The Personal Information Protection Act ("the Act") regulates the way private sector organizations within Alberta collect, use and disclose personal information. "Personal Information" means information about an identifiable individual. Philip G Kingstone, Commercial Counsel (the “Firm”) recognizes the importance of privacy and recognizes the sensitivity of personal information received by it in the course of its legal practice.
The Firm recognizes its professional obligation to maintain the confidentiality of its clients' information, and also its obligations concerning all individuals' personal information which it collects, uses or discloses in its practice. This policy has been developed with those obligations in mind.
Our Need for Personal Information
To be able to give legal advice to its clients, the Firm needs to collect all relevant facts and information that relate to its retainer and to the representation of its clients. It may also need business and credit information so it can ensure that it will be compensated for its services. This information will necessarily include personal information about the Firm’s clients and about individuals other than its clients.
Collection, Use and Disclosure of Personal Information
Where practical, the Firm will try to collect personal information directly from the person to whom the information pertains. Where necessary, it will collect personal information from other sources. It will collect only the personal information necessary for the purposes stated in the previous paragraph.
The Act provides that an individual is deemed to consent to the collection, use or disclosure of personal information about that individual for a particular purpose if the individual voluntarily provides the information for that purpose, and it is reasonable that a person would voluntarily provide that information.
By retaining the Firm for legal advice or representation, we consider that an individual consents to our collection, use or disclosure of the individual's personal information as necessary to properly advise and represent the individual.
It is the Firm’s policy to collect personal information about individuals other than our clients in accordance with the provisions of the Act.
When we collect personal information about individuals directly from them, except when their consent to the collection is deemed, we will tell them the purpose for which the information is collected.
The Act also permits us to collect, use or disclose personal information about an individual in some circumstances without the individual's consent. Such circumstances include (but are not limited) to situations in which: the collection, use or disclosure is clearly in the interests of the individual and consent cannot be obtained in a timely way; the collection, use, or disclosure is reasonable for the purposes of an investigation or proceeding; the personal information is available to the public from a prescribed source; or the collection, use, or disclosure is required or authorized by a statute or regulation of Alberta or Canada.
When the Firm collects, uses or discloses personal information, we will make reasonable efforts to ensure that it is accurate and complete. The Act also allows us, for legal or business purposes, to retain personal information for as long as is reasonable.
You may request access to the personal information that the Firm holds about you. The request must be submitted in writing to the Firm’s Privacy Officer, Philip G Kingstone. The right to access your personal information is not absolute and if the request is denied, an explanation will be provided of the basis upon which the request is denied.
The Firm may revise this Privacy Policy from time to time. When any such revision is made, the revised policy will be posted on the Firm’s website and the revised policy will apply to any personal information collected thereafter as well as to any personal information held by the Firm at the time.