initio Technology and Innovation Law Clinic

Privacy Policy

Last Updated: August 2024

THIS PRIVACY POLICY CONTAINS LEGAL OBLIGATIONS

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY BEFORE ACCESSING ANY INITIO SERVICE

Please also review our Terms and Conditions

This Privacy Policy applies to our collection, use, storage and disclosure of personal information through our website and social media accounts (the “Sites”), and in our providing services, participating at events and in the course of other activities (collectively the “Services”).

Legal professionals are governed by the Rules of Professional Conduct established by law societies and other laws including privacy laws. Legal professionals at the initio Clinic are obligated to maintain confidentiality of information we receive within the context of a lawyer-client relationship.

The initio Clinic endeavours to follow and maintain Dalhousie University’s policies to the extent they apply.   

We reserve the right to modify any part of this Privacy Policy. Please check this Privacy Policy regularly for updates as changes are effective on notice. If any change is not accepted, you must immediately cease accessing our Services. Continuing access after a change is posted will constitute your acceptance of such change.

1. About Us  

The initio Clinic operates from the Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University, 6061 University Avenue, Kjipuktuk / Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 4R2.  

2. Effective Date and Scope  

This Privacy Policy is effective as of the “Last Updated” date posted above.   

Please note that this Privacy Policy does not apply to any organizations or persons which are not owned or control by the initio Clinic or the practices carried on by other websites linked through the Site or our Services.

3. What Information is Collected?  

We only collect personal information that is directly related to the initio Clinic and our Services. Wherever possible, this information will be collected directly from you.

The initio Clinic may collect limited personal information about you and, in some cases, other individuals, which may include:

• Contact information (such as, name, email address, and telephone number);

• Billing and financial information; and

• Identification and other background verification data to check for conflicts of interest and comply with client identification and verification regulations.

Other personal information provided by you or collected from other sources. By using our Site, Squarespace will collect functional and necessary cookie information from you. Please visit Squarespace’s Cookie Policy for more information. 

4. How Does initio Collect my Personal Information? 

The initio Clinic collects personal information by lawful and fair means.

The initio Clinic may collect this information in various ways, including through your interaction with our Site and through your communications with us.  We may sometimes collect personal information from other sources in the course of providing you legal services, such as government agencies or registries like Corporations Canada or The Registry of Joint Stock Companies, accountants, or other third parties who represent that they have the right to disclose the information.

Our web servers may also automatically collect non-personal information which is provided through your browser or stored on a cookie or other similar technology when you access the Site. These may collect information such as what site referred you to our Site, your browser type, operating system type and version, language and your Internet Protocol (IP) address. We use this information for a number of technical purposes to ensure that our pages load correctly in your browser. You can set your browser to refuse all or some browser cookies, or to alert you when websites access cookies. If you disable or refuse cookies, please note that some or all parts of our Site may become inaccessible or fail to function properly.

By using our Services, you grant us permission to request and receive personal information that is relevant to providing you legal services, record-keeping, and other activities required by applicable law, regulation or Dalhousie’s policies. 

5. Who sees your personal information?

Access to personal information within initio will be restricted to those individuals who need the information in order to carry out their job duties. Those individuals are trained and instructed to maintain the information in the strictest of confidence and will not provide access to the information to anyone who is not authorized. The level of access to personal information will be granted on a need-to-know basis.

6. How will my Information be Used?  

We may use your personal information for the following purposes, such as:

• when required by the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society and/or other Rules of Professional Conduct established by law societies and other laws including privacy laws;

• providing legal services;

• for billing, record-keeping and other client contact and service matters;

• processing payment;

• responding to your inquiries, and to otherwise correspond with you in accordance with applicable laws;

• as permitted or required by law or for purposes for which you otherwise provide your consent; and

• learning about the needs of current and potential clients, to develop or offer services and to communicate with those clients regarding current and future products and services.

We do not sell, rent, or disclose your personal information to third parties without your consent, unless it is required by law. 

7. Consent  

By availing of the Services of the initio Clinic, accessing the Site, or submitting information to us you hereby consent to the collection, use and storage of your personal information as set out in this Privacy Policy. Subject to legal and contractual requirements, consent can be withdrawn at any time. If consent is refused or withdrawn, the initio Clinic may not be able to continue to provide services or information.  

Wherever possible, we seek a person’s consent before we collect personal information. The form of such consent may vary depending on the circumstances and the type of information being requested. When determining the appropriate consent, we consider the sensitivity of the personal information, the reasons we are collecting it and the reasonable expectations of the person. Consent can be express or implied and can be provided directly by the individual or by an authorized representative. Implied consent may be reasonably inferred from a person’s actions or inaction. When using personal information for a new purpose, we will make reasonable efforts to document that new purpose and obtain further consent.

8. Where is this Information Stored?  

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

Personal information may be stored on cloud-based systems, including but not limited to those of the following providers, and is subject to their respective Privacy Statements:

• Thomson Reuters;

• Microsoft; and

• Adobe.

9. Limits on Collection  

The initio Clinic endeavours to limit the collection of information to that which is reasonable and necessary for our purposes, or as otherwise stated or implied at the time of collection. 

10. How Long Will Data be Stored?  

This data will only be stored as long as reasonably necessary in accordance Rules of Professional Conduct established by law societies, other laws including privacy laws and for as long as we need the information to provide you with legal services and maintain our records. This may result in us holding personal information beyond the end of our relationship with an individual. When we are no longer required to retain the personal information, we will destroy, erase, or de-identify it.

11. What Security Measures are Taken to Protect Data? 

The initio Clinic uses security measures that are customary in the legal profession to protect against loss, theft, unauthorized access, disclosure, use or modification of personal information. Such measures will vary depending on the sensitivity, amount, format, nature and storage of the personal information and will involve, as applicable, physical, organizational and electronic security measures. Examples of such measures include restricted access to offices, training of personnel, limiting access to information on a "need-to-know" basis, and using passwords. Legal professionals at the initio Clinic are obligated to maintain confidentiality of information we receive within the context of a lawyer client relationship.

As a general rule, all information which we acquire for determining whether we will enter a lawyer-client relationship or in the course of a lawyer-client relationship will be held in strict confidence and not revealed to anyone unless we are authorized to do so. A lawyer-client relationship develops when we agree to be retained to provide service.

Although we seek to protect against possible breaches of our security systems, no institution can fully eliminate the risks of unauthorized access, and no website or e-mail client is completely secure. We cannot guarantee security against unauthorized access, hacking, data loss or breaches.

In communicating with us, you should be aware that e-mail is not a fully secure medium.

12. Use of Service Providers  

We may work with other companies to provide services on our behalf, such as website hosting services, payment processing services and other services as required.  Those service providers will be permitted to obtain only the personal information they need to deliver the service in question, and we endeavour to work with service providers that maintain similar levels of privacy protection. You acknowledge and agree that the initio Clinic is not responsible for the privacy practices of those third-parties that provide services on our behalf.  

Your personal information may be used or stored by our service providers outside of Canada. While we endeavour to work with service providers that provide adequate protections for your personal information we cannot guarantee their practices. Additionally, if your personal information is used or stored outside of Canada, it will also be subject to the laws of the country in which it is used or stored.

13.  Access or Corrections/Changes to Personal Information

When providing legal services to you, it is important that the information is up to date and accurate. If there are any changes to your information or if there are an inaccuracies or if the information is incomplete, please contact us at initio@dal.ca to make the necessary changes.

The initio Clinic will respond to any request for access to your personal information in accordance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, SC 2000, c 5 (“PIPEDA”). Unless significant retrieval costs are involved, requests are met at little to no cost. You will be advised of any potential cost prior to retrieval. We will not respond to requests that are frivolous, vexatious, or repetitious.

You also have the right to formally request access or corrections to your personal information under PIPEDA. The initio Clinic will respond in accordance with PIPEDA.

14.  Applications and Surveys

We may collect information when you voluntarily complete an application or online survey or other processes. We collect, use or disclose this information in a manner consistent with this Privacy Policy. We may also collect email addresses during any application, survey or other processes, but you may indicate that you do not wish to receive unsolicited electronic communications from us. We comply with Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation with respect to the sending of commercial electronic messages.

15. Questions  

For all inquiries or comments regarding this Privacy Policy or the handling of your personal information, please contact Alayna R. Kolodziechuk, Director, Technology and Innovation Law Clinic at initio@dal.ca. 

All students and staff of Dalhousie University are also bound by the University’s Privacy Policy.