Privacy Policy

Chizen Law, Professional Corporation, d/b/a Chizen Law and Law Office of Steven Chizen ("Chizen Law"), is committed to safeguarding the privacy of visitors to its website (the “Website”), contacts for its clients and prospective clients, contacts for suppliers of goods and services, candidates for employment or engagement, and any other individuals about whom Chizen Law obtains personal information (each, "you"). Please read the following statement, which sets out the principles governing the Chizen Law's use of personal information that it may obtain about you, to understand how Chizen Law collects, uses, and otherwise processes your personal information as well as the rights that you have in relation to Chizen Law's processing of that information (the “Privacy Policy”).

In this Privacy Policy, “personal information” means information that (either in isolation or in combination with other information held by Chizen Law) enables you to be identified or recognized. With respect to California residents, references to "personal information" in this Privacy Policy mean information that identifies, relates to, describes, is capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with a particular consumer or household, subject to certain exceptions set forth in the California Consumer Privacy Act (the "CCPA"). Chizen Law will not sell or disclose personally identifiable information about you to unaffiliated third parties except in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

Collection of Information

Although you are not required to provide any personal information on the public areas of our website, you may choose to do so by completing certain contact forms. Should you do so, Chizen Law may, for example, keep a record of your name, email address, and any other information you voluntarily provide to us.

Additionally, Chizen Law may collect the following categories of personal information from you in the course of business, including through your use of the Website, when you contact or request information from Chizen Law, when Chizen Law provides services to you, or when Chizen Law receives services from you. If you choose not to provide such information, you may not be permitted to access certain Chizen Law Website features, content or services.

Identification data, such as name, gender, title, job title, or address.
Contact information, including your phone number(s), your email address, and your social media account or handle where appropriate.
Financial data, such as bank account information and invoicing details.
Event registration or mailing list data, such as dietary requirements (which may reveal information about your health or religious beliefs), preferences and interests, subscriptions, downloads, and username/passwords.
Job applicant data, such as identification data and contact information, resumé and other data provided by you or third parties (e.g. recruiters) on the Website, online recruitment portal (where applicable) or offline in connection with job openings, which may be subject to additional local requirements.
Legal and regulatory compliance data as required for purposes such as know your client, anti-money laundering, and market abuse regulations requirements, or as part of client onboarding process, which may include passport or other identification data, date of birth, home address, and other due diligence data.
Other service data, such as personal information relevant to the provision or receipt of services, in relation to any of your employees, customers or vendors, and client feedback.
Cookie and device data, such as information about your visit to the Website, IP address, the URLs of the websites and pages you visit (before, during and after your visit to the Website) and the times and dates of such visits, information about the computer hardware and software you use, device identifier, location and time zone setting, even when you are not logged in. Also, Chizen Law may place "cookies" on your computer to recognize you on return visits to enable it to enhance your browsing experience, as well as to collect additional information about you. As further described below, you may adjust your browser settings or use other means to prevent cookies from being placed on your computer, but doing so may result in reduced functionality and a less personalized browsing experience.

Chizen Law may supplement the information that you provide with information that it receives or obtain from other sources, such as from staff or personnel, clients, professional advisers, partners, and agents, third parties with whom Chizen Law interacts, and publicly available sources.

Use of Information

Chizen Law may use your personal information for the following purposes:

Provision of legal services – Chizen Law uses personal information that you voluntarily submit on the Website or during the course of your engagement with Chizen Law, regardless of the media used, such as identification data, contact details, and other service data that Chizen Law may process in connection with the provision of services. Chizen Law's work for you may also involve providing such information to third parties, such as expert witnesses and other professional advisers in order to represent your interests most effectively. This is necessary for Chizen Law to perform its contract with you.
Administration of client and vendor relationships – Chizen Law uses identification data, contact details, financial data, and other service data, including for the processing of invoices, the updating of client records, and the management of vendor relationships. This is necessary to perform Chizen Law's contract with you.
Addressing client inquiries/feedback – Chizen Law uses identification data, contact details, and other service data for this purpose. This process is necessary to perform its contract with you. It may also be necessary for Chizen Law's legitimate interests to establish or maintain a relationship with you; it is also in your interest to receive a response from Chizen Law when you contact Chizen Law.
Sending relevant marketing messages and inviting you to events/seminars – Chizen Law uses identification data, contact details, cookie and device data, and mailing list data to communicate with you by way of email alerts and post to provide you with information about events, seminars, or services that may be of interest to you. This processing is necessary for Chizen Law's legitimate interest to send you tailored marketing messages, client newsletters, and invitations to relevant events and seminars.
Improving our website – Chizen Law uses cookie and device data to improve the functionality and user-friendliness of its Website. This is necessary for Chizen Law's legitimate interests to constantly monitor and improve its online presence and services to you.
Keeping our website and IT systems and processes safe – Chizen Law uses identification data, contact details, financial data, cookie and device data, and other service data. This is necessary to perform its contract with you and to ensure the security and confidentiality of your data. It is also necessary for Chizen Law's legitimate interests to prevent illegal activities, including fraud, which could harm Chizen Law and/or you.
Complying with legal or regulatory inquiries/requests – Chizen Law uses identification data, contact details, financial data, cookie and device data, and legal and regulatory compliance data (including for anti-money laundering or fraud detection purposes, statutory returns and fulfillment of Chizen Law's ethical obligations). This is necessary for the purpose of complying with legal requirements that apply to Chizen Law.
Recruitment – Personal information about job applicants is collected and processed for purposes of screening, identifying, and evaluating candidates for positions; record-keeping related to hiring processes; analyzing the hiring process and outcomes; and conducting background checks, where and to the extent permitted by applicable law, which may also be subject to relevant local recruitment privacy policy. If you are hired by Chizen Law, this data will be transferred to its employee record files for the purpose of your employment. This is necessary in order to take steps at the request of the job applicant in the context of recruitment prior to entering into a contract. In addition, job applicant data and legal and regulatory compliance data may be used as necessary to comply with legal, regulatory, and corporate governance requirements.

Information Sharing

We may share your personal information with the following categories of recipients:

Other entities within Chizen Law to provide legal services to you and to administer any service provided to you that Chizen Law agrees to undertake;
Professional advisers, partners, and agents to provide you with local legal services, as required, and to administer Chizen Law's relationship with you;
Vendors that will process your personal information on Chizen Law's behalf and under its written instructions to carry out their services during the course of Chizen Law's business, such as IT service providers, financial institutions, customer relationship management databases and other cloud-based solutions, third-party companies providing Chizen Law with business analytics and statistics to assist with marketing campaigns, and third-party venues in which Chizen Law may host events and seminars. Chizen Law contracts with such vendors to ensure that they only process your personal information under Chizen Law's instructions and ensure the security and confidentiality of your personal information by implementing the appropriate technical and organizational measures for such processing;
Any law enforcement, regulatory, or government agency requesting personal information in connection with any inquiry, subpoena, court order, or other legal or regulatory procedures, with which Chizen Law would need to comply. Chizen Law may also share personal information to establish or protect its legal rights, property, or safety, or the rights, property, or safety of others, or to defend against legal claims;
Any third party connected with business transfers; Chizen Law may transfer your personal information to third parties in connection with a reorganization, restructuring, merger, acquisition, or transfer of assets of Chizen Law, provided that the receiving party agrees to treat your personal information in a manner consistent with this Privacy Policy.

We are not responsible for the data policies or procedures or content of any linked websites. We recommend that you check the privacy and security policies of each website you visit.

Transfers of Information

Your personal information may be transferred to or shared across Chizen Law's integrated computer networks with one or more Chizen Law offices and affiliated offices in the United States, or carefully selected service providers that Chizen Law may engage to host the Website or to provide other services that may not be subject to data protection laws similar to those prevailing in the jurisdiction in which such information is provided to or received by Chizen Law. All of Chizen Law's offices adhere to the same procedures with respect to your personal information, including this Privacy Policy, and Chizen Law will require all such service providers to use the information solely to provide the specified services, and otherwise to conform to the requirements of this Privacy Policy.

Your Rights

If you are a California resident, you have the following rights, subject to certain exceptions as set forth in the CCPA:

Right to access personal information. You have the right to receive the specific pieces of your personal information Chizen Law has collected about you in the 12 months preceding your request.
Right to data portability. You have the right to receive a copy of your electronic personal information in a readily-usable format.
Right to know. You have the right to receive information from Chizen Law regarding the categories of personal information it collected, the sources from which it collects personal information, the purposes for which it collected and shared personal information, the categories of any personal information it sold as well as the categories of third parties to whom such personal information was sold, and the categories of personal information that it disclosed for a business purpose in the 12 months preceding your "right to know" request.
Right to request deletion. You have the right to request the deletion of the personal information that you provided to Chizen Law. Please note that in certain instances Chizen Law may not be able to process your request, such as (i) due to the existence of a legal obligation, (ii) to detect security incidents, protect against malicious, deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal activity, or prosecute those responsible for such activities, or (iii) in order to complete a transaction for which your personal information was collected.
Right to non-discrimination. You have the right to be free from discrimination by Chizen Law as a result of you exercising your rights under the CCPA.

If you wish to exercise these rights, you must submit a request by emailing steven.chizen@chizenlaw.com. The CCPA requires Chizen Law to verify requests it receives when one is seeking to exercise certain of the rights listed above. Chizen Law may ask you to provide certain information in order to verify your request.

Do Not Sell Personal Information

In accordance with the requirements of the CCPA, please follow the link in the Website footer if you would like select the following option: "Do Not Sell Personal Information."

Collected Information

Chizen Law has collected the following types of personal information about California residents in the last 12 months:

Identifiers and Personal Information. Examples include: name, mailing address, email address, phone numbers, online identifier, Internet Protocol address, Social Security number, driver's license number, passport number, or other similar identifiers, education, employment history, bank account number, credit or debit card number, other financial information, medical information, and health insurance information.

Protected Characteristics. Examples (without limitation) include: age, gender, demographic group, citizenship, marital status, medical condition, physical or mental disability, and sexual orientation, and veteran or military status.

Internet or other similar network activity. Examples (without limitation) include: browsing history, search history, information on a consumer's interaction with a website, application, or advertisement.

Professional or employment-related information. Examples (without limitation) include: current or past job history or performance evaluations.

Sources of Personal Information Collected

Chizen Law obtained the categories of personal information listed above from the following categories of sources: directly from you, such as when you complete forms, indirectly from you, such as observing your actions on the Website, and from publicly available sources.

Disclosures for a Business or Commercial Purpose

In the preceding 12 months, Chizen Law has disclosed the types of personal information listed above to its service providers for business purposes.

No Sale of Personal Information

In the preceding 12 months, Chizen Law has not sold any personal information.

Security

Chizen Law has implemented technical and organizational security measures in an effort to safeguard the personal information in its custody and control. Such measures include, for example purposes only, limiting access to personal information only to staff and authorized service providers on a need-to-know basis for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, as well as other administrative, technical, and physical safeguards.

Chizen Law endeavors to take all reasonable steps to protect your personal information, but cannot guarantee the security of any data you disclose online. Please note that email is not a secure medium and should not be used to send confidential or sensitive information. By providing information online, you accept the inherent security risks of providing information over the Internet and will not hold Chizen Law responsible for any breach of security, unless it is due to our negligence or willful default.

Chizen Law's Website uses certain tags, log files, web beacons, and similar tracking technologies from third parties (collectively, "cookies"), of which you should be aware.

Cookies are text files containing small amounts of information that can be downloaded to your device when you visit a website. Cookies enable Chizen Law to analyze how the Website is used and to monitor site performance, so Chizen Law can create the best user experience. Chizen Law may also use cookies to personalize language settings and to provide social media features.

In addition to the cookies used by Chizen Law and its service providers, some cookies are placed by third parties such as Google Analytics, as described below.

By using the Website, you agree to the use of cookies for the following purposes:

Essential Cookies: these are essential in order to enable you to move around the Website and use its features, such as accessing secure areas of the website.
Performance and Analytics Cookies: Google Analytics ("Analytics") is Google’s free web analytics tool that helps Chizen Law understand how its visitors engage with the Website. Analytics collects information anonymously and, much like examining footprints in sand, it reports website trends without identifying individual visitors. Analytics uses its own set of cookies to track visitor interactions. These cookies are used to store information, such as what time the current visit occurred, whether the visitor has been to the site before, and what site referred the visitor to the web page. Google Analytics customers can view a variety of reports about how visitors interact with their website so they can improve their website and how people find it. A different set of cookies is used for each website, and visitors are not tracked across multiple sites. Analytics customers are obliged to notify users of their use of analytics software. To disable this type of cookie, some browsers will indicate when a cookie is being sent and allow you to decline cookies on a case-by-case basis. In addition to declining cookies, you can also install the Google Analytics Opt-out Add-on in your browser, which prevents Google Analytics from collecting information about your website visits. You can also opt out by clicking here.
Functionality Cookies: they remember the choices you make, such as language options or your current region. These cookies help to make your visit more personal and are deleted automatically when you close your browser or the session expires.
You can block or disable cookies on your device at any time by indicating this in the preferences or options menus in your browser. You can also delete the cookies that are stored on your device. However, blocking, disabling, or deleting cookies may limit your ability to view all the pages of the Website or use online services that require registration. You may also opt out of a third-party vendor's use of cookies at the Network Advertising Initiative opt-out page. You can find more information about cookies at www.allaboutcookies.org and www.youronlinechoices.com.

Information Retention

Chizen Law will only retain your personal information for as long as necessary for the purposes for which that information was collected as set out in this Privacy Policy or for longer as required under any applicable legal, regulatory, accounting, or reporting requirements. Should you opt out or no longer wish to receive marketing messages from Chizen Law, Chizen LAw will securely delete your personal information from the relevant mailing list(s).

Additional Services

From time to time, Chizen Law may offer additional services through the Website. In some cases additional services may be subject to alternative terms of use (as identified by Chizen Law), and your use of any such services will constitute your acceptance of such alternative terms of use. Unless otherwise stated, such alternative terms of use shall apply to supplement this Agreement and in the context of any conflicting terms, this Agreement shall govern with respect to the Website, content and services, excepting only those services which are expressly covered, and then only to the extent so expressly covered, by such alternative terms.

Sending Information Does Not Form an Attorney-Client Relationship

Transmission of information from this Website does not create an attorney-client relationship between you and Chizen Law, nor is it intended to do so. The transmission of the Website, in part or in whole, and/or any communication with us via Internet e-mail through this site does not constitute or create an attorney-client relationship between Chizen Law and any recipients.

Unsubscribe

Chizen Law may send you direct marketing messages including by way of email alerts and postal mail. If you no longer wish to receive email alerts, to be part of a mailing list, or to receive any marketing communications, you can opt-out of such communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the relevant communication or contacting us at steven.chizen@chizenlaw.com.

Notification of Changes

Chizen Law may occasionally update this Privacy Policy as its services and privacy practices change, or as required by applicable legal or regulatory requirements. Where it is practicable, Chizen Law will notify you by email of any significant changes. However, the last update date is posted below, and we encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to be informed of how Chizen Law uses your personal information.

Effective Date: 01/01/2023