OV LAW

Privacy Policy

Website-ready policy for online inquiries, consultation forms, marketing communications, cookies, and client intake privacy practices.

Effective Date

May 13, 2026

Firm

OV Law

Website

https://www.ov-law.ca/

Email

admin@ov-law.ca

Phone

(613) 735-0624

Address

186 Pembroke Street East, Pembroke, Ontario K8A 3J7

Prepared for website publication. Appendix includes optional webform consent language.

 

OV Law respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information you provide to us through our website, online forms, email, telephone, marketing campaigns, consultations, and other communications.

As a law firm, we understand that the information you share with us may be sensitive. We handle personal information in accordance with applicable privacy laws, our professional obligations, and the confidentiality duties that apply to lawyers in Ontario.

This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, when we may disclose it, and how you may contact us about your personal information.

1. Personal Information We Collect

We may collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us, including when you:

• complete a form on our website;

• contact us by phone, email, or through another communication channel;

• request a consultation;

• subscribe to updates, newsletters, or legal information;

• respond to one of our advertisements or marketing campaigns; or

• provide information to us in connection with a legal matter.

The personal information we collect may include:

• your name;

• your email address;

• your phone number;

• your mailing address;

• information about your legal matter;

• your preferred method of contact;

• information needed to conduct a conflict check;

• payment, billing, or administrative information, where applicable; and

• any other information you choose to provide to us.

We may also collect limited technical information when you visit our website, such as your IP address, browser type, device information, pages visited, referral source, approximate location, and interactions with our website, forms, emails, or advertisements.

2. How We Use Personal Information

We may use personal information to:

• respond to your inquiry;

• contact you about a potential legal matter;

• schedule a consultation;

• determine whether we may be able to assist you;

• conduct conflict checks;

• open, administer, and manage client files;

• provide legal services if you become a client;

• communicate with you about your matter;

• process payments, issue invoices, and maintain records;

• improve our website, marketing, intake process, and client service;

• send legal updates, newsletters, or marketing communications where permitted by law;

• protect our rights, property, security, clients, and others; and

• comply with legal, regulatory, professional, insurance, administrative, or court-related obligations.

We collect, use, and disclose personal information only for purposes that a reasonable person would consider appropriate in the circumstances.

3. No Lawyer-Client Relationship from Website Use

Submitting information through our website, online forms, advertisements, or email does not automatically create a lawyer-client relationship.

A lawyer-client relationship is only formed once we have agreed to act for you and any required conflict check, engagement process, retainer agreement, or onboarding step has been completed.

Please do not send highly sensitive, confidential, or urgent information through a website form unless requested. If your matter is urgent, please contact us directly by phone at (613) 735-0624.

4. Confidentiality and Legal Services

Information provided to us in connection with legal services will be handled in accordance with our professional obligations, applicable law, and the terms of any engagement with you.

Information submitted before a lawyer-client relationship is formed will be treated confidentially in accordance with our professional obligations, subject to the limitations described in this Privacy Policy and any applicable legal, regulatory, professional, or conflict-check requirements.

Solicitor-client privilege and lawyer-client confidentiality are related but distinct concepts. Not every communication with us will necessarily be privileged. Privilege generally depends on the nature and purpose of the communication, the context in which it is made, and applicable law.

5. Consent

By providing personal information to us, you consent to our collection, use, and disclosure of that information for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy or otherwise explained to you at the time of collection.

Where required, we will seek additional consent for specific uses or disclosures of your personal information.

You may withdraw your consent at any time, subject to legal, professional, contractual, regulatory, or practical restrictions. To withdraw consent, please contact us using the contact information at the end of this Privacy Policy.

6. Marketing Communications and CASL

If you provide your email address or phone number to us, we may use it to respond to your inquiry or communicate with you about a matter you have raised with us.

We will only send newsletters, legal updates, promotional messages, or other commercial electronic messages where permitted by Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation or other applicable laws. Where required, we will ask for your consent before sending marketing communications.

Our commercial electronic messages will identify OV Law and include a way to unsubscribe. You may unsubscribe from marketing communications at any time by using the unsubscribe link included in our emails or by contacting us directly at admin@ov-law.ca.

Unsubscribing from marketing communications will not prevent us from contacting you about an existing legal matter, administrative issue, account, retainer, or other non-marketing communication where permitted or required.

7. Cookies, Analytics, and Advertising Technologies

Our website may use cookies, analytics tools, advertising pixels, and similar technologies to understand how visitors use our website, improve user experience, measure marketing performance, and deliver relevant advertising.

These technologies may collect information such as pages visited, time spent on the site, browser type, device information, referral source, approximate location, and interactions with our website or online advertisements.

You can usually manage or disable cookies through your browser settings. However, disabling cookies may affect how certain parts of our website function.

Where required by applicable law, we will obtain consent before using cookies or similar technologies that collect personal information for analytics, advertising, or other non-essential purposes.

8. When We May Disclose Personal Information

We do not sell your personal information.

We may disclose personal information where reasonably necessary to:

• respond to your inquiry;

• conduct conflict checks;

• provide legal services;

• communicate with other parties, professionals, institutions, courts, tribunals, government offices, registries, or service providers in connection with a legal matter;

• work with third-party service providers, including website hosts, email providers, practice management systems, client intake systems, payment processors, IT support providers, analytics providers, advertising platforms, and document storage providers;

• comply with legal, regulatory, professional, insurance, or court-related obligations;

• protect our rights, property, security, clients, or others;

• collect accounts or enforce agreements; or

• complete a business transition, such as a merger, restructuring, sale, transfer of practice, or similar transaction, where permitted by law.

Where we use third-party service providers, we take reasonable steps to ensure they handle personal information appropriately.

Some service providers may store or process information outside Ontario or outside Canada. Where that occurs, personal information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction where it is stored or processed.

9. Safeguards

We use reasonable physical, administrative, and technical safeguards to protect personal information against unauthorized access, use, disclosure, loss, theft, alteration, or destruction.

These safeguards may include secure systems, access controls, confidentiality practices, staff training, professional procedures, and service-provider controls.

However, no method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure. You should avoid sending highly sensitive information through unsecured channels.

If we become aware of a privacy incident involving personal information, we will assess the incident and take steps required by applicable privacy, legal, professional, regulatory, and insurance obligations.

10. Retention of Personal Information

We retain personal information only as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, or as required or permitted by law, professional obligations, insurance requirements, regulatory obligations, court requirements, or legitimate business purposes.

If you become a client, your information may be retained in accordance with our client file retention practices and applicable legal and professional obligations.

If you do not become a client, we may still retain limited information for a reasonable period for conflict-check, administrative, recordkeeping, risk-management, or legal compliance purposes.

11. Accessing or Correcting Your Personal Information

You may request access to the personal information we hold about you or ask us to correct inaccurate information, subject to legal, professional, privilege, confidentiality, practical, and security limitations.

To make an access or correction request, please contact us using the information below. We may need to verify your identity before responding to your request.

12. Third-Party Websites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices, content, policies, or security of third-party websites. You should review the privacy policies of any external websites you visit.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date.

Your continued use of our website after changes are posted means you accept the updated Privacy Policy.

14. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how your personal information is handled, please contact:

Firm

OV Law

Attention

Brent Smith

Address

186 Pembroke Street East
Pembroke, Ontario K8A 3J7

Email

admin@ov-law.ca

Phone

(613) 735-0624

 

Appendix

Suggested Website Form Consent Language

The language below is not part of the Privacy Policy itself. It can be used near website forms, intake forms, newsletter sign-ups, or advertising landing pages.

General Contact or Consultation Form

By submitting this form, I consent to OV Law collecting and using my information to respond to my inquiry. I understand that submitting this form does not create a lawyer-client relationship and that OV Law has not agreed to act for me unless and until a conflict check, engagement process, and any required retainer steps are completed.

 

Contact Form with Optional Marketing Consent

By submitting this form, I consent to OV Law collecting and using my information to respond to my inquiry. I understand that submitting this form does not create a lawyer-client relationship.

 

Optional checkbox:

 

[ ] I agree to receive legal updates, newsletters, and marketing communications from OV Law. I understand I can unsubscribe at any time.

 

Newsletter-Only Form

[ ] I consent to receive legal updates, newsletters, and marketing communications from OV Law. I understand I can unsubscribe at any time.