Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP (“Patterson Belknap” or the “Firm”) is a limited liability partnership registered under the laws of the State of New York and located only in New York. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard information about visitors to our office, as well as users of our site, blog, other news, informational, and social media we may offer, and newsletter subscribers. If you are or if you become a client of Patterson Belknap we may use information about you in additional ways.
This Policy does not apply to information provided to us in the course of our attorney-client relationships or protected by confidentiality, the attorney-client privilege, the attorney work product doctrine, or any other applicable privilege or protection. Nothing in this Policy should be construed to create an attorney-client relationship with visitors to our site.
Please read this Policy carefully before you use our site, communicate with us through the site, or visit our offices. By using our site, blog, newsletter or social media, communicating with us through the site, or visiting our offices, you are accepting the terms of this Policy, which may be updated and amended from time to time. Your continued use of our site after a modified Policy has been posted indicates your agreement to the terms contained in the updated Policy.
Information We Collect
We may collect the following information about users of our site:
- Names, email addresses, telephone numbers, postal addresses, and professional or business-related information, employment-related information, and financial information;
- Characteristics of protected classifications under state or federal law (for example, gender);
- Commercial information (such as records of services provided);
- Biometric information, including biological characteristics that can be used singly or in combination with other identifying data, to establish individual identity (for example, images recorded on security videos created in our office); and
- Internet or other electronic network activity information (such as website usage details, IP addresses, or the equipment used to access our network).
Also, if you choose to email us through a link provided on our site, in addition to your email address, we may collect any information you choose to provide in your email.
When you use our site, third parties may collect information about your activities on our website, over time and across the various websites in our pbwt.com domain. Some web browsers support a “Do Not Track” feature, which is a function you can use to signal that you do not wish to be tracked across websites. Our site is not currently set up to respond to “Do Not Track” signals and does not currently change the way it operates based upon detection of a “Do Not Track” or similar signal.
This site uses Google Analytics. Google Analytics uses tracking technologies, including cookies to collect anonymized data, which may include IP address, browser type, domain names, time and date of visit, referring web site, landing page, search terms, web pages viewed, time spent on a web page, and links clicked. This data is used to improve our site and provide you a better experience. You may prevent Google Analytics from recognizing you when you visit our site by disabling cookies on your browser. Please review Google Analytics’ terms of use and privacy policy to learn more about how Google Analytics may collect and use information. The Firm does not otherwise use cookies to collect information.
If you visit our offices, we may collect your name, the date and times you visited, and who you are visiting. We may also use security technologies, such as security cameras, to capture your image. If you use our guest wireless network while in our office, we may also log information about your use of that service for network administration, analysis, troubleshooting, and other operational purposes. We do not combine IP addresses with personally-identifiable information to identify individual users.
How We Use and Share Your Information
Patterson Belknap uses the information it collects to provide updates about legal developments, promote and share the Firm’s publications regarding legal issues and to invite people to participate in the Firm’s events and presentations about evolving legal issues. The Firm may also use this information for other business purposes (for example, to perform services on our or a service provider’s behalf or to detect against fraud or illegal activity). Personal information may also be used in connection with responding to your requests for information, reviewing applications for employment with Patterson Belknap, protecting our site and operations against fraud or other unlawful activities, and maintaining the physical security of our offices.
The Firm does not sell the personal information it collects. From time to time, Patterson Belknap may share this information with third-party vendors retained by the Firm in connection with the Firm’s business purposes and marketing activities described above.
We also share your personal information if required to do so by law, law enforcement, or other legal process or in the good-faith belief that disclosure is necessary to protect our firm or members of the public in appropriate circumstances. We do not otherwise disclose your personal information to third parties.
We are not responsible for the data collection, privacy practices, or policies of any third-party site to which we may provide a link or that may link to our site. We encourage you to read the privacy statement and terms of use of other sites.
Children
We do not knowingly solicit personal or other information online from children under the age of 13.
Information Security
We use commercially reasonable security measures to protect and safeguard the personal information we collect under this Policy against unauthorized access or unauthorized alteration, disclosure, or destruction. No computer network or data transmission on the internet, including through or initiated on our site, can be guaranteed to be 100% secure and so you submit your information at your own risk.
Questions; Review and Correction of Your Information; Opt Out; Governing Law
If you have any questions about this Policy, wish to confirm the personal information you have provided to us or wish to opt out of receiving further information from us, please contact us at [email protected].
This Policy is governed by the laws of the State of New York. You agree that any proceeding relating to use of this site or this Policy must be filed exclusively in the appropriate courts located in New York County, New York, and you submit to the jurisdiction of those courts and waive any objection to venue in those courts based on an inconvenient forum or any other reason.
This policy was last updated on January 6, 2020.
Information for California Residents Subject to the California Consumer Privacy Act
The California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (“CCPA”) provides California residents with certain rights regarding their personal information. For example, the CCPA gives California consumers the right to (1) learn about the categories and particular personal information Patterson Belknap has collected about them; (2) obtain a copy of their personal information that the Firm has collected; and (3) ask the Firm to delete their personal information.
This section provides Patterson Belknap’s privacy notice for California residents. It supplements the Firm’s Privacy Policy set forth above. Please review the Firm’s Privacy Policy for additional information about how the Firm may obtain and share information collected for other business or legal purposes.
The Personal Information We Collect
During the preceding 12 months, through this site and other sources, the Firm may have collected the categories of information about California residents (including, for example, current, former and prospective employees, and current, former and prospective clients) detailed in our Privacy Policy under the heading, “Information We Collect.” That collection may have included the following information:
- Identifiers and certain “Personal Information” as defined in California Civil Code section 1798.80, subsection (e);
- Characteristics of protected classifications under California law; and
- Biometric information, as defined in the CCPA.
Purpose of Collecting Consumer Information – How We Use It
Patterson Belknap uses the information it collects about California residents for the reasons and pursuant to the terms detailed in our Privacy Policy under the heading, “How We Use and Share Your Information.” Please read that section of the Firm’s Privacy Policy carefully.
How California Residents Can Exercise Their Rights Under the CCPA
As mentioned above, California residents have the right to (1) learn about the categories and particular personal information Patterson Belknap has collected about them; (2) obtain a copy of their personal information that the Firm has collected; and (3) ask the Firm to delete their personal information. This section explains how to exercise those rights.
Requests For Access To Information Collected About You By The Firm
If you would like to make a request that Patterson Belknap disclose to you information about our collection or use of your personal information, you may call our CCPA consumer request line at (888) 672-9822. You can also send us an email at [email protected] or submit a request through our website by clicking this link. Please note, the Firm may need to obtain specific information from you to confirm your identity and to ensure that you have the right to access information and exercise certain rights under the CCPA. As a result, a Patterson Belknap representative may contact you to request additional information to verify your identity.
Disclosure of Information
Once your identity is verified, Patterson Belknap will disclose to you the personal information you have requested, including:
- The categories of personal information about you the Firm has collected;
- The specific pieces of personal information about you the Firm has collected;
- The categories of sources from which the Firm collected your personal information;
- The Firm’s business or commercial purpose(s) for collecting your personal information;
- The categories of third parties with whom the Firm shared your personal information; and
- If we disclosed personal information about you for a business purpose, the categories of information that each category of recipient received.
Deletion of Information
Once your identity is verified, you can request the Firm to delete the personal information we have collected from you. There are certain exceptions and Patterson Belknap reserves the right to deny your request if retaining the information is necessary for the Firm or our service providers to:
- Complete the transaction for which we collected your information, provide a service requested by you, continue the ongoing business relationship with you within the reasonably anticipated context of that relationship, or perform a contract between you and the Firm;
- Detect security incidents, protect against malicious, deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal activity, or prosecute those responsible for that activity;
- Debug to identify and repair errors that impair existing intended functionality;
- Exercise free speech, ensure the right of another California resident to exercise his or her right of free speech, or exercise another right provided for by law;
- Comply with the California Electronic Communications Privacy Act;
- Engage in public or peer-reviewed scientific, historical, or statistical research in the public interest that adheres to all other applicable ethics and privacy laws;
- Enable solely internal uses that are reasonably aligned with the expectations of you based on your relationship with us;
- Comply with legal obligations;
- Otherwise use your information, internally, in a lawful manner that is compatible with the context in which you provided the information; or
- Provide employment and related benefits.
California Residents’ Right to Opt Out or Opt In
California residents have the right to opt out of having their personal information sold to third parties. As stated above in the Firm’s Privacy Policy, we do not currently sell your information and we have not done so in the preceding 12 months. As described above in this notice, we may share your personal information with other entities for business or commercial purposes.
Appointment of Agent to Assist You
You have the right to appoint an agent to make requests under the CCPA to obtain or delete information about you. Such authorization must be done in writing and Patterson Belknap may deny a request if the agent does not submit sufficient proof that you authorized the agent to act on your behalf.
California Residents’ Right of Non-Discrimination
Patterson Belknap may not discriminate against a California resident because the resident exercised rights under the CCPA, including, but not limited to, by:
- Denying you goods or services;
- Charging you different prices or rates for goods or services, including through granting discounts or other benefits, or imposing penalties;
- Providing you a different level or quality of goods or services; or
- Suggesting that you will receive a different price or rate for goods or services or a different level or quality of goods or services.