Privacy Policy

Last modified: 2023-09-20

1. INTRODUCTION

71Légal&Co Inc. and our affiliates and subsidiaries (“Company” or “We”) respect your privacy and are committed to protecting it by complying with this policy (our “Policy”).

This Policy describes:

• How we collect, use, disclose, and protect the personal information of our customers and website users (“you”).
• Describes the types of information we may collect from you or that you may provide when you visit the website www.71legal.com (our “Website”).
• Our practices for collecting, using, maintaining, protecting, and disclosing that information.

We will only use your personal information in accordance with this Policy unless otherwise required by applicable law. We take steps to ensure that the personal information that we collect about you is adequate, relevant, not excessive, and used for limited purposes.

2. PERSONAL INFORMATION

The term “personal information” refers to any information which relates to a natural person and makes it possible, directly or indirectly, to identify that person. It should be noted that our Policy does not generally apply to the collection and confidentiality of information related to an individual’s performance of his or her duties within an organization, such as name, title, or position, as well as the address, e-mail address and telephone number associated with his or her place of employment, but we handle such information at all times in strict compliance with applicable law. During your relationship with the Company, you may be asked to provide certain personal information concerning you and/or other individuals (such as family members, employees). 

3. PURPOSES FOR WHICH WE COLLECT PERSONAL INFORMATION

The Company uses, collects, holds, and communicates personal information for the purposes identified at the time of collection, or as otherwise permitted or required by applicable law, including for the following purposes:

• To provide legal and other related services;

• To comply with our professional obligations, including the rules regarding client identification and verification;

• To establish and manage client and service provider relationships, including considering whether to establish a relationship;

• To reply to information enquiries made through the Website and ensure appropriate follow-ups;

• To send updates on our services and those of our affiliates;

• Administrative, management and business purposes, such as to issue invoices, administer accounts, sales, collect and process payments; and for any purposes you have given consent for; and

• Any other purpose for which you have consented.

4. INFORMATION ABOUT EMPLOYEES AND JOB APPLICANTS

In the course of its activities as an employer, the Company collects, uses and discloses personal information. For our employees, this collection falls within the essential management of labor relations. As for job applicants, their information is collected and used to assess their suitability for available positions, which may involve information obtained from third parties for background checks or professional references. If an applicant is not selected, his or her information is retained for a reasonable period of time for future opportunities, unless a request for deletion is made. In addition, we maintain certain personal information on our former employees, including their names and contact details, for possible professional or regulatory requirements.

5. LIMITATION

The Company aims to limit the amount of personal information we collect to that necessary and appropriate for the identified purposes. We will not use or communicate your personal information for purposes other than those for which it was collected, except with your consent or as permitted or required by applicable law.

6. CONSENT

We use, hold and communicate personal information only for the purposes for which it was collected, except with the consent of the person concerned. If personal information about a third party is provided to us, the person providing the information must represent having obtained the necessary consent from that third party, or be otherwise authorized to allow us to collect, use, hold and communicate that information in accordance with this Policy. In the case of sensitive personal information, consent must be expressly provided by the individual concerned. Exceptions to this consent requirement may arise, for example, when we are acting in the legal representation of a client, when a medical or security emergency makes it impractical to obtain consent, or when information is collected for the detection and prevention of fraud or to meet a legal obligation. For a more exhaustive list of exceptions, please contact our Privacy Officer (identified below).

7. WITHDRAWAL OF CONSENT

You may vary or withdraw your consent to the use and communication of your personal information, or opt-out of certain uses and communications, subject to legal and contractual restrictions. To modify or withdraw your consent, please contact our Privacy Officer (identified below).

8. INFORMATION WE COLLECT ABOUT YOU

We collect and use several types of information from and about you, including:

• Personal information such as name, physical address, email address and telephone number;

• For job applicants, work history and curriculum vitae;

• Biographical information such as job titles, name of employer;

• Personal information that you provide to us to describe your or your business needs and requirements;

• Website usage and other technical information such as details of visits to our Website or information collected through cookies, your interaction with our online advertising and content and other tracking technologies; and

• Any other personal information provided by you.

Providing information or personal information through our Website does not create a client attorney relationship. 

9. HOW WE COLLECT PERSONAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU

We use different methods to collect your personal information, including through:

• Direct interactions with you when you provide it to us, for example, by filling in forms or corresponding with us by phone, email, when you register to receive our newsletter, or otherwise (if we have sent you a promotional email such as a newsletter, you may unsubscribe by clicking the unsubscribe link we have included in the email);

• Automated technologies or interactions, as you navigate through our Website. Information collected automatically may include usage details, IP addresses, and information collected through cookies, web beacons, and other tracking technologies;

• Third parties whom you have authorized to communicate such information to us; and 

• Publicly available sources.

10. COOKIES

Cookies are small text files which a website may put on your computer or mobile device when you first visit a site or page. Cookies do not cause any damage to the terminal, but make it easier, for example, to find preferences, pre-fill certain fields and adapt the content of the services on the site visited. Such data allows the improvement of ergonomics and services, according to your interests.

We use the following types of cookies on our site:

• Functional cookies. Functional cookies are used to remember the selections you make while on our site in order for your selections to be saved for your next visit, for example the language of the site.

• Analytical cookies. Analytical cookies allow us to improve the design and functionality of our site by collecting data on how you access our Website, data on how long you stay on our site, etc.

Our Website allows you to accept all or refuse all cookies.  Alternatively, if you have any concerns about our use of cookies, you can take action to prevent them from being set, such as by changing your browser settings to block certain types of cookies. You may also delete cookies held on your device at any time by going to the appropriate settings within your web browser. You have the option to configure your devices to accept all cookies, to notify you when a cookie is issued or to never accept cookies. However, the latter option may result in some personalized services not being provided and, as a result, you may not be able to take full advantage of all the features offered by the Website. If you do not wish to receive cookies in general or only to refuse certain cookies, you can change your browser settings accordingly. Instructions to this effect are provided on each browser’s website. Visit your browser’s website to learn how to manage your cookies preferences.

11. HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION

We use the personal information that we collect about you or that you provide to us:

• To provide our legal and other services, to conduct our business, to administer and perform our services, including to carry out our obligations arising from any agreements entered into between you and us;
• In the case of job applicants, to contact the applicant and assess whether we will hire them;

• To respond to requests for information or enquiries from visitors to our Website;

• To assess whether we will retain your services and to keep in touch with you if necessary;

• To facilitate the use of our Website and to ensure content from our Website is presented in the most effective manner for you and your device;

• For marketing and business development purposes – to provide details of new services, legal updates, newsletters when an individual has chosen to receive these. You may require that this service ceases at any time; and

• To fulfill our legal, regulatory, or risk management obligations – to comply with our legal obligations.

12. COMMUNICATION OF YOUR INFORMATION

We may communicate personal information that we collect or that you provide us as described in this Policy:

• To third parties in the context of legal proceedings, contractors, service providers, and other third parties we use to support the performance of our services and who are contractually obligated to keep personal information confidential, use it only for the purposes for which we disclose it to them, and to process the personal information with the same standards set out in this Policy;

• To fulfill the purpose for which you provided the personal information;

• For any other purpose disclosed by us when you provided the personal information;

• With your consent; and

• To comply with any court order, law, or legal process, including to respond to any government or regulatory request, in accordance with applicable law.

The Company does not sell or lease any personal information it holds.

13. THIRD-PARTY SERVICE PROVIDERS

To the extent the Company employs third-party service providers to store, handle or process personal information on our behalf (such as to store and process data, cloud computing), we use contractual and other means to provide a comparable level of protection while the information is being stored, handled or processed by those service providers.

Our service providers are committed by contractual agreements with us to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, collection, use or communication. 

14. COMMUNICATION OUTSIDE OF QUEBEC OR CANADA

When personal information is located outside of Canada, it may be accessible by foreign governments, courts and other governmental authorities, if required by law or court order. We will only communicate or transfer personal information outside Canada in compliance with applicable Canadian laws and for lawful purposes.

When we communicate personal information outside Quebec, and sometimes outside Canada, we do so only for the purpose of providing the services, or to support our business so that we can offer our services reasonably efficiently and at commercially reasonable costs.

Before communicating personal information outside Quebec, we conduct a privacy impact assessment in accordance with applicable Quebec law. This assessment takes into account: (i) the sensitivity of the information; (ii) the purpose for which it is to be used; (iii) the safeguards, including contractual safeguards, from which the information would benefit; and (iv) the legal regime applicable in the jurisdiction to which the information would be communicated, including generally accepted privacy principles applicable therein. Personal information is only communicated if the assessment demonstrates that it would benefit from adequate protection. If you would like more information about the service providers that we use and to whom personal information is communicated outside Quebec, please contact our Privacy Officer (identified below). We confirm that we may, strictly in accordance with this Policy, communicate your personal information outside Quebec or Canada to third parties we retain to provide us with services involving the use, communication or retention of your personal information on our behalf. You consent to any such communication, use or retention.

15. FOREIGN LAWS AND RESTRICTIONS

The Company is established and operates under the laws of the Province of Quebec, Canada. Privacy laws may differ depending on your jurisdiction of residence. If you reside or are established outside the province of Quebec, you are responsible for ensuring that the transmission of your personal information to the Company is permitted by the local or national laws applicable to you. By transmitting your personal information to the Company, you acknowledge and agree that such information will be subject to the laws of the Province of Quebec, Canada, and that the Company cannot be held responsible for non-compliance with the privacy laws of your jurisdiction.

16. PERSONAL INFORMATION GOVERNANCE POLICIES AND PRACTICES AND INFORMATION SECURITY

Our commitment to your privacy. We take the security and responsible management of your personal information very seriously. Our privacy governance policies have been formally approved by our Privacy Officer. These policies and practices are designed to match the scope and complexity of our various business activities. The following subsections provide detailed information, in simple and clear terms, to inform you about our personal information governance policies and practices.

Data lifecycle management. Our policies cover the entire life cycle of your personal information. We retain your personal information only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was originally collected. Once personal information has served its purpose, we ensure its secure and responsible destruction or anonymization, following strict guidelines.

Responsibilities of employees and service providers. Within our organizational structure, roles and responsibilities regarding the handling and management of personal information are clearly defined for our employees. All employees undergo regular training and are held accountable for compliance with our privacy standards. As far as service providers are concerned, we establish contractual relationships exclusively with entities that undertake to respect industry-standard security measures and comply with the law. These agreements have been carefully reviewed to ensure that they comply with applicable laws and the principles set out in this Policy.

Security and compliance assessments. To ensure ongoing compliance with our policies and practices, we conduct periodic internal assessments. These assessments examine how personal information is collected, stored, processed, and disposed of, and involve a thorough review of our processes and procedures. The assessments help us to determine the effectiveness of our existing security measures and to propose ongoing improvements, in line with industry standards.

Complaints handling. In keeping with our commitment to the protection of personal information, we have established a formal process for receiving, investigating, and resolving any complaints about the safeguarding of your personal information.

Security measures. To protect your personal information, we use a multi-layered security approach that includes physical, electronic, and administrative measures to prevent unauthorized access, use, alteration, or disclosure of your personal information.

While these policies and measures are aligned with industry best practices, it is important to recognize that the absolute security of your personal information when transmitted online or when using online services cannot be unconditionally guaranteed. Such transmissions are therefore at your own risk.

We strive to present this Policy in a simple and easily understandable manner, to ensure that you are fully informed of how we treat your personal information.

17. DATA RETENTION

Except as otherwise permitted or required by applicable law or regulation, we will only retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Under some circumstances we may anonymize your personal information so that it can no longer be associated with you. We reserve the right to use such anonymous and de-identified data for any legitimate business purpose without further notice to you or your consent.

18. PRIVACY OFFICER

It is important that the personal information we hold about you is accurate and current. Please keep us informed if your personal information changes. By law you have the right to request access to and to correct the personal information that we hold about you.

If you want to review, verify, correct, or withdraw consent to the use of your personal information you may send us an email at the email address of the Privacy Officer to request access to, correct, or delete any personal information that you have provided to us.

Privacy Officer

Philippe-Olivier Daniel 

po.daniel@71legal.com

779 Rachel Est, Montreal (Quebec) Canada H2J 2H4

Phone number: 514-375-5244

We may not accommodate a request if we believe the change would violate any law or legal requirement or cause the information to be incorrect.

19. CHANGES TO OUR PRIVACY POLICY

Privacy laws are rapidly evolving and, as a result, this Policy may be changed by the Company from time to time in the Company’s full discretion without any prior notice or liability to you or any other person. The collection, use and disclosure of your personal information by the Company will be governed by the version of this Policy in effect at that time. If we are authorized to communicate with you for this purpose, we reserve the right to notify you by e-mail or any other means of communication to which we are authorized, of any material changes to this Policy. This communication will be made in addition to updating the last modification date displayed at the top of this page.

20. COMPLAINTS

The Company will respond to complaints from individuals or questions about our compliance with this Policy and with applicable privacy laws. We will investigate and attempt to resolve all complaints. To challenge our compliance with this Policy please contact our Privacy Officer at the co-ordinates listed above.