1. Introduction
AK Legal ("we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard information when you visit our website or engage our legal services.
We comply with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and applicable Ontario privacy legislation. By using our website or contacting us, you consent to the practices described in this Policy.
2. Information We Collect
We may collect the following categories of personal information:
- Contact information — name, email address, phone number, and mailing address provided when you contact us or complete our intake form.
- Matter information — details about your legal matter that you voluntarily share with us during consultations or in written communications.
- Website usage data — browser type, IP address, pages visited, and time spent on our site, collected automatically via standard web server logs and analytics tools.
- Communications — records of emails, phone calls, or messages you send to us.
We do not collect sensitive personal information (such as health records or financial account numbers) through this website.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect to:
- Respond to your inquiries and schedule consultations;
- Provide, manage, and improve our legal services;
- Comply with our professional and legal obligations;
- Send administrative communications (e.g., appointment confirmations);
- Analyse website traffic to improve the user experience;
- Maintain records as required by the Law Society of Ontario.
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.
4. Solicitor–Client Privilege
All communications between you and AK Legal in the context of seeking or receiving legal advice are protected by solicitor–client privilege. This privilege belongs to you as the client and will not be waived without your express consent, except where required by law.
Information shared through our general website contact form is not automatically protected by privilege and does not create a lawyer–client relationship. A formal retainer agreement is required to establish that relationship.
5. Disclosure of Your Information
We disclose personal information only in the following circumstances:
- With your consent — for example, when you authorise us to communicate with other parties on your behalf.
- Service providers — trusted third parties who assist in operating our website or practice (e.g., secure email providers, scheduling software), bound by confidentiality obligations.
- Legal requirements — where disclosure is required by law, court order, or regulatory body (including the Law Society of Ontario).
- Protection of rights — where necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of AK Legal, our clients, or the public.
6. Cookies and Analytics
Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to enhance your browsing experience and collect aggregate usage statistics. Cookies are small text files stored on your device. You can control cookies through your browser settings; however, disabling cookies may affect the functionality of certain parts of our website.
We may use Google Analytics or similar tools to understand how visitors use our site. These services collect anonymised, aggregated data and are governed by their own privacy policies.
7. Data Retention
We retain client files and related personal information for a minimum of seven (7) years following the conclusion of a matter, or as otherwise required by the Law Society of Ontario's record-keeping rules. Website inquiry data is retained only as long as necessary to respond to your request.
8. Security
We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, use, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include encrypted email communications, password-protected systems, and restricted access to client files.
No method of transmission over the Internet is completely secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.
9. Your Rights
Subject to applicable law and our professional obligations, you have the right to:
- Access the personal information we hold about you;
- Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information;
- Withdraw consent for certain uses of your information (where consent is the basis for processing);
- Request deletion of your information, subject to our legal retention obligations.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in Section 11 below.
10. Links to Third-Party Websites
Our website may contain links to external websites (e.g., courts, government portals, legal resources). We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those sites. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing any personal information.
11. Contact Us
If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our handling of your personal information, please contact us:
- AK Legal
- 74 Jutland Road, Suite 37, Etobicoke, Ontario M8Z 0G7
- Email: ana@anaklegal.com
- Phone: (647) 261-6650
If you are unsatisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.
12. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law. We will post the revised policy on this page with an updated effective date. We encourage you to review this page periodically.