Privacy Policy

Sciocchetti Taber, PLLC recognizes the importance of privacy and the sensitivity of personal information. As attorneys we have a professional obligation to keep confidential all information we receive within an attorney-client relationship. We are committed to protecting any personal information we hold. This Privacy Policy outlines how we manage your personal information and safeguard your privacy.

Why Does Sciocchetti Taber, PLLC Need Personal Information?

Sciocchetti Taber, PLLC provides legal services to a wide range of clients. In doing so, we are frequently required to obtain non-public, personal information about our employees and clients.

What Personal Information do we collect?

Personal information is any information that identifies you, or by which your identity could be deduced. In some cases, we may be required to obtain your personal information in order to best represent you.

How do we collect your Personal Information?

We collect information only by lawful and fair means, and not in an unreasonably intrusive way. Wherever possible we collect your personal information directly from you, both at the start of a retainer and in the course of our representation. Sometimes we may obtain information about you from other sources, for example:

• Your insurance company
• Your real estate agent in a property transaction
• From a government agency or registry
• Your employer, if we are acting for you, at your request
• Your accountant
• Your mortgage company, loan officer or loan documents

Consent

In some cases, we shall ask you to specifically consent, if we collect, use, or disclose your personal information. Normally, we ask for your consent in writing, but in some circumstances, we may accept your oral consent. Sometimes, your consent may be implied through your conduct with us.

Use of Your Information

We use your personal information to provide legal advice and services to you, to administer our client (time and billing databases) and to consummate your legal transactions. Sciocchetti Abbott Taber. PLLC does not disclose your personal information to any third party to enable them to market their products and services to you. For example, we do not provide our client mailing lists to other companies.

Disclosure of your Personal Information

Under certain circumstances, Sciocchetti Taber, PLLC will disclose your personal information:

• When we are required or authorized by law to do so, for example if a court issues a subpoena
• When you have consented to the disclosure
• When the legal services we are providing to you require us to give your information to third parties (for example a lender in a real estate mortgage transaction) your consent will be implied, unless you tell us otherwise
• Where it is necessary to establish or collect fees
• If we engage a third party to provide administrative services to us (like computer back-up services or archival file storage) and the third party is bound by our privacy policy
• If we retain other law firms or other companies to provide services at your request, and on your behalf.

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 our representation of you, any of your information changes, please inform us so that we can make any necessary changes.

Is My Personal Information Secure?

Sciocchetti Abbott Taber, PLLC 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 file access to personal information
• Deploying technological safeguards like security software and firewalls to prevent hacking or unauthorized computer access
• Internal privacy and security policies and training

Access to Your Personal Information

You may ask for access to any personal information we hold about you. Summary information is available on request. More detailed requests which require archive or other retrieval costs may be subject to our normal professional and disbursement fees.

Correcting Errors

If Sciocchetti Abbott Taber, PLLC holds information about you and you can establish that it is not accurate, complete and up-to-date, upon sufficient written notice, Sciocchetti Abbott Taber, PLLC will take reasonable steps to attempt correct it.

File Destruction Policy

At Sciocchetti Abbott Taber, PLLC, files will be maintained for a minimum period of seven (7) years from the conclusion of the representation provided to you on that specific matter. However, it may be appropriate in some circumstances to maintain our client’s file for a longer period of time, in order to protect both the law firm’s and the client’s interests. Your files will not destroyed without the approval of the responsible attorney in the representation, or if that attorney is unavailable, an attorney designated by law firm management. For further details about our File Destruction Policy, please contact our Office Manager.

Can I be denied access to my Personal Information?

Your rights to access your personal information are not absolute. We may deny access when:

• It is required or authorized by law (for example, when a record containing personal information about you is protected by solicitor-client privilege)
• To do so would reveal confidential commercial information, and the personal information cannot be severed from the records
• To do so could reasonably be expected to threaten the life or security of another individual, and the personal information cannot be severed from the record
• The information was generated in the course of a formal dispute resolution process

If we deny your request for access to, or refuse a request to correct information, we shall explain why. Sciocchetti Taber, PLLC does not use your Social Security Number as a way of identifying or organizing the information we hold upon you.

Communicating with Us

You should be aware that e-mail is not a one-hundred percent (100%) secure medium and you should be aware of this when contacting us to send personal or confidential information.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

Since Sciocchetti Abbott Taber, PLLC regularly reviews all of its policies and procedures, we may change our Privacy Policy from time to time.

Requests for Access

If you have any questions, or wish to access your personal information, please write to our Office Manager at Sciocchetti Abbott Taber, PLLC, 12 Century Hill Drive, Latham, NY, 12110.

Employment Inquiries

If you apply to Sciocchetti Taber, PLLC for a job, we need to consider your personal information as part of our review process. We normally retain information from candidates after a decision has been made, unless you ask us not to retain the information. If we offer you a job, which you accept, the information will be retained in accordance with our privacy procedures for employee records.

Web Site

Our website contains links to other sites which are not governed by this privacy policy. On our website, like most other commercial websites, we may monitor traffic patterns, site usage and related site information in order to optimize our web service. We may provide aggregated information to third parties, but these statistics do not include any identifiable personal information.

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