INTERNET PRIVACY POLICY

Effective Date:  December 29, 2023

 

 1.  Introduction.

Shelia A Huggins, PLLC respects your privacy. The firm is committed to protecting your privacy through the firm’s Internet Privacy Policy (“Policy”). This Policy informs users of the website, www.sheliahugginslaw.com, and related services (“Platform”) and about the personal information the firm collects via the Platform and how that information will be used. This Policy may be amended from time to time, and when the Policy is amended, the firm will adjust the “Effective Date.” By accessing or using the Platform, you agree to this Policy and any amendments and updates to the Policy.  If you do not agree to this Policy, you may not use our Platform.

The Policy applies to Personal Data (as defined below) collected:

  • Directly from you when you provide it to us.

  • Through the Platform, including information collected automatically, which may include usage details, IP addresses, and information collected through cookies, web beacons, and other tracking technologies (as more fully described in Section 10 (Cookies and Automatic Data Collection).

  • In email, text, and other electronic messages between you and the firm.

  • When you interact with our advertising and applications on third-party websites and services, if those applications or advertising include links to this Policy.

This Policy does not apply to information collected by any third party, including through any applicable website or content (including advertising) that may link to or be accessible via the Platform. When you use one of these links to leave our Platform, we encourage you to review the third-party’s privacy policy that applies to the services, websites, or applications you choose to access.

If you have questions about this Policy, please contact the firm using the information set forth in Section 15 (Contact Us) below.

2.  Definitions.

The following terms shall have the meanings set forth below when used in this Policy:

  • Aggregate Data means data about our Users that is irreversibly anonymized, de-identified and aggregated such that it does not identify any person.  Aggregate Data may include Usage Data.

  • Personal Data means any information by which you may be personally identified, such as name, postal address, email address, telephone number, or any other identifier by which you may be contacted online or offline.

  • Usage Data means information collected automatically through the Platform (or third-party services employed in the Platform), that may include usage details, IP addresses, features of the browser and operating system used by the User, pages visited, various time details (such as time spent on each page within the Platform), sequence of pages visited, and information collected through cookies, web beacons, and other tracking technologies (as more fully described in Section 10 (Cookies and Automatic Data Collection).  Usage Data generally does not include Personal Data.

  • User means an individual using the Platform.

3.  Types of Personal Data Collected.

A.  Website visitors.  The firm’s website may collect limited Personal Data such as names and addresses (e-mail and physical) from visitors who voluntarily input such information through various mechanisms, including contact forms, subscription enrollment forms, online chat tools, and others. The firm also will collect email addresses from the emails you send us.

B.  Platform Users.  We collect additional information from Users who desire to use our Platform and purchase related services, such as:

  • Name

  • Email address

  • Phone number

  • Address

  • Online identifiers (such as account name and password)

  • Payment data, credit card, debit card, and bank information (collected and used by a third-party payment processor)

  • Commercial transaction data

  • Products viewed or searched on our Platform

  • IP addresses, device ID, domain server

4.  Collection, Processing, and Disclosure of Personal Data. 

A.  Data collection. 

We collect Personal Data about Users in the following ways:

  • Directly from you when you provide it to us

  • Automatically as you navigate through the Platform. Information collected automatically may include Usage Data and information collected through cookies, web beacons, and other tracking technologies (as further discussed in Section 10 (Cookies and Automatic Data Collection) below).

  • From third parties, such as our business partners, analytics providers, and advertising partners.

The Personal Data we collect via the Platform may also include:

  • Information that you provide by filling out forms on our Platform. This includes information provided at the time of registering to use the Platform, subscribing to our newsletter, or requesting additional services.  We may also ask you for information when you report a problem with the Platform.

  • Records and copies of correspondence (including email addresses) if you contact us.

  • Details of transactions you carry out through the Platform.

  • Any other information Users provide to us.

B.  Processing Personal Data.  Any Personal Data we collect is used for the following purposes:

  • Providing, developing, customizing, and improving the Platform

  • Processing orders and other transactions, including billing

  • Providing information, support, and assistance regarding our Platform

  • Personalizing our Platform, website content and communications based on your preferences

  • Notifying you about changes to the Platform

  • Providing notices about your account, including expiration and renewal notices

  • Displaying advertisements, including interest-based or online behavioral advertising

  • Marketing our products and services to you, and third-party products and services that may be of interest to you

  • Responding to inquiries and correspondence from Users, contacting Users when necessary or requested, and sending information to Users

  • Creating user preferences regarding emails and other communications

  • Fulfilling any other purpose for which you provide your Personal Data

C.  Disclosure of Personal Data. We may use and disclose Aggregate Data about our Users without restriction.  We do not sell Personal Data to third parties.  We may disclose Personal Data that we collect or you provide as described in this Policy:

  • To our subsidiaries and affiliates.

  • To contractors, service providers, vendors, and other third parties we use to support our business.

  • To third-party payment processors, such as LawPay, PayPal, Stripe, and Affirm.

  • To analytics providers, ad networks, and marketing providers

  • To a buyer or other successor in the event of a merger, divestiture, restructuring, reorganization, dissolution, or other sale or transfer of some or all of our assets, whether as a going concern or as part of bankruptcy, liquidation, or similar proceeding, in which Personal Data held by the firm about our Platform users is among the assets transferred.

  • To fulfill the purpose for which you provide it.

  • For any other purpose disclosed by us when you provide your Personal Data.

  • For any other purpose with your consent.

  • To comply with any court order, law, or legal process, including to respond to any government or regulatory request.

  • To enforce or apply our Terms & Conditions (available at https://www.sheliahugginslaw.com) and any other agreement you may have with us for use of the Platform, including for billing and collection purposes.

·        If we believe disclosure is necessary or appropriate to protect the rights, property, or safety of the firm, our customers, or others.

5.  Personal Data Required for Use of the Platform.

Except as otherwise specified, all Personal Data requested by the Platform is mandatory and failure to provide this Personal Data may make it impossible for us to provide our Platform. In cases where the Platform specifically states that some Personal Data is optional, Users are free to elect not to provide this data, without a reduction in the availability or the functionality of the Platform.  Users who are uncertain about which personal data is mandatory in the Platform should contact the firm using the information in Section 15 (Contact Us) below.

Users are responsible for any third-party Personal Data obtained, published or shared through the Platform and confirm that they have obtained the third-party's consent to provide such party’s Personal Data to the firm.

6.  Methods and Place of Processing.

A.  Transmission of Usage Data.  Users’ devices used to access our Platform may automatically transmit certain Usage Data when Users visit our Platform. The firm’s ability to limit collection of this Usage Data is limited, as we cannot control, for example, whether a User’s Usage Data is collected by a third-party service. Therefore, the User is responsible for the User’s own settings pertaining to Usage Data on any device used to access the Platform, and for determining whether Usage Data is transmitted from the User’s device to the firm through any means.

B.  Legal basis for processing.  The firm may process Personal Data relating to Users if one of the following applies:

  • Users have given their consent for us to use their Personal Data.

  • Personal Data is necessary for the provision of the Platform.

  • Processing Personal Data is necessary for our compliance with a legal obligation.

  • Processing is related to a task that is carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the firm.

C.  Place.  Personal Data is processed at the firm's operating office in North Carolina and in any other places where the parties involved in the processing are located.

D.  Data retention

Personal Data shall be processed and stored for as long as required for the purpose for which it has been collected.  Once the applicable retention period expires, we will delete the applicable Personal Data, and the Personal Data will not be available after the expiration of the applicable retention period.

7.  Accessing, deleting, and correcting your Personal Data.

You may send us an email at sheliah@sheliahugginslaw.com or contact us via the Platform (i) to access, review, and change your Personal Data, and (ii) to request correction or deletion of any Personal Data that you have provided to us. We cannot delete your Personal Data except by also deleting your user account. We may not accommodate a request to change information if we believe the change would violate any law or legal requirement or cause the information to be incorrect.

8.  Changes to this Policy.

The firm reserves the right to make changes to this Policy at any time by notifying its Users (i) on this page with an updated Effective Date, (ii) within the Platform, and/or (iii) sending a notice to Users via the contact information provided by a User in the Platform.

9.  Applicable Law

The Platform is intended for use by U.S. citizens only.

10.  Cookies and Automatic Data Collection.

A.  Automatic Data Collection.  As you navigate through and interact with our Platform, we may use automatic data collection technologies to collect certain information about your equipment, browsing actions, and patterns, including:

  • Details of your visits to our Platform, including traffic data, location data, logs, and other communication data and the resources that you access and use on the Platform.

  • Information about your device and internet connection, including your IP address, operating system, and browser type.

B.  Do Not Track Instructions.  We also may use these technologies to collect information about your online activities over time and across third-party websites or other online services (behavioral tracking). Some web browsers may give you the ability to enable a “do not track” feature that sends signals to the websites you visit, instructing them that you do not want your online activities to be tracked; however, these features are not uniform and there is no common standard that has been adopted by industry groups, technology companies or regulators. Be aware that this is different from blocking or deleting cookies, and that browsers with “do not track” features enabled may still accept cookies. While the Platform does not currently recognize and respond to “do not track” signals, if we do in the future, we will update this Policy accordingly.

C.  Use of Data Collected.  The data we collect helps us to improve our Platform and to deliver a better and more personalized service, including by enabling us to:

  • Estimate our audience size and usage patterns.

  • Store information about your preferences, allowing us to customize our Platform according to your individual interests.

  • Speed up your searches.

  • Recognize you when you return to our Platform.

D.  Tracking Technologies.  The technologies we use for this automatic data collection may include:

  • Cookies (or browser cookies). A cookie is a small file placed on the hard drive of your computer. You may refuse to accept browser cookies by activating the appropriate setting on your browser. However, if you select this setting you may be unable to access certain parts of our Website. Unless you have adjusted your browser setting so that it will refuse cookies, our system will issue cookies when you direct your browser to our website.   You can get more information about cookies at https://www.allaboutcookies.org/. 

  • Web Beacons. Pages of our Platform and our emails may contain small electronic files known as web beacons (also referred to as clear gifs, pixel tags, and single-pixel gifs) that permit us to, for example, count Users who have visited those pages or opened an email and for other related website statistics (for example, recording the popularity of certain content and verifying system and server integrity).

  • Flash Cookies. Certain features of our Platform may use local stored objects (or Flash cookies) to collect and store information about your preferences and navigation to, from, and on our Platform. Flash cookies are not managed by the same browser settings as are used for browser cookies.

  • Google Analytics:  We use these cookies to find out how many users are visiting the Platform and to understand how our Platform is used.  We collect proof of consents when personal information is collected.  You can find information about how to opt-out of Google Analytics’ tracking here: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/181881

11.  Legal Advice.

Shelia A Huggins PLLC is a law firm and does provide legal services. Your use of this Platform does not constitute an attorney-client relationship. Additionally, should you choose to purchase templates, courses, or other products from the Platform, those purchases by you do not create an attorney-client relationship.

The information provided on the Platform is for legal information only. There is no attorney-client relationship unless you have entered into a written engagement agreement with Shelia A Huggins PLLC.

Shelia A Huggins PLLC is a North Carolina law firm, and Shelia A Huggins is licensed in the State of North Carolina.

12.  Data Security. 

We have implemented measures designed to secure your Personal Data from accidental loss and from unauthorized access, use, alteration, and disclosure.  All Personal Data you provide to us is stored on our secure servers behind firewalls. Any payment transactions (such as credit card processing) will be processed in a manner that is compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).

The safety and security of your Personal Data also depends on you. Where we have given you (or where you have chosen) a password for access to our Platform, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential. We ask you not to share your password with anyone.

Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure. Although we do our best to protect your Personal Data, we cannot guarantee the security of your Personal Data transmitted to our Platform. Any transmission of personal information is at your own risk. We are not responsible for circumvention of any privacy settings or security measures contained in the Platform.

13.  Your State Privacy Rights.

If you are a California, Colorado, Connecticut, Nevada, Utah or Virginia resident, your state's laws may provide you with additional rights regarding our use of your Personal Data.  Please note that the firm does not sell its Users’ Personal Data.

Nevada provides its residents with a limited right to opt-out of certain personal information sales. However, we do not currently sell data triggering that statute’s opt-out requirements. 

Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia and Utah each provide their state residents with rights to:

  • Confirm whether we process their personal information.

  • Access and delete certain personal information.

  • Enable data portability.

  • Opt-out of personal information processing for targeted advertising and sales.

In addition, Colorado, Connecticut, and Virginia each provide their state residents with rights to:

  • Correct inaccuracies in their personal information, taking into account the information’s processing purpose.

  • Opt-out of profiling in furtherance of decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects.

14.  Use by Minors.

The firm’s Platform is not intended for minors under 18 years of age (each, a “Minor”). Minors may not provide any Personal Data via the Platform. We do not knowingly collect Personal Data from Minors. If you are a Minor, do not use or provide any information on the Platform or through any of its features, register for an account, or provide any information about yourself to us, including your name, address, telephone number, email address, or any screen name or user name you may use. If we learn we have collected or received personal information from a Minor, we will delete that information. If you believe we might have any information from or about a Minor, please contact us using the information in Section 15 (Contact Us).

15.  Contact Us.

For any questions or concerns regarding this Policy, please contact us at sheliah@sheliahugginslaw.com or Shelia A Huggins PLLC, PO Box 62112, Durham, NC 27715.