Privacy Policy

Last Updated: October 27, 2025

I. Introduction

Law Office of Joseph Richards, P.C. and our affiliates (collectively, “the Firm,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) are committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website, use our services, or interact with us (collectively, “using our Services”).

II. Confidentiality of Legal Inquiries

We treat information submitted for the purpose of seeking legal representation with the highest degree of confidentiality, in accordance with our professional and ethical obligations. This Privacy Policy explains our data practices for our general audience but is not a waiver of attorney-client privilege or any other ethical duties of attorneys. Information provided in the course of seeking or obtaining legal representation is governed by our engagement agreements and professional obligations.

III. Privacy Policy Overview

This summary provides the key points of our privacy policy. For more details, please read the full policy below.

• What we collect: We collect information you provide, information from your use of our Services, and information from third parties.
• How we use it: We use this information to provide and improve our legal and informational services, and to send you relevant updates.
• How we share it: We may share information with service providers that help us operate and market our services.
• Your control: We provide you with clear choices and control over your personal information, including the right to opt out of certain data uses.

IV. Personal Information We Collect

We may collect information that identifies, relates to, describes, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with you (“Personal Information”). The categories of Personal Information we may collect are as follows:

V. How and Why We Use Your Information

We use your Personal Information for specific business purposes and only when we have a valid legal basis.

• To Provide and Improve Our Services: To operate our website, understand user interaction, and enhance functionality.
  • Legal Basis: Our legitimate interests in maintaining our digital presence; performance of a contract.
• For Analytics: To monitor and analyze traffic and usage patterns to improve our content and service delivery.
  • Legal Basis: Our legitimate interests in improving our services.
• For Direct Marketing: To send you newsletters, event invitations, or legal updates that may be of interest to you.
  • Legal Basis: Your consent, or our legitimate interests when a prior business relationship exists.
• To Comply with Legal Obligations: To comply with applicable laws, regulations, or legal processes.
  • Legal Basis: Compliance with a legal obligation.

VI. How We Share and Disclose Information

We may refer your case or request for legal services to another law firm, which may provide us with money or other valuable consideration in exchange. 

More generally, we may share Personal Information with the following categories of third parties:

• IT & Hosting Providers: We may share Personal Information with vendors that provide cloud hosting, security, and other technical services to operate our website and internal systems.
• Analytics & Performance Providers: We may share Personal Information with partners like Google Analytics to help us understand website traffic and usage patterns.
• Marketing Providers: We may share Personal Information with social media platforms and advertising networks to provide you with relevant advertising on other sites. Under several U.S. state privacy laws, this type of sharing may be defined as a “sale” or “sharing” for cross-context behavioral advertising. This activity is facilitated through the use of third-party cookies and similar tracking technologies on our website. 
• For Business Transfers: We may transfer Personal Information in connection with any merger, sale of assets, financing, or acquisition of our business.
• For Legal Reasons: We may disclose Personal Information if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g., a court or a government agency).

VII. Sensitive Personal Information

We do not collect or process sensitive personal information, such as race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, or health data, unless it is necessary to provide or maintain a service that you have requested.

VIII. Cookies and Global Privacy Controls

We use cookies and similar technologies to operate our site and enhance your experience. 

• Cookie Controls: Cookies may include both necessary cookies and non-essential cookies, such as analytics, functional, and advertising cookies. You have full control over your cookie preferences and can manage your choices at any time by visiting our cookie management tool. Under certain privacy laws, the use of advertising cookies may be considered a “sale” or “sharing” of personal information. Explore our Cookie Policy for more details.

• Global Privacy Control (GPC): Our website is configured to honor opt-out preference signals from GPC settings in a browser. We treat a GPC signal from your browser as a valid request to opt out of the “sale” or “sharing” of your personal information for that browser, and we will turn off non-essential cookies upon receiving this request.

IX. Your Privacy Rights and Choices

Depending on where you reside, you may have certain rights regarding your Personal Information.

A. Your Right to Opt Out of “Sale” or “Sharing” 

In certain states, you have the right to direct us not to “sell” or “share” your Personal Information, or process it for purposes of targeted advertising and/or certain types of automated profiling. You can exercise your right to opt out in two ways:

1. Manually: By visiting our page on Your Privacy Choices and clicking the button there.  This allows you to opt out of all activities that may be considered a “sale” or “sharing” under certain privacy laws, including the use of non-essential cookies. You can also use our cookie management tool to adjust your preferences for whether we use non-essential cookies.
2. Automatically: By broadcasting an opt-out preference signal, such as the Global Privacy Control (GPC), from your browser.

B. Additional Privacy Rights 

Depending on your jurisdiction, additional rights may include:

• The Right to Know and Access: To ask what Personal Information we have collected and how we have used and shared it.
• The Right to Deletion: To request that we delete your Personal Information, subject to certain exceptions.
• The Right to Correction: To request that we correct inaccurate Personal Information.
• The Right to Data Portability: To request a copy of your information in a usable format.
• The Right to Know Third-Party Recipients: To request the categories of third parties to which we have disclosed your Personal Information.
• The Right to Revoke Consent: When we rely on your consent for processing, you may revoke that consent at any time, such as by unsubscribing from our marketing emails.
• The Right to Non-Discrimination: To be free from discrimination for exercising your privacy rights.

To exercise any of these additional rights, please see our contact page for how you can reach us.

We will need to verify your identity before processing your request. This will involve providing personal information to match against the information we have on file for you, potentially including your name, email address, and phone number. To designate an authorized agent, you must provide them with written permission, and we may require you to verify your own identity directly with us. If we deny your request, you may have a right to appeal our decision, depending on your state’s law. Information on how to appeal will be provided in our response.

X. Data Retention

We retain your Personal Information for as long as is necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, and to comply with our legal and professional obligations, considering factors like the duration of our relationship, the purposes for which the data was collected, applicable statutes of limitations, and professional conduct rules.

XI. Children’s Privacy

Our services are not directed to people under the age of 18. We do not knowingly sell the personal data of consumers under 18 or use their data for targeted advertising. If you believe we have inadvertently collected such information, please contact us to request its deletion.

XII. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new policy on this page and updating the “Last Updated” date.

XIII. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, you can use our contact page to reach us.

XIV. Notice for Visitors From the EEA or UK

Depending on the situation, you may have certain rights related to the processing of your Personal Information. These may include:

• Right of Access: You can get a copy of your Personal Information processed by us.
• Right to Erasure: You can ask us to erase or delete your Personal Information, with some limitations.
• Right to Rectification: You can ask us to rectify any inaccuracy or incompleteness in your Personal Information.
• Right to Object: You can object to the processing of your Personal Information for reasons related to your situation.
• Right to Restriction: You may be able to ask us to restrict our processing of your Personal Information, depending on the situation.
• Right to Withdraw Consent: If you previously consented to our processing your Personal Information, you can withdraw that consent at any time.
• Right to Data Portability: In certain situations, you have a right to ask for a copy of your processed Personal Information in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.

To exercise any of your rights, or to learn more about how we use your Personal Information, visit our contact page to get in touch. You can also file a complaint with the data protection authority in an applicable jurisdiction if you think that our processing of your Personal Information violated an applicable law.

Please also note that, since we are a U.S. firm, your Personal Information needs to be transferred to the United States for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. We recognize the importance of transferring, processing, and storing your Personal Information securely and legally, and for EEA and UK users we rely on contracts approved by the European Commission. Visit our contact page if you would like to ask us for more information about this process.