Effective Date: July 2026

At Cook Reynolds LLP, we are committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of the personal information entrusted to us by our clients, prospective clients, and website visitors. As lawyers, we have a professional obligation to maintain the confidentiality of our clients’ information in accordance with the Law Society of Ontario’s Rules of Professional Conduct. In addition, our privacy practices comply with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and other applicable Canadian privacy laws.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you visit our website (www.cookreynolds.ca) or engage our legal services.

What is Personal Information?

Under Canadian privacy law, “personal information” means information about an identifiable individual. This includes your name, home address, telephone number, email address, financial information, medical records, employment history, and any other information that identifies you or could reasonably be associated with you. It does not include business contact information used for the purpose of communicating with an individual in relation to their employment, business, or profession.

Information We Collect

We only collect personal information that is necessary to fulfill the purposes identified in this policy. The types of information we may collect include:

• Contact Information: Contact Information: Name, address, phone number, and email address.
• Legal Matter Information: Legal Matter Information: Details regarding the circumstances of your accident, injury, or legal dispute, which may include sensitive medical records, financial documents, police reports, and employment records.
• Billing Information: Billing Information: Banking details, credit card numbers, or other financial information required to process payments or manage trust accounts.
• Website Usage Data: Website Usage Data: When you visit our website, we may automatically collect non-identifiable technical information such as your IP address, browser type, operating system, pages viewed, and the dates/times of your visits using cookies and similar technologies.

How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

• To determine whether we can enter into a professional relationship with you, including conducting mandatory conflict of interest checks.
• To provide legal advice and representation.
• To communicate with you regarding your legal matter, appointments, and account status.
• To invoice you for our services, process payments, and collect unpaid accounts.
• To fulfill our legal and professional obligations to the Law Society of Ontario, the courts, and other regulatory bodies.
• To improve our website functionality and user experience.
• With your explicit consent, to send you legal updates, newsletters, or firm announcements (in compliance with Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation). You may opt out of these communications at any time.

Disclosure of Personal Information

Cook Reynolds LLP does not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties. We will only disclose your personal information under the following circumstances:

• When you have provided your consent.
• When the legal services we are providing to you require us to give your information to third parties, such as opposing counsel, mediators, courts, medical experts, accident reconstruction specialists, or other consultants retained on your behalf. Your consent to such disclosure is implied by your retainer of our firm, unless you instruct us otherwise.
• To third-party service providers who assist us in operating our practice (e.g., IT support, cloud storage providers, accounting services). These providers are contractually obligated to maintain the confidentiality and security of your information.
• When we are required or permitted by law to do so (e.g., by a court order or subpoena, or to comply with Law Society of Ontario requirements).

Consent

By providing personal information to Cook Reynolds LLP or by retaining our firm, you consent to our collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. In most cases, we will ask for your express consent (verbally or in writing) before collecting sensitive information, such as medical records. In some cases, your consent may be implied by your actions, such as voluntarily submitting information through our website contact form.

You may withdraw your consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice. Please note that withdrawing your consent may impact our ability to provide legal services to you.

Safeguarding Your Information

We take the security of your personal information seriously. We employ reasonable physical, organizational, and technological safeguards to protect your information against loss, theft, unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use, or modification. These safeguards include secure premises, restricted access to physical files, password-protected computer systems, firewalls, and encryption.

However, please be aware that no method of transmitting information over the Internet or storing electronic data is completely secure. We cannot guarantee the absolute security of any information you transmit to us electronically.

Retention of Information

We retain your personal information only as long as it is required for the reasons it was collected or as required by law. The Law Society of Ontario mandates that we retain closed client files and certain financial records for specific periods. Once your personal information is no longer needed, we will securely destroy, delete, or anonymize it.

Access and Correction

You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you and to request corrections if you believe the information is inaccurate or incomplete. To make a request, please contact our Privacy Officer in writing. We will respond to your request within the timelines prescribed by PIPEDA. We may require you to verify your identity before providing access or making corrections.

Please note that your right to access your personal information is not absolute. We may deny access in certain circumstances, such as when the information is protected by solicitor-client privilege, when disclosure would reveal personal information about a third party, or when we are legally prohibited from providing access.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal obligations. The revised policy will be posted on our website with the updated “Effective Date.” We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or complaints about this Privacy Policy or our personal information management practices, please contact our Privacy Officer:

Cook Reynolds LLP
Attn: Privacy Officer
21 Bold Street
Hamilton, ON L8P 1T3
Phone: 905-526-8072
Email: [email protected]