Buset LLP recognizes the importance of privacy and the sensitivity of personal information. As lawyers we have a professional obligation to keep confidential all information we receive within a lawyer-client relationship. Consistent with our obligations as legal professionals, we are dedicated to maintaining high standards of confidentiality with respect to the information that has been provided to us. This Privacy Policy has been prepared to affirm our commitment to maintaining the privacy of our clients and others and to inform you of our practices concerning the collection, use and disclosure of Personal Information collected by us.

Personal Information
For the purposes of this Policy, “Personal Information” means any information, recorded in any form, about an identified individual, or an individual whose identity may be inferred or determined from the information. This policy does not cover any information, recorded in any form, about more than one individual where the identity of a specific individual is not known and cannot be inferred from the information. Personal Information does not include the name or business address or telephone number of an employee of an organization.

Using contractual or other arrangements, Buset LLP shall ensure that agents, contractors or third party service providers, who may receive Personal Information in the course of providing services to Buset LLP, protect that Personal Information in a manner consistent with the principles articulated in this Policy Statement.

Collection, Use and Disclosure of Personal Information
Your provision of Personal Information to Buset LLP means that you agree and consent that we may collect, use and disclose your Personal Information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with these terms, you are requested not to provide any Personal Information to us. Unfortunately, this may negatively impact on our ability to provide our services and must, therefore, be taken into consideration by you when making this decision. Buset LLP collects only such information from individuals or organizations as is required for the purposes of providing services or information to them and does not sell, trade, barter or exchange for consideration any Personal Information it has obtained. Unless permitted by law, no Personal Information is collected about an individual, without first obtaining the consent of the individual to the collection, use and dissemination of that information. Please note that there are circumstances where the use and/or disclosure of Personal Information may be justified or permitted or where Buset LLP is obliged to disclose information without consent. Such circumstances may include:
» Where the information is public;
» Where required by law or by order of requirement of a court, administrative agency or other governmental tribunal;
» Where the legal services we are providing to you require us to give your information to a third party, unless you instruct us otherwise;
» Where it is necessary in the engagement of expert witnesses on your behalf;
» Where it is necessary to retain other law firms in other jurisdictions on your behalf;
» Where it is necessary to establish or collect monies owing to Buset LLP; or
» Where it is necessary to permit Buset LLP to pursue available remedies or limit any damages that Buset LLP may sustain.
» Where obliged or permitted to disclose information without consent, Buset LLP will take precautions to prevent disclosure of more information than is required.

Retention of Personal Information
Buset LLP retains information only as long as necessary to fulfill the purpose for which it was collected. Personal information collected in the provision of legal services is retained for purposes such as providing ongoing services to the same client, audits of our services by the Law Society of Upper Canada, or defending services provided in the event of allegations of malpractice. Our firm must keep a record of clients to avoid any conflict of interest in the representation of future clients. We have vetting procedures in place for closed files, keeping only what is necessary and often returning certain documents to the client for safekeeping.

Employment Inquires
All applications submitted to Buset LLP shall be subject to this Privacy Policy. We will retain a prospective employee’s personal information for a reasonable time after the hiring process has concluded, regardless of the success of the candidate, unless we are specifically requested to destroy this information. If we offer the candidate a position in our organization, the personal information shall be retained in accordance with our privacy procedures for employee records.

Updating Your Information
Since we use your personal information to provide legal services to you, it is important that the information be accurate and up-to-date. If, during the course of the retainer, any of your information changes, please inform us so that we can make any necessary changes to our firm’s records.

Access to Your Personal Information
You may ask for access to any personal information we hold about you. Summary information is available upon request. More detailed requests that require archival or other retrieval costs may be subject to our firm’s professional and disbursements fees. Buset LLP reserves the right to deny access to your personal information when:
» denial of access is 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);
» information relates to existing or anticipated legal proceedings against you;
» when granting you access would have an unreasonable impact on other people’s privacy;
» when to do so would prejudice negotiations with you;
» to protect our firm’s rights and property;
» where the request is frivolous or vexatious. If we deny your request for access to, or refuse a request to correct information, we shall explain why.

Security Measures
Buset LLP takes all reasonable precautions to ensure that your personal information is kept safe from loss, unauthorized access, modification or disclosure. Among the steps taken to protect your information are:
» premises security;
» restricted access to personal information stored electronically;
» deploying technological safeguards like security software and firewalls to prevent hacking or unauthorized computer access;
» internal password and security policies;
» obligation of each lawyer to maintain client confidentiality under the Rules of Professional Conduct of the Law Society of Upper Canada;
» all employees and third parties that have access to personal information collected by Buset LLP will be required to sign a confidentiality agreement that is in keeping with this Policy. Please be aware that although these precautions are employed by our firm, our email and fax transmissions are not encrypted but are accompanied by a confidentiality statement.

Website
Our website contains links to other sites which are not governed by this Privacy Policy. Please be aware we only collect the information you provide to us voluntarily by sending us an e-mail message, completing forms or using the links contained on the website. Buset LLP collects and uses your name, address, telephone number, email address and other information you submit on or through the website for the purposes for which you provided the personal information, to respond to your inquiries (and applications for positions), and to provide you with updates and information that we think may be of interest to you. In providing Buset LLP with any personal information on or through this website, you consent to the collection and use of that information for these stated purposes. We currently do not use cookies on this website. “Cookies” are small text files that recognize repeat visitors and track their visits to a website. On our website, like other commercial websites, we may monitor traffic patterns, site usage and related site information in order to optimize our web services. We may provide aggregated information to third parties, but these statistics do not include identifiable personal information.

Amendments to Privacy Policy
Buset LLP will from time to time review and revise its privacy practices and this Privacy Policy. In the event of any amendment, an appropriate notice will be posted on our firm’s web site as well as in Buset LLP Privacy Policy brochure that will be available at all our locations. The date of the last amendment will appear at the bottom of our Privacy Page. Policy changes will apply to the information collected from the date of posting of the revised Policy Statement as well as to existing information held by Buset LLP.

Inquiries, Requests and Complaints
Please direct any inquiries, requests or complaints regarding our firm’s collection, use, discloser or retention of personal information to:

Chief Privacy Officer
Buset LLP
1121 Barton Street
Thunder Bay, ON P7B 5N3
Phone: (807) 623-2500
Fax: (807) 622-7808
Email: cpo@busetlaw.com