Law Offices of Bruce E. Matter, P.C., doing business as Legalmatter, P.C.
Privacy Policy – August 2024
Legalmatter, P.C. (“we” or “our” or “us”) appreciates your visiting our website at www.legalmatter.com (“Site”). Our firm is a professional corporation located in Maryland in the United States. You may contact us using email at Engage@legalmatter.com.
I. Purpose
We value your trust and respect your privacy. We have issued this Privacy Policy to make sure that you understand that our Site does collect information about you while you are using our Site. We also want you to know how we handle that information and your choices with regard to our use and disclosure that information.
II. Not Intended For Minors
Our Site is intended solely for use by adults. Anyone under the age of eighteen years should not submit any information to us via the Site.
III. Others Involved
We have relationships with other affiliated companies (each referred to as a “Related Company”) and with other non-Related Company service providers (each referred to as a “Service Provider”) that may provide services in connection with the Site. At times the Site may be hosted and operated, in whole or in part, by a Related Company or Service Provider, subject to our oversight and control, and subject to this Privacy Policy.
IV. Scope of Policy
Our Privacy Policy applies to all users of the Site, and your use of the Site shall indicate your agreement with our Privacy Policy. If our Privacy Policy is inconsistent with your expectation of privacy, you should not use the Site. If you have any question about our Privacy Policy, we are always willing to hear from our Site users.
If you are an Unauthorized User (as defined in the Site Terms of Use), this Privacy Policy still applies to you but you will have no right to any benefits under this Privacy Policy. Users who begin using the Site in an authorized manner and later become Unauthorized Users will be deemed to have immediately and voluntarily forfeited or otherwise waived all benefits afforded authorized users under this Privacy Policy.
Please also note that we may change our Privacy Policy at any time, so you are encouraged to routinely review this page to check on the most current version of our Privacy Policy.
This Privacy Policy does not apply to information about any user that we may collect by other means (including off-line) or through any source other than the Site.
Any information, whether Non-Personally Identifiable Information, Personally Identifiable Information that you share in any “User Postings” (as defined in the Site Terms of Use), or via any other means in a public chat room, on a public message board or instant message exchange, blog, personal webpage, or similar public forum, whether via the Site, other online service, or any other means, will be deemed publicly disclosed information (“PDI”). We may handle and use all PDI as freely available public information which is outside the scope of any limitations described in this Privacy Policy.
This Privacy Policy does not apply to any user suggestions to improve products or services, business ideas, concepts, models, inventions or similar information (“Business Information”) you offer to us via the Site. All Business Information that you submit to us or anyone else via the Site will be deemed PDI unless prior to its submission we deliver to you a non-disclosure agreement printed on paper and signed by an officer of our company that specifically describes the Business Information and that expressly authorizes you to submit the Business Information to us via the Site.
The Site contains content and services and may contain advertising, sponsored banners, and other materials that link to web sites operated by third parties. We have no control over these other sites, and this Privacy Policy does not apply to those other sites. We encourage you to refer to the privacy policies, if any, on those sites.
V. Information and Methods of Collection
A. Type of Information
1. Personally Identifiable Information
“Personally Identifiable Information” is information that will identify you personally, such as your first and last name, postal address, telephone number, fax number and e-mail address, and certain business information such as employer name, occupation, job function, job title and information about your purchases via the Site (e.g., preferences or history). The Site will collect credit card and related information when you request a product or service for which there is a charge. The Site only collects Personally Identifiable Information that you voluntarily provide through the Site.
2. Non-Personally Identifiable Information
“Non-Personally Identifiable Information” is information that does not enable us or others to identify you personally. For example, your age, gender, city and state of residence, when not associated with any other information that could help identify you (like your name, street address or telephone number) is considered Non-Personally Identifiable Information and may be automatically collected by the Site during your visit.
B. Methods of Collecting Information
1. Information You Voluntarily Submit
When you register as a Site user or request products and services via the Site you will have to provide to the Site certain information about yourself. The Site will also collect information when you correspond with us through the Site. Correspondence may occur through various means including email, instant messaging, your participation in Site contests and/or surveys, any response you may send to our requests for feedback, any request you may make for technical or other help using the Site, your participation and interaction with us or other Site users through your User Postings. All information you submit in any User Postings will be considered information that you have voluntarily submitted as PDI.
We may offer certain products or services through our Site on a subscription basis. To facilitate use of any subscription products and services you may be required to provide and we may collect and maintain certain information associated with your subscription. This information may include, but is not limited to, your subscription account identification, your credit card information and authorization, records of your access to the subscription service, the start and end dates of your subscription, as well as any other usage information that may be necessary to provide the subscription product or service.
2. Automated Collection
We do not collect any Personally Identifiable Information automatically. Nor does our Site automatically associate any Personally Identifiable Information that you voluntarily provide through the Site with information that is automatically collected on the Site during your visit.
From time to time we may use various software programs and other technology to monitor all Site visits and collect information. Examples of automated collection technologies that we may use from time to time are described below.
a. Site Security Software
We may use various software programs to identify unauthorized attempts to access, download, upload, change or otherwise misuse Site information or files or to cause damage to the Site or any Site user. These programs may collect all forms of information depending upon the nature of the users’ misuse or misconduct while interacting with the Site.
b. Cookies
A “cookie” is a small file that we may place on your computer’s hard drive. While a cookie may store your name or user name in the cookie itself, the cookie does not collect Personally Identifiable Information. The cookies we use contain Non-Personally Identifiable Information only. Cookies help to us to provide you faster access to Site pages you have already visited; they allow you to personalize Site pages you frequently use; and they help to optimize your interactions with the Site. You can block cookies using the preferences or options in your browser. Most browsers accept cookies automatically but allow you to disable them.
c. Session ID
A “Session ID” is a unique code that allows us to identify a particular Site user across multiple page requests on our Site. A Session ID is maintained within your cookie file, where possible. If cookies are not enabled, or if your internet browser program does not support cookies then we will place the Session ID in our Site page that you requested. Session IDs allow users to avoid having to continually re-enter certain information such as account name and password for every Site page you request. Session IDs “expire” when you close your internet browser.
d. Site Traffic Usage/Log Data
Our Site may also contain special electronic images (called a “single-pixel gif” or “gifs”) that allow us to gather only Non-Personally Identifiable Information about Site user traffic statistics and other aggregate information. We may use this technology to help us understand and analyze our users’ experience while on our Site; and, along with other information you provide, to help us customize your future visits and improve your Site experience. We may collect the IP address of your computer when you visit the Site and automatically collect certain data about your computer and navigation and use of the Site. For example, each time you access a page on the Site, the Site may collect and store the following information:
* date and time of your visit
* originating IP address that requested the display of a page on our Site
* type of browser and operating system used (if provided by the browser)
* URL of the referring page (if provided by the browser)
* object on our Site that was requested
* completion status of the request pages visited
* cookie preferences (whether your internet browser is set to block cookies or not)
* the search engine keywords you may have used to find our Site, and
* the number of visits, paths taken, and time spent on the Site.
VI. How We Use Site Information
A. Our Communications with You
We may use all information that we collect from you for purposes of communicating with you. We may communicate directly with you in various ways, including, through the Site, email address you have provided, facsimile transmission, telephone, instant messaging, United States postal service, and commercial courier services. We may also use all of this information to explain or defend our actions or inactions.
B. Our Internal Use of Information
We may use all information collected via our Site, including your Personally Identifiable Information, for the following purposes:
* To provide you with this Site and other products and services.
* To respond to your inquiries and contact you about Site change.
* To provide you with e-mail, fax and other notices (such as expiration and renewal notices) regarding your Site account and the products or services that you are receiving, and for billing and collection purposes.
* For any other purpose disclosed at the time the information is collected or to which you consent.
* To extract Non-Personally Identifiable Information from any Personally Identifiable Information and use all resulting Non-Personally Identifiable Information in any manner consistent with this Privacy Policy.
* As otherwise specifically described in this Privacy Policy.
We also may use all information to help us better understand your desires for use of our Site and to improve our Site. For example, we may use this information to determine: (a) what portions of the Site are most popular and the demographics of our users generally; (b) which of our Site features are of interest to our users and which may need improvement; (c) how many users visit our Site; (d) which of our Site pages users visit most or least; (e) how long users stay on a Site page; and (f) when our Site servers need maintenance or repair and to otherwise administer our Site.
VII. Disclosure of Information
We may license, transfer and otherwise disclose and exploit Non-Personally Identifiable Information without restriction. We will not transfer or otherwise disclose or exploit your Personally Identifiable Information except as follows:
* To any successor pursuant to an asset sale, merger, consolidation, restructuring, reorganization, liquidation or other similar transaction involving our company or this Site.
* When we believe such disclosure is required: (a) by law, regulation or securities exchange requirement; (b) for the protection of persons or property; (c) to investigate possible violations of and to enforce our Terms of Use; (d) to investigate possible fraudulent activity and prevent ongoing fraudulent activity; and (e) to maintain the Site, including the Site’s security functions.
* When disclosure is necessary to accomplish the purpose for which you provide it.
* To a Related Company for purposes of providing you with information about products and/or services offered by the Related Company that may be of interest to you.
* To a non-Related Company under a limited license restricting such non-Related Company’s use thereof to providing you with information about its products and/or services that may be of interest to you, or to otherwise allow the Non-Related Company to service our Site.
VIII. Security
We use reasonable safeguards to protect all information that we collect via this Site from unauthorized access, use, modification, disclosure and destruction. However, due to the design of the Internet and other factors outside of our control, we cannot guarantee that communications between you and our Site servers will be free from unauthorized access by third parties. Moreover, you understand that the computer (including the web browser), network connection, internet service provider, and intermediary web servers handling communications traffic between you and the Site are outside our control and may have varying levels of security. You accept the risk of unauthorized access to information about you as it travels to and from our Site and any computer or mobile device you may use to access the Site.
IX. Information Processing/Transfers
We analyze and use information using systems and practices reasonably designed to process information accurately for its intended purposes. All information we collect via the Site is collected in a manner that is reasonably designed to maintain the information in the form it is collected. We do not independently verify any Personally Identifiable Information. If you submit incomplete or erroneous information to us via the Site, you will be responsible for providing complete and corrected information via the Site. As your personal situation changes, you will be responsible for updating and maintaining the currency of your Personally Identifiable Information on the Site. We will not be responsible for information, whether in the form of Personally Identifiable Information or otherwise, that others may submit to the Site on your behalf or as a result of having access to your Site account.
Our Site server is located in the United States and therefore all information collected via our Site will be transmitted to our Site server in the United States. Even though United States privacy laws may not be as strict as those in other countries, we have contracts with our Site Service Providers that forbid improper use of any information collected via our Site and also require our Service Providers to protect the confidentiality of all information collected via our Site. By using our Site and when you voluntarily submit any of your Personally Identifiable Information to us via the Site, you are consenting to the transmission of your information to us in the United States.
X. Updates
You may use any means offered on the Site to contact us about accessing, correcting, updating, and deleting your Personally Identifiable Information. If you created a user account via the Site, you may access your user account to correct, update, and delete your Personally Identifiable Information in your user account provided you use the proper access credentials such as a user identification code and password and your changes are consistent with this Privacy Policy.
If you desire access to your Personally Identifiable Information other than via the Site, you may submit a reasonably detailed written request to us at updates@brucematter.com. We will accommodate your reasonable requests to access, correct, update, and delete your Personally Identifiable Information within a reasonable time given the nature of the request. However, the following types of requests may not be accommodated:
* Unreasonably repetitive requests for access to or updating of information.
* Your request conflicts with legal requirements or may result in incorrect, false or misleading information.
* Your request imposes a technical or financial burden that is disproportionate to the risk to improper disclosure or improper use of your Personally Identifiable Information.
* Your request to correct, update or delete any User Postings, including any User Postings that contain Personally Identifiable Information.
We do not have means to allow you to access, correct, update or delete any Non-Personally Identifiable Information collected via the Site, nor shall we have any obligation to do so ourselves.
After termination of your Site user account for any reason, we may delete all of your Personally Identifiable Information without prior notice to you, and, absent receipt of written notice from you or applicable law to the contrary, we may, in our discretion, retain and use all your Personally Identifiable Information in a manner consistent with this Privacy Policy for so long as we desire.