Privacy Policy

General

Benjamin Adelson (d/b/a Vickery Advisory) and its affiliates (collectively, “Vickery”, “us”, “we” or “our”) are committed to the reasonable management of the personal information of clients and others, and of all visitors to our website (the “Site”) that we collect, use and disclose in the course of business.

In providing legal advice to clients, we have a professional obligation to maintain the confidentiality of information that we receive within a lawyer–client relationship. The practices set out in this privacy policy (the “Policy”) seek to balance the individual’s right to the privacy of his or her personal information and Vickery’s need to collect, use or disclose personal information for legitimate business and legal purposes in Canada and the United States.

Controlling the collection, use and disclosure of personal information is an ongoing process. We will continue to review our personal information management practices and improve them as necessary to better protect the privacy of individuals.

What Is Personal Information?

Personal information means any information about or that can be used to identify you as an individual, including information in your résumé or about your employment, “Know Your Client” background and contact details, the matter about and any other information that you choose to provide to Vickery.  Generally speaking, "personal information" is information about an identifiable individual, subject to more particular definitions or interpretations under applicable law. 

Your Consent

By providing us with your personal information, you consent to the collection, use and disclosure of that information as described in this Policy.

We will not, as a condition of supplying a service, require you to consent to the collection, use or disclosure of your personal information beyond that required to enable us to provide the services requested. The form of the consent that we will seek before collecting, using or disclosing personal information may vary depending upon the circumstances and the type of information, and includes express oral or written consent, implied consent and opt-out consent. We will consider the sensitivity of the information and the individual’s reasonable expectations in determining how consent must be given.  For example, for representations that require the collection, use and/or disclosure of personal information in connection with such representation, you are hereby providing your implied consent to such collection, use and/or disclosure. 

You may refuse to give personal information and may, subject to legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice, withdraw consent at any time to the continued use and disclosure of personal information previously collected. The period of reasonable notice will vary depending on the nature of the information and its purpose to Vickery. We will inform you of the implications of refusing or withdrawing consent (which are not necessarily exhaustive), which may have legal consequences or preclude us from providing legal or other services.

If you provide us with the personal information of another individual, you represent and warrant that you have the authority to do so, including where applicable that you have obtained the necessary consent of the other person for us to collect, use and/or disclose their personal information.

Collection of Personal Information

We will limit the amount and the type of information we collect to that necessary to fulfill the purpose of providing you with legal representation, or the purpose(s) we have identified to you, or as otherwise permitted or required by law. We may also collect information about your business and business interests or your personal interests to better serve you and foster our relationship.

We collect and use personal information: (i) to determine whether we can act for or against you, including to identify conflicts of interest, (ii) to offer and provide legal services to you and to communicate with you about our firm and our services, (iii) to administer our client records and to bill for our services, (iv) to fulfill our legal and professional obligations, and (v) as permitted or required by law or for purposes for which you otherwise provide your consent.

When possible, we will collect personal information from you directly. However, to provide legal services to clients or for legal, administrative, marketing or management purposes, we may also collect personal information through outside sources such as credit bureaus, government agencies or institutions, employment and other references, employers and service providers.

Site Visit Data

This Site automatically collects anonymous site visit information and traffic data, such as page load times. Raw server logs and traffic data are streamed to data centers in the United States by this Site’s host, GoDaddy. This type of data does not contain personally identifiable information. 

Cookies

Like many other websites, our Site makes use of "per session" and "persistent" cookie technology. Cookies are small text files that contain a unique identification number that are automatically deposited on a visitor’s computer. Per session cookies track information during an open session and are stored only temporarily in your computer’s memory. Persistent cookies are deposited on a visitor’s computer until they expire or until the visitor deletes the cookies. Information from these cookies help us analyze traffic patterns to the Site, including the total number of visitors, the geographical location of the visitor, and the types of Internet browsers and operating systems that our visitors use. We use this information and information you input into our Site to learn more about you and enhance your online visits. 

Use of Personal Information

We use personal information only as described in this Policy or as otherwise disclosed to you or permitted or required by law.

Vickery generally uses personal information about clients or client representatives for the provision of legal advice, which may include obtaining and carrying out client instructions, reporting and communicating with clients, billing and accounting, and protecting against fraud, illegal activities or error. Vickery may also use your personal information to maintain our knowledge management system, to manage our business, and to engage in business transactions involving Vickery. We may also use personal information to send you newsletters (or other transmittals) about our services or about legal developments that we think would interest you and to invite you to client functions, seminars and sporting or cultural events. 

We may distribute practice group bulletins, articles and other legal updates and publications to people on our mailing lists, who can elect to receive materials on one or more subject matters. We typically distribute such materials by e-mail and other forms of electronic messages. At any time, you may change your preferences or unsubscribe from our mailing lists.

If you send personal information through our Site, we will use it to assess website use and traffic, and to respond to your feedback, questions and comments.

Disclosure of Personal Information

We disclose personal information only as described in this Policy, with your consent, or as otherwise permitted or required by law. To provide legal services, we may sometimes disclose our clients’ personal information to third parties, including foreign agents and government or regulatory agencies. We may disclose personal information: (i) to third parties when it is necessary to do so to provide legal services to you – for example, when we retain another law firm or agent to act or assist us on your behalf, (ii) to service providers, inside or outside Canada and the United States, retained by us to assist us with marketing or other services, (iii) to third parties to assist us in evaluating your creditworthiness or to collect debts outstanding on an account, (iv) to anyone who we reasonably believe is your agent, (v) to our insurers and to regulatory agencies in connection with regulatory or other activities relating to the obligations of Vickery and its professional responsibilities in relation to the practice of law, (vi) in connection with a business transaction involving Vickery, and (vii) to other third parties, where you consent or where such disclosure is required or permitted by law.

Your personal information may be processed, accessed and/or stored in Canada, the United States or another jurisdiction, and will be subject to the laws of that jurisdiction.

Retention of Personal Information

Vickery will retain information, including personal information, for as long as it is needed for the purposes for which it was collected. For example, if you send us personal information electronically to apply for employment with Vickery, we will retain your personal information for a reasonable period to permit future consideration for employment. Vickery may also be subject to legislative requirements regarding the retention of certain types of information.

Protection of Personal Information

We use reasonable safeguards to protect the security of personal information in our possession, including physical, organizational and technological measures.

Your Access to Your Personal Information

You can ask to view your personal information by writing to Benjamin Adelson, whose email address is provided at the end of this Policy.  Please note that under certain circumstances, you may not be permitted access; for example, where the disclosure of your records would cause security, legal or confidentiality concerns.

Links to Other Websites

The Site may contain links to other websites. While we try to link only to websites that share our standards and respect for privacy, we are not responsible for the content or privacy practices of other websites. We strongly encourage all Site visitors to review the privacy statements and policies of all external websites.

Changes to This Policy

We may amend this Policy at any time. We will post the Policy as amended on our website and we recommend that you review this privacy policy from time to time to obtain the current version.

More Information About Vickery’s Privacy Practices

Please contact Vickery’s Founder (benjamin.adelson@vickeryadvisory.com) with any questions or concerns you have about this Policy or Vickery’s handling of your personal information.