Last Revised: January 5, 2017

Thanks for using Legal Equals. This privacy policy (“Policy”) applies to your use of Legal Equals’ website, products and services (together, the “Services”). The Policy is intended to inform you about how we collect and use information so you can make an informed decision about using the Services. Please read it carefully before using the Services or submitting any information to us. If you do not agree to any part of this Policy, then you should stop accessing the Services.

WHAT INFORMATION DO WE COLLECT?

1. Usage/Log Information

We collect usage information when you use the Services. This includes information such as your computer’s Internet Protocol (IP) address, operating system and browser type, the address of a referring website or a website to which you exit, the date and time you access or use the Services, items you click on, pages you view and the amount of time you spend on particular pages.

2. Cookies and Online Advertising

We also collect certain information (automatically) through the use of “cookies” and similar tracking technologies. Cookies are small data files that are stored on a user’s computer or device at the request of a website to enable the website to recognize previous visitors and retain information such as user preferences and history. If you wish to block, erase, or be warned of cookies, please refer to your browser instructions or “help screen” to learn about these functions. However, if your browser is set to not accept cookies or if you reject a cookie, you will not be able to sign in to your Legal Equals account or use certain parts of the Services.

We may also use third parties to display and target ads, provide certain functionality (such as maps), or to place their own cookies and other tracking technologies to collect, track and analyze usage and statistical information from users. We are not responsible for the information collection practices of any third parties.

3. Personal Information

We collect and store Personal Information that you provide to us when accessing or using the Services. “Personal Information” means information relating to a person who is or can be identified directly from that information. This includes your name, address, telephone number, email address, credit card or other account number. Personal Information does not include: (1) aggregated or anonymized information; (2) any publicly available information about lawyers; (3) information about you that is provided by third parties; or (4) information that is posted to publicly accessible areas of the Services. Examples of Personal Information we collect include information that you provide when you (a) create or update your Legal Equals account, (b) communicate with us, (c) purchase services from us, (d) contact or recommend a lawyer, (e) submit client ratings or peer endorsements. If you are a lawyer and claim or update your profile (“Profile“), or post information using your Profile, we may also collect verification information.

4. Publicly Posted Information

Personal Information that you post to public areas of the Services or via your Profile may become publicly available and is no longer considered Personal Information. Your posting to such public areas of the Services constitutes consent to share such information publicly, and you should assume that such information will be widely disseminated, including via search engines and other tools to locate information online.

HOW WE USE THE INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1. Non-Personal Information

We use information other than Personal Information, including aggregated or anonymized information, for ad targeting, to analyze trends, administer the Services, improve customer service, diagnose problems with our servers, track user movement, and gather demographic information for aggregate use. Third party ad platforms may use this information for a similar purpose, but you should follow up with third parties and confirm their information collection and usage practices directly. We may freely publish, disclose and use information other than Personal Information, including aggregated or anonymized Personal Information, to or with third parties.

2. Personal Information

We use Personal Information to facilitate your use of the Services, to process your requests or transactions, to provide you with information, products and services you request, to administer and assist us with the operation of our business, and for the purpose for which the information was provided. We may use the information we collect to send you news relevant to you or in accordance with your preferences. We may also send you advertisements from third parties. We do not disclose, rent, sell or otherwise make available your Personal Information to third parties for direct marketing purposes.

3. Third Party Service Providers

In the event that we engage with third party service providers in connection with our Services, we may share Personal Information with such service providers who need access to such information to carry out their work for us. For example, we may use credit card processing or verification companies to verify credit card information or to verify your identity. Other than such service providers, we do not share Personal Information with third parties unless (1) you have indicated to us that you wish to receive information from such parties; (2) you otherwise give us your consent to do so; or (3) in response to a request for information or a subpoena.

MANAGING YOUR PREFERENCES

1. Managing Online Advertising Preferences

We respect all browser instructions for setting or rejecting cookies on generally available browsers. This is one way to manage your preferences regarding the collection of information by Legal Equals. Additionally, and because data acquired across the internet is often associated with information about you acquired in other places online, you can manage online advertising preferences via these links:

Google Ad Preferences Manager
Facebook Ad Preferences Manager
Network Advertising Initiative
Digital Advertising Alliance

While Legal Equals will follow any such preferences, we make no representations regarding whether third parties, including third party ad platforms, will do so.

2. Managing Your Newsletter/Communications Preferences

You may select whether or not you wish to continue to receive newsletters or other communications by changing your account settings on the email and notifications page of the My Account section of the Services. In addition, you may “opt out” of receiving any category of subscription, marketing or promotional email from Legal Equals by following the unsubscribe instructions or using the unsubscribe links within the emails we send. Please note, however, that as long as you maintain an account, you may not “opt out” of receiving service or account-related emails from Legal Equals.

REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION; DISCLOSURE FOR ENFORCEMENT PURPOSES

We may disclose Personal Information when we are required to or we believe it is appropriate to comply with the law (e.g., a lawful subpoena, warrant or court order); to enforce or apply this Policy or our other policies or agreements; to initiate, render, bill, and collect for amounts owed to us; to protect our or our users’ rights, property or safety; to protect our users from fraudulent, abusive, or unlawful use of the Services; or if we believe that an emergency involving the danger of death or serious physical injury to any person requires or justifies disclosure of Personal Information.

UPDATING YOUR LISTING INFORMATION AND PUBLIC POSTS

You can correct certain information by logging into your account and changing the information, and you may also delete certain information by closing your account. In addition, lawyers may change certain information contained in their Profile by claiming their Profile and editing the information contained therein, or by sending us an email.

Please note that in certain circumstances, we may not, or may not be able to, remove or change certain information, even in the event an account is closed. For example, we may retain and continue to display any information you provided in connection with a question, answer, endorsement or client review. In addition, lawyers cannot remove their Profiles, ratings, endorsements or reviews by closing their accounts.

SECURITY MEASURES

Legal Equals endeavors to secure your Personal Information from unauthorized access, use or disclosure by putting into place reasonable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard the information we collect. For example, when we collect credit card information, we use a secure server with Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption software and store such credit card information using encryption methods designed to prevent unauthorized access. Additionally, your account information is accessible online only through the use of a password.

No security measures are perfect or impenetrable. To protect the confidentiality of your Personal Information, you must keep your password confidential and not disclose it to any other person. You are responsible for all use of the Services by any person using your password. Please advise us immediately by emailing us if you believe your password has been misused. You should also note that email is not secure, and you should not send any confidential or sensitive information to us via an unsecured email.

THIRD PARTY WEBSITES AND PRACTICES

The Services may contain links to other websites or make available third party services, including ad platforms and technologies. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of such third parties. We encourage you to be aware and to read the privacy policies of any website or service that collects your information. Similarly, if you accessed the Services through another website, we are not responsible for the privacy practices of that website, and you should review the privacy policy of the originating website before providing any information to that website. This Policy applies solely to information collected by us.

TRANSFERS OF INFORMATION

Information about our customers, including Personal Information, may be disclosed as part of any merger, acquisition, debt financing, sale of company assets, as well as in the event of an insolvency, bankruptcy or receivership in which Personal Information could be transferred to third parties as one of Legal Equals’ business assets. In such an event, we will attempt to notify you before your Personal Information is transferred, but you may not have the right to opt out of any such transfer.

CHILDREN

Our Services are not intended for use by children under the age of 13, and such use is prohibited by our Terms of Service. We do not knowingly collect Personal Information from children under 13. If you become aware that a child has provided us with Personal Information, please contact us as set forth in this Policy.

CHANGES TO THE POLICY

We may change the provisions of this Policy at any time, and we will always post the most up-to-date version on our website. If we determine, in our sole discretion, that a modification to this Policy materially affects your rights, we will notify you (by, for example, sending a message to your account email or posting on the Legal Equals Blog).

If you have any questions or comments about this Policy or the practices relating to our Services, or you wish to verify, correct or delete any Personal Information we have collected, please contact us via our Contact Page here.