Last Updated: November 10, 2025
Look, we get it - privacy policies can be a total slog to read through. But here's the thing: at Stralyn Ward Legal Services, we're dealing with sensitive business info day in and day out, so we take this stuff seriously. This policy lays out exactly what we do with your information when you reach out to us or use our website.
We're based in Toronto and operate under Canadian privacy laws, including PIPEDA (that's the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, if you're wondering). Everything we do is designed to keep your data safe while still letting us provide you with top-notch legal services.
By using our website or engaging our services, you're agreeing to what's outlined here. If something doesn't sit right with you, give us a call at (416) 555-0147 and let's talk about it.
When you fill out our contact form, send us an email, or become a client, we'll collect things like your name, company name, email address, phone number, and business address. During consultations, we might also gather details about your business structure, industry, and whatever legal issues brought you to us in the first place.
Our website picks up some technical info automatically - IP addresses, browser types, device info, and which pages you're checking out. We use this to improve the site and make sure everything's running smoothly. Nothing creepy, just standard website analytics.
Once we're working together, we'll obviously collect documents, contracts, corporate records, and all the other materials needed to handle your legal matters properly. This is stored securely and treated with the confidentiality you'd expect from your lawyers.
We're not out here selling your info or doing anything sketchy with it. Here's what we actually use it for:
We'll never use your personal information for purposes you haven't agreed to. If we need to use it for something new, we'll ask first.
We don't go around sharing your information willy-nilly. But there are some specific situations where disclosure happens:
We work with trusted third-party vendors who help us run the business - cloud storage providers, billing software, email services, that kind of thing. They only get access to what they need to do their job, and they're bound by confidentiality agreements.
If we're legally required to disclose information (court orders, government requests, etc.), we'll comply. We'll also share info if it's necessary to protect our rights or someone's safety.
Sometimes in corporate deals or litigation, you might need us to share info with other parties. We'll always get your explicit okay before doing so.
Occasionally we might need to consult with other lawyers, accountants, or experts on your matter. This is standard practice and covered by professional privilege, but we'll let you know when it happens.
Keeping your data secure isn't just good practice for us - it's a professional obligation. We've got multiple layers of protection in place:
That said, no system is 100% bulletproof. We do everything reasonable to protect your information, but we can't guarantee absolute security (and honestly, anyone who promises that is lying). If there's ever a data breach that affects you, we'll let you know right away and walk you through what happened and what we're doing about it.
Your part: Keep your login credentials private if we give you access to any client portals, and let us know immediately if you think your information has been compromised.
We can't just delete your files the moment a matter closes - there are rules about how long law firms need to keep records. Here's the breakdown:
We keep everything while we're actively working on your matters. Pretty straightforward.
After a matter closes, we're required by the Law Society to retain files for a minimum period (usually 10 years, depending on the type of work). This protects both you and us if questions come up down the road.
If you reached out but didn't become a client, we'll typically keep that info for a couple years in case you come back, then securely delete it.
Tax and accounting regulations require us to keep billing and payment records for seven years. After that, they're securely destroyed.
Under Canadian privacy law, you've got several rights when it comes to your personal information:
You can request a copy of the personal information we have about you. We'll provide it within 30 days (sometimes there's a small fee to cover copying costs).
If something we have on file is wrong, let us know and we'll fix it. Keeping accurate records is important for legal work anyway.
You can withdraw consent for certain uses of your info (like marketing emails) anytime. Just know that we still need to keep certain information for legal and regulatory reasons.
You can ask us to delete your information, but this comes with caveats. If we're legally required to keep it (like closed file retention rules), we can't delete it. But we'll do what we legally can.
Don't want our newsletters or updates? No problem - just click unsubscribe or let us know. You'll still get essential communications about any active legal matters, though.
To exercise any of these rights, email us at info@mystralynward.info or call (416) 555-0147. We'll need to verify your identity first (can't have randos requesting your files), but we'll get it sorted quickly.
Yeah, we use cookies. Not the chocolate chip kind, unfortunately - these are small text files that help our website work better.
These keep the website functioning properly - things like remembering your language preference or keeping you logged in if we give you portal access. Can't really turn these off without breaking the site.
We use Google Analytics to see which pages people visit, how long they stick around, that sort of thing. Helps us figure out what content is actually useful. These cookies don't identify you personally.
Most browsers let you block or delete cookies through their settings. Just know that blocking everything might make some parts of the site wonky. If you're using Safari, Chrome, Firefox, or Edge, just hit up their help section to learn how to manage cookies.
Our website might include links to other sites - government resources, court websites, industry associations, whatever. Once you click through to another site, this privacy policy doesn't apply anymore. Those sites have their own privacy policies, and we don't have any control over them.
We try to only link to reputable sources, but it's worth taking a minute to check out their privacy practices too. Better safe than sorry, right?
Privacy laws and best practices change over time, so we might need to update this policy occasionally. When we do, we'll update the "Last Updated" date at the top of the page and post the new version here.
If we make any major changes that affect how we handle your information, we'll let active clients know directly via email. For everyone else, the updated policy will be posted here, and continuing to use our site means you're cool with the changes.
We'd recommend checking back here every now and then, especially if privacy is something you're particularly concerned about.
If you've got questions about this privacy policy, want to exercise any of your rights, or have concerns about how we're handling your information, just reach out. We're happy to talk through any of this stuff.
Stralyn Ward Legal Services
1200 Bay Street, Suite 850
Toronto, ON M5R 2A5
(416) 555-0147
info@mystralynward.info
You also have the right to file a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada if you believe we've mishandled your personal information. We'd prefer to resolve any issues directly with you first, but that option's always there if needed.