an unreasonably intrusive way.  Wherever possible we collect your personal information directly from you, at the start of a retainer and in the course of our representation.  In order to protect their own interests, individuals or organizations should not send confidential information to D'Arcy & Deacon until they have had a direct discussion with a professional at the firm regarding the retention of the firm to provide legal services.

Occasionally, we may obtain information about you from other sources: for example,

(i) your insurance company;
(ii) your real estate agent in a property transaction;
(iii) from a government agency or registry;
(iv) your employer, if we are acting for you, at its request;
(v) your accountant.

Consent

In most cases, we shall ask you to specifically consent, if we collect, use, or disclose your personal information.  Normally, we ask for your consent in writing, but in some circumstances, we may accept your oral consent.  Sometimes, your consent may be implied through your conduct with us.

Use of Your Information

We use your personal information to provide legal advice and services to you, to administer our client (time and billing databases) and to include you in any direct marketing activities.  If you tell us that you no longer wish to receive information about our services, or about new developments in the law, we will not send any further material.

In addition, from time to time, our firm may contact you requesting additional personal information to assist us in maintaining our contact or mailing lists, or to assist us in representing you.

Disclosure of your Personal Information

Under certain circumstances, D'Arcy & Deacon will disclose your personal information:

(i) when we are required or authorized by law to do so, for example if a court issues a subpoena;
(ii) when you have consented to the disclosure;
(iii) when the legal services we are providing to you requires us give your information to third parties (such as a process server or a lender in a real estate mortgage transaction) your consent will be implied, unless you tell us