Privacy Policy

 PRIVACY POLICY

 CHARLES MAN LAW PROFESSIONAL CORPORATION

Effective Date: April 1, 2025

Last Updated: Nov 6, 2026

 1. INTRODUCTION

Charles Man Law Professional Corporation (the "Firm", "we", "our" or "us") is committed to protecting the privacy, confidentiality and security of personal information entrusted to us.

As a law firm practising in Ontario, Canada, we recognize our legal and professional obligations to protect the personal information of our clients, prospective clients, employees, business contacts and other individuals.

This Privacy Policy describes how the Firm collects, uses, discloses, retains and protects personal information in connection with our legal practice, business operations, website and communications.

The Firm handles personal information in accordance with applicable privacy legislation, including the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act ("PIPEDA"), where applicable, and our professional obligations under the Law Society of Ontario's Rules of Professional Conduct.

 2. DEFINITION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

Personal information generally means information about an identifiable individual, whether recorded electronically, in writing, verbally or in another form.

Depending on the nature of the legal services provided, personal information may include:

- Full name, date of birth, residential address and contact information;

- Telephone numbers and email addresses;

- Identification documents and identification numbers;

- Employment, occupation and income information;

- Banking, financial, investment and tax information;

- Property ownership, mortgage and real estate transaction information;

- Family, marital, estate and beneficiary information;

- Medical or health-related information, where relevant to a legal matter;

- Photographs, signatures and identity verification information;

- Information relating to legal disputes, claims, proceedings and transactions;

- Correspondence, instructions, contracts and other legal documents; and

- Other information reasonably necessary to provide legal services or operate the Firm.

 3. COLLECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

The Firm may collect personal information directly from you or from other sources where authorized or permitted by law.

We may collect personal information through:

- Client intake forms, questionnaires and retainer agreements;

- Consultations, meetings and telephone conversations;

- Emails, SMS messages and other electronic communications;

- Documents and information provided by you or your authorized representatives;

- Courts, tribunals, government departments and public registries;

- Other lawyers, opposing counsel, witnesses and parties involved in a legal matter;

- Financial institutions, accountants, insurers and other professional advisors; and

- Other sources reasonably necessary for the provision of legal services.

The Firm will limit the collection of personal information to what is reasonably necessary for the identified purposes or otherwise permitted by law.

 4. PURPOSES FOR COLLECTING AND USING PERSONAL INFORMATION

The Firm collects, uses and maintains personal information for purposes reasonably necessary to provide legal services and operate our practice.

These purposes include:

A. Providing legal services

- Assessing potential legal matters and determining whether to accept a retainer;

- Conducting conflict-of-interest searches;

- Advising and representing clients;

- Preparing, reviewing and negotiating legal documents;

- Conducting legal research and investigations;

- Communicating with clients, courts, tribunals, government authorities and other parties;

- Managing legal proceedings, transactions and other client matters; and

- Protecting and advancing our clients' legal interests.

B. Client administration

- Opening and maintaining client files;

- Verifying client identity and authority;

- Arranging appointments and managing communications;

- Preparing accounts, processing payments and administering trust transactions;

- Maintaining accounting and financial records; and

- Managing client relationships.

C. Legal and regulatory compliance

- Complying with applicable legislation, regulations, court orders and professional obligations;

- Meeting accounting, reporting and record-keeping requirements;

- Responding to lawful requests from courts, tribunals and regulatory authorities; and

- Establishing, exercising or defending legal claims.

D. Firm administration and security

- Managing our website, computer systems and information technology;

- Maintaining the security of our offices, systems and records;

- Managing employees and professional service providers;

- Preventing fraud and unauthorized access; and

- Improving our administrative and operational procedures.

The Firm will not use personal information for a new purpose that is inconsistent with the original purpose without obtaining consent where required by law or otherwise establishing a lawful basis for that use.

 5. CONSENT

The Firm will obtain consent for the collection, use and disclosure of personal information where required by applicable law.

Depending on the circumstances, consent may be express or implied, as permitted by law. The form of consent will take into account the sensitivity of the information and the reasonable expectations of the individual.

Where required, the Firm will explain the purposes for collecting, using or disclosing personal information before or at the time of collection.

You may withdraw your consent to certain uses or disclosures by contacting the Firm's Privacy Officer, subject to legal, contractual and professional obligations.

Withdrawal of consent may affect the Firm's ability to continue providing certain legal services. The Firm may nevertheless retain or use information where required or permitted by law or necessary to satisfy its professional obligations.

 6. DISCLOSURE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

The Firm treats client information as confidential. We do not sell, rent or trade personal information to third parties for their independent marketing purposes.

Depending on the circumstances and the legal matter, personal information may be disclosed to:

- Courts, tribunals and adjudicative bodies;

- Government departments, agencies and regulatory authorities;

- Opposing counsel, opposing parties and their representatives;

- Other lawyers and legal professionals involved in the matter;

- Accountants, auditors and professional advisors;

- Experts, consultants, investigators and witnesses;

- Financial institutions and payment processors;

- Process servers, couriers and document management providers;

- Information technology, cloud storage, email and cybersecurity service providers; and

- Other persons or organizations where authorized by you or required or permitted by law.

Disclosure will be limited to what is reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose, subject to applicable law and our professional obligations.

Where the Firm engages third-party service providers, we take reasonable steps to ensure that appropriate confidentiality and security safeguards are in place.

 7. PROFESSIONAL CONFIDENTIALITY AND SOLICITOR-CLIENT PRIVILEGE

The Firm recognizes that lawyers have professional obligations to protect information concerning their clients' business and affairs.

In accordance with Rule 3.3-1 of the Law Society of Ontario's Rules of Professional Conduct, lawyers must hold in strict confidence all information concerning a client's business and affairs acquired in the course of the professional relationship, except where disclosure is authorized by the client, required by law or a competent tribunal, or otherwise permitted by the applicable professional rules.

The Firm will take reasonable steps to preserve the confidentiality of client communications and documents.

Nothing in this Privacy Policy is intended to waive or limit solicitor-client privilege, litigation privilege or any other applicable legal protection.

The Firm's professional duty of confidentiality continues after the solicitor-client relationship has ended.

 8. EMAIL, SMS AND ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS

The Firm may communicate with clients and other individuals through:

- Email;

- SMS and text messages;

- Telephone and voicemail;

- Video conferencing;

- Electronic document-sharing platforms; and

- Other electronic communication services.

These communication methods may be used to arrange appointments, provide updates, request instructions, transmit documents and administer legal matters.

Although the Firm takes reasonable precautions to protect electronic communications, no electronic communication or transmission method is completely secure.

Email and SMS messages may be subject to interception, unauthorized access, misdelivery or access by other persons who have access to the recipient's device or account.

Clients should avoid sending highly sensitive personal information, passwords, financial account details, identification documents or confidential legal documents through ordinary SMS messages.

Where appropriate, the Firm may recommend or require the use of a secure document-sharing platform or other protected communication method.

Clients should promptly notify the Firm of any changes to their contact information or any suspected compromise of their communication accounts.

SMS Terms of Service

By opting into SMS from a web form or other medium, you are agreeing to receive SMS messages from Charles Man Law Professional Corporation. This includes SMS messages for conversations (external). Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply. See privacy policy at https://www.cmanlaw.ca/contact/privacy-policy. Message HELP for help. Reply STOP to any message to opt out. 

 9. THIRD-PARTY SERVICE PROVIDERS AND STORAGE OUTSIDE CANADA

The Firm may use third-party service providers to assist with the operation of our practice and the provision of legal services.

These providers may include:

- Cloud storage and hosting providers;

- Email and electronic communication providers;

- Legal practice and document management software providers;

- Electronic signature platforms;

- Accounting and payment processing providers;

- Cybersecurity and information technology providers; and

- Other administrative and professional service providers.

Some service providers may store, access or process personal information outside Ontario or Canada.

Where information is processed outside Canada, it may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction where it is stored or processed and may be accessible to governmental authorities under those laws.

The Firm takes reasonable steps to assess privacy and security risks and to ensure that appropriate contractual, confidentiality and security protections are in place.

 10. RETENTION AND DESTRUCTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

The Firm retains personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, subject to applicable legal, regulatory, professional, accounting, insurance and record-retention requirements.

Client files and related records may need to be retained after a legal matter has concluded.

The applicable retention period may depend on:

- The nature of the legal matter;

- Applicable limitation periods;

- Law Society of Ontario requirements;

- Accounting and trust accounting obligations;

- Insurance and risk management requirements;

- Actual or anticipated litigation or legal claims; and

- Other applicable legal or professional obligations.

When personal information is no longer required, the Firm will take reasonable steps to securely destroy, erase or anonymize it, as appropriate and permitted by law.

 11. SAFEGUARDS AND SECURITY

The Firm uses reasonable administrative, technical and physical safeguards to protect personal information against loss, theft, unauthorized access, use, disclosure, copying, modification or destruction.

Such safeguards may include:

- Restricting access to authorized personnel;

- Confidentiality obligations for employees and service providers;

- Password protection and access controls;

- Encryption and other technical security measures, where appropriate;

- Secure electronic and physical document storage;

- Physical security measures at the Firm's premises;

- Staff privacy and confidentiality training; and

- Appropriate backup, recovery and security monitoring procedures.

Despite these measures, no method of electronic storage or transmission can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

 12. PRIVACY BREACHES

If the Firm becomes aware of a suspected or actual privacy breach, we will take reasonable steps to investigate, contain and address the incident.

Where required by applicable law, the Firm will report the breach to the appropriate privacy regulator, notify affected individuals and maintain the required records.

The Firm will also take reasonable steps to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.

 13. ACCESS TO AND CORRECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

Subject to applicable law and its exceptions, individuals may request access to personal information about them held by the Firm.

Individuals may also request correction of personal information that is inaccurate, incomplete or outdated.

Requests should be made in writing to the Firm's Privacy Officer using the contact information set out in this Privacy Policy.

The Firm may require reasonable information to verify the identity and authority of the person making the request.

Certain information may be withheld where permitted or required by law, including information protected by solicitor-client privilege, litigation privilege, confidentiality obligations owed to other individuals or other applicable legal exceptions.

Requests concerning client files will also be considered in light of the Firm's professional obligations and the rights of other individuals.

 14. WEBSITE, COOKIES AND ONLINE SERVICES

When you visit the Firm's website, certain technical information may be collected automatically, including:

- Internet Protocol (IP) address;

- Browser type and operating system;

- Date and time of access;

- Pages visited and referring website information; and

- Other technical information relating to website usage.

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to improve functionality, analyze website traffic and enhance user experience.

You may be able to disable or restrict cookies through your browser settings. However, certain website features may not function properly if cookies are disabled.

Where the Firm uses third-party analytics, advertising or tracking services, additional information about those services and their data practices will be provided where appropriate.

 15. INFORMATION RELATING TO OTHER INDIVIDUALS

In providing legal services, the Firm may collect personal information relating to individuals who are not direct clients, including family members, beneficiaries, witnesses, opposing parties, counterparties and other persons involved in a legal matter.

Such information will be collected, used, disclosed and retained only to the extent reasonably necessary for the relevant legal matter or otherwise permitted by law.

Where required, the Firm will take reasonable steps to ensure that appropriate consent or other lawful authority exists.

 16. PRIVACY QUESTIONS AND COMPLAINTS

The Firm welcomes questions and concerns regarding our privacy practices.

If you wish to make a privacy inquiry or complaint, request access to personal information or request correction of information, please contact our Privacy Officer.

The Firm will review and respond to privacy inquiries and complaints within a reasonable period and in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

Where applicable, individuals may also submit a complaint to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

Privacy Officer

Charles Man Law Professional Corporation  

Address: 333-3660 Midland Ave, Toronto, ON M1V 0B8  

Telephone: 289-452-9765  

Email: info@cmanlaw.ca 

Website: www.cmanlaw.ca

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada:  

https://www.priv.gc.ca/

 17. CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

The Firm may amend this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in applicable laws, professional obligations, technology, business practices or the manner in which personal information is handled.

The updated policy will be posted on our website with a revised effective date.

Where required by applicable law, the Firm will provide additional notice or obtain consent before implementing material changes to its personal information practices.

 18. CONTACT INFORMATION

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or the Firm's privacy practices, please contact:

CHARLES MAN LAW PROFESSIONAL CORPORATION

Charles Man Law Professional Corporation  

Address: 333-3660 Midland Ave, Toronto, ON M1V 0B8  

Telephone: 289-452-9765  

Email: info@cmanlaw.ca 

Website: www.cmanlaw.ca

We appreciate your trust in our Firm and remain committed to protecting your personal information and maintaining the confidentiality of your legal matters.