Privacy Policy & Terms

For any questions regarding our website policies, terms or conditions, please contact our team at info@ntlaw.ca

Last updated: September 28, 2023

At Neuman Thompson we recognize the importance of client privacy and the sensitivity of the personal information that we may have concerning any individual. We are committed to safeguarding the personal information we have or control.

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Your privacy rights

Neuman Thompson manages personal information in compliance with Alberta's Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), and in compliance with our professional obligations to preserve confidentiality and forms of legal privilege that apply to client information.

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Why we collect personal information

In order to give legal advice to our clients and to represent them, we need more than just contact information for our clients and their representatives. We must collect all relevant facts and information relating to the issue in question if we are to provide effective advice and representation. This includes personal information both about our clients and about individuals other than our clients. We also collect and use information to tell our clients of developments in the law and other items we believe would interest them, and to manage the provision of our services as a business, including collecting fees.

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What personal information do we collect?

Personal information is any information about an identifiable individual. In Alberta business contact information such as your office address, job title, business phone number, email address, fax number or other related business contact information is not considered personal information. We collect any personal information necessary for the reasons expressed above.

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How do we collect personal information?

We collect information only by lawful means. When we make directed individual requests for our client's relevant, sensitive personal information we will obtain our client's consent. Wherever practical we collect personal information directly from our clients. Consent may be in writing, verbal or implied as necessary to further our clients' legal needs. Our privacy statement is your notice of the purposes for which we collect, use or disclose personal information or business contact information.

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Consent

  • If you volunteer to provide relevant personal information verbally or in writing, or retain the firm for legal advice or representation, we assume that you are consenting to the collection, use and disclosure of your personal information as described in our Privacy Statement.
  • There are certain circumstances where we are required or permitted by law to collect, use and disclose personal information without consent. We will handle all personal information confidentially and will substantiate the legal authority to collect, use and disclose personal information in these circumstances.

Under certain circumstances, we will disclose your personal information without your consent:

  • When we are required or authorized by law to do so, for example, if a court issues a subpoena;
  • When the use of the information is necessary to respond to an emergency that threatens the life, health or security of an individual or the public;
  • Where the collection, use or disclosure of the information is reasonable for the purposes of an investigation or legal proceedings;
  • Where the collection, use or disclosure of the information is required or authorized by a statute or regulation of Alberta or Canada;
  • When it is necessary to establish or collect our fees; or
  • If the information is already publicly known.

Use of your information

We use your personal information to provide legal advice and services and to administer our legal business incidental to providing legal services, such as client billing. We do not disclose or sell your personal information or business contact information to any third party to enable them to market their products and services.

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Who do we release information to?

When we release information about you it is done to serve specific needs in the course of providing legal services. We may provide information to:

  • Our staff and agents who use the information for the reasonable business purpose of providing you with legal services;
  • To a third party we contract to provide administrative services to the law firm (for example, computer back-up services or archival file storage) and the third party agrees to comply with our privacy policy and privacy laws;
  • Professionals working with us, such as investigators and experts.

Accuracy of your information

You have the right to request a correction of the personal information that we hold about you. We rely on you to provide us with accurate and up-to-date personal and business contact information for the purposes of providing you with legal services and to maintain contact with you. If during the course of our professional relationship any of your information changes, please inform us so that we can make any necessary changes.

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How do we protect your personal information?

In order to protect your personal information, we will:

  • Not collect, use or disclose your personal information for any purpose other than those we identify to you or that are reasonably evident;
  • Only disclose your personal information to those people who have a need to know your personal information for the purposes stated in this Privacy Statement;
  • Keep your personal information only for as long as needed to fulfill the stated purpose or as required by law;
  • Maintain your personal information in as accurate, complete and up-to-date a form as possible;
  • Keep your personal information physically secure, for example, in locked or secure offices, rooms and/or filing cabinets;
  • Maintain technological safeguards such as passwords or encryption for your sensitive personal information.

Access to your personal information

You may request access to the personal information we have about you. The request must be in writing and directed to the firm's privacy officer. We may charge a reasonable fee for retrieval and copying of your personal information. If the retrieval or copying of your request is extensive, we will notify you of the fee prior to retrieval and copying.

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Can I be denied access to my personal information?

There are exceptions to your right to access your personal information. By law, we must deny access when:

  • Your file contains personal information on a third party and the information cannot be severed to maintain the privacy of the third party information;
  • Required or authorized by law (for example, when a record containing personal information about you is subject to a claim of legal professional privilege by one of our clients).

We have the right to deny access to your information in certain circumstances

We may deny access to your personal information in a variety of circumstances, including but not limited to when:

  • The disclosure would reveal personal information about another individual;
  • The information is protected by any legal privilege;
  • The information was collected as part of, or for use in, an investigation or legal proceeding.

If we deny your request for access to, or refuse a request to correct, information we will explain why.

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Communications by e-mail

E-mail is not a secure, confidential method of communication. However, it is common, convenient and cost-effective. If you do not wish us to use e-mail to exchange information with you, either generally, or in respect to specific types of information, you must expressly tell us not to use e-mail for communication. Absent such an instruction, you accept all the inherent risks associated with this type of communication.

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Changes to this privacy statement

We may review and change our Privacy Statement from time to time in order to update our privacy commitment to you in keeping with current privacy laws.

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Contact information & resources

If you:

  • Wish to access your personal information;
  • Wish to change your consent regarding the manner in which we collect, use and disclose your personal information as outlined in our Privacy Statement;
  • Have concerns about our privacy policies or how we've handled your personal information;

please contact our Privacy Officer, Roger S. Hofer at:

Roger S. Hofer

Neuman Thompson Barristers & Solicitors


301, 550 - 91 Street S.W.
Edmonton, Alberta T6X 0V1

Email: rhofer@neumanthompson.com


Direct Phone Line (780) 733-6555


General Office Line (780) 482-7645


Fax (780) 488-0026


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If you are not satisfied with our response, the Privacy Commissioner of Alberta can be reached at:


www.oipc.ab.ca


Phone: 1-888-878-4044 (Toll Free)