Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how The Kaufman Law Firm ("Firm," "we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, discloses, and protects information about visitors to www.harriskaufman.com (the "Site"). It also describes rights that may be available to residents of certain U.S. states, the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland, and how to exercise them.

This Policy governs information collected through the Site only. It does not apply to information we collect from clients or prospective clients in the course of an attorney-client engagement, which is governed by our engagement agreement, applicable rules of professional conduct, and applicable law.

No Attorney-Client Relationship

Submitting information through this Site (including through a contact form, online chat, or text message) does not create an attorney-client relationship and is not a substitute for legal advice. Please do not send confidential or privileged information until we have confirmed in writing that we represent you. Information submitted before that point may not be treated as privileged or confidential.

1. Information We Collect
We collect information about you in three ways: directly from you, automatically through your use of the Site, and from third parties.

a) Information You Provide Directly
If you complete the “Contact Us” form on this Site, we ask you to provide personal information such as your name, e-mail address, phone number, and state. We only require that you provide an e-mail address. If chat is available on the Site, you may be asked to provide information if you participate in an online chat.

Please do not submit confidential, proprietary, or sensitive personal information (for example, Social Security number, date of birth, driver’s license number, or credit card, bank account, or other financial account information) (collectively, “Sensitive Information”) through the Site. If you submit Sensitive Information, you do so at your own risk, and we are not responsible for the consequences of your submission.

Information you provide through the contact form or an online chat is used to respond to your inquiry and, unless you opt out as described below, to communicate with you in the future.

Text Messaging (SMS) Program

If you provide your mobile phone number to us — for example, through our contact form — you may receive text messages from us at that number, which we use to respond to your inquiry, confirm appointments, and follow up on matters you have raised with us. We send text messages using Zoom Phone.

Consent. By providing a telephone number and submitting a form on the Site, you are consenting to be contacted by SMS text message. Consent to receive text messages is not a condition of obtaining any legal services from the Firm. Message frequency may vary. Message and data rates may apply.

Opt-Out and Help. You can stop receiving messages at any time by sending STOP. You can get more help by sending HELP. This Privacy Policy, which governs our text messaging program, is located at www.harriskaufman.com/privacy-policy.shtml and is also linked directly beneath the text-message consent disclosure on each of our web forms.

No mobile information will be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. All the categories of information described in this Policy exclude text-messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information is not shared with any third parties.

b) Information Collected Automatically (Web Server Logs)
When you visit the Site, we may automatically track and store information about your visit in web server logs, including:

• Your device's Internet protocol (IP) address and the name of your Internet service provider
• The city/county, state, and country from which you access the Site
• The type of browser or device you use
• The number of links you click within the Site
• The date and time of your visit
• The web page from which you arrived at our Site
• The pages you view on the Site
• Certain searches or queries you conduct through the Site

We use this information to administer the Site, analyze its usage, protect the Site and its content from misuse, and improve the user experience.

c) Cookies and Similar Technologies
We use cookies and similar technologies (such as web beacons and pixels) to recognize your browser, help you navigate the Site, remember your preferences so you do not have to re-enter them, and understand how visitors use the Site. Most browsers are initially set to accept cookies, but you can set yours to notify you when a cookie is offered or to refuse cookies altogether.

If you disable cookies, some features of the Site may not function properly. For more information about managing cookies, see All About Cookies. You can refuse Flash cookies using Adobe's Flash management tools, and you can opt out of Google's use of cookies by visiting Google's Ad Settings.

We may also use analytics services hosted by third parties, including Google Analytics, to help us understand how visitors use the Site. These services may collect information sent by your browser as part of a web page request, including your IP address or cookies. Where these third-party services collect information, they generally do so in de-identified, aggregate form to help us understand usage trends, not to identify you individually.

By continuing to use the Site, you consent to our use of cookies and similar technologies as described in this Policy, except where applicable law requires us to obtain your prior consent (see Section 9 for visitors in the EEA, UK, and Switzerland).

d) Information from Third-Party Advertising Partners
We may use services provided by third parties — including the Google Ads advertising network — to display relevant content and advertising to you on and off the Site and to measure the effectiveness of that advertising. These third parties may use cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies to collect information about your activity on this Site and other websites over time, and may use that information to understand your interests and to retarget advertisements based on your prior visits to this Site. We do not share your personal information with any third-party advertiser, ad server, or ad network beyond what is necessary for them to provide these services.

You may opt out of the collection and use of information for ad targeting by some third parties by visiting www.aboutads.info/choices, and by opting out of Google's use of cookies by visiting Google's Ad Settings.

2. How We Use Information
We use the information we collect to: operate, maintain, and improve the Site; respond to your inquiries and provide the information or services you request; communicate with you, including sending information you have asked to receive; understand and analyze how the Site is used; detect, prevent, and address technical issues, fraud, or misuse; personalize content and advertising; and comply with our legal and professional obligations.

We do not share the information you provide with others except as described in this Policy or where we believe in good faith that the law requires it.

3. How We Share Information
We do not sell, rent, or lease mailing lists or other personal information to third parties for their own marketing purposes, and we do not make your personal information available to unaffiliated third parties, except:

• To our service providers, vendors, and contractors who process information on our behalf or in connection with their relationship with us (for example, website hosting, e-mail, text messaging, analytics, and advertising providers);
• To another attorney or law firm, if we are unable to assist with your matter and you consent to a referral;
• As required by law, in a matter of public safety or policy, in connection with a merger, acquisition, financing, or sale of business assets, or during bankruptcy proceedings; and
• If we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, your safety, or the safety of others.

As described in Section 6, some of our advertising and analytics practices may be considered a “sale” or “sharing” of personal information under certain U.S. state privacy laws, even though the Firm does not exchange personal information for money. Consistent with the SMS disclosure above, we do not share mobile opt-in data or text messaging consent with any third party for marketing or promotional purposes.

4. Data Retention
We retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Policy, including to respond to inquiries, maintain business and engagement records, comply with legal, regulatory, tax, accounting, and professional-responsibility obligations (which for client and engagement-related records may require retention for a period of years after a matter closes), and resolve disputes. Retention periods vary by the type of information and the purpose for which it was collected. Where we no longer need personal information for these purposes, we take reasonable steps to delete, de-identify, or anonymize it.

5. How We Protect Your Information
We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information from accidental loss and from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee that unauthorized persons will never be able to defeat our security measures.

6. Cookie Choices, Advertising Opt-Outs, and “Do Not Track” / Global Privacy Control
You can manage cookies through your browser settings, including to be notified when a cookie is offered or to block cookies altogether. See Section 1(c) above for cookie and ad opt-out links.

Global Privacy Control. Some browsers and browser extensions send an opt-out preference signal known as the Global Privacy Control (“GPC”). Where legally required to do so — including for California residents — we treat a GPC signal received from your browser as a valid request to opt out of the “sale” or “sharing” of your personal information for that browser and device. Except as described here with respect to GPC, we do not otherwise alter, change, or respond to “Do Not Track” browser signals.

7. Your Privacy Rights — U.S. State Residents
If you are a resident of California, Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Texas, Oregon, Montana, Florida, Delaware, Iowa, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Maryland, Minnesota, Tennessee, Indiana, Kentucky, Rhode Island, or another state with a consumer privacy law, you may have some or all of the following rights, subject to that state's specific exceptions and thresholds and to the extent the Firm's processing activities are covered by the applicable law:

• Right to Know/Access — confirm whether we process your personal information and obtain a copy or description of it;
• Right to Correct — correct inaccurate personal information;
• Right to Delete — request deletion of personal information we hold about you;
• Right to Data Portability — receive a copy of your personal information in a portable format;
• Right to Opt Out of Sale or Sharing — opt out of the “sale” of personal information or its “sharing”/processing for cross-context behavioral or targeted advertising;
• Right to Opt Out of Profiling — opt out of profiling in furtherance of decisions producing legal or similarly significant effects, where applicable;
• Right to Limit Use of Sensitive Personal Information — where applicable (for example, under California law);
• Right to Non-Discrimination — you will not be discriminated against for exercising these rights; and
• Right to Appeal — where provided by state law, appeal our decision on your request.

Response Time. We will respond to a verifiable consumer request within 45 days of receipt. If we require more time, we will inform you of the reason and extension period in writing, which will not exceed an additional 45 days.

How to Exercise Your Rights. You may submit a request by calling (818) 990-1999, through our online form at https://harriskaufman.com/contact, or by e-mail at [email protected]. We will verify your request using information you have provided to us or that we can reasonably match to our records, and you may designate an authorized agent to submit a request on your behalf, subject to our ability to verify the agent's authority.

8. California-Specific Disclosures
Categories of Personal Information. In the preceding 12 months, we have collected the following categories of personal information, as defined by the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended (“CCPA”): identifiers (such as name, e-mail address, and phone number); internet or other electronic network activity information (such as browsing and interaction data collected via cookies); geolocation data (approximate, derived from IP address); and, if you contact us, the content of your communications with us, including text messages. We do not knowingly collect Sensitive Personal Information (as defined by the CCPA) through the Site, and we ask that you not submit it.

Sources. We collect these categories directly from you, automatically from your device and browser, and from the analytics and advertising partners described in Section 1(c)–(d).

Business/Commercial Purposes. We use this information for the purposes described in Section 2.

Disclosures for a Business Purpose and “Sales”/“Sharing.” In the preceding 12 months, we have disclosed identifiers and internet activity information to our service providers (Section 3) for a business purpose. Because we allow certain advertising and analytics partners to collect information via cookies and similar technologies on the Site, that activity may be considered a “sharing” of identifiers and internet activity information for cross-context behavioral advertising under the CCPA, even though the Firm does not sell personal information for monetary consideration. We do not sell or share text-messaging opt-in data or consent.

Shine the Light. California Civil Code Section 1798.83 permits California residents to request certain information about our disclosure of personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes. We do not share personal information with third parties for their own direct marketing purposes, so this section is not currently applicable.

Minors. The Site is not directed to individuals under the age of 16, and we do not knowingly sell or share the personal information of individuals we know to be under 16 years old.

“Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information.” You may opt out of the sharing described above by sending a Global Privacy Control signal as described in Section 6, or by contacting us using the information in Section 12. To opt out of text messages specifically, reply STOP to any text message you receive from us, as described in Section 1(a).

9. European Economic Area, United Kingdom, and Switzerland Visitors
If you access the Site from the European Economic Area (“EEA”), the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, the EU General Data Protection Regulation and the UK GDPR (together, “GDPR”) may apply to our processing of your personal data.

Controller. The Kaufman Law Firm is the controller of personal data collected through the Site. You may contact us regarding privacy matters at [email protected].

Legal Bases for Processing. We process personal data on the following legal bases, as applicable: your consent (for example, for non-essential cookies or text messages); our legitimate interests in operating, securing, and improving the Site and communicating with prospective clients, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights; performance of a contract or steps taken at your request prior to entering into one; and compliance with our legal obligations.

International Transfers. Because the Site and our systems are based in the United States, personal data you submit may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States and other countries outside the EEA/UK. Where required, we rely on appropriate safeguards, such as the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses, for such transfers. You may request more information about these safeguards by contacting us as described in Section 12.

Your Rights. Subject to applicable law, you have the right to access your personal data; request rectification or erasure; restrict or object to our processing; request data portability; and withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent, without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection supervisory authority.

Retention. See Section 4.

10. Children's Privacy
The Site is not directed to children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us using the information in Section 12, and we will take steps to delete it.

11. Third-Party Links
The Site may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those sites, and we encourage you to review the privacy policy of any third-party site you visit.

12. How to Contact Us / Exercise Your Rights
If you have questions or concerns about this Policy, would like to exercise a right described above, or would like to (a) see what data we have about you, if any; (b) correct data we have about you; (c) ask us to delete data we have about you; or (d) opt out of future communications from us, please contact us by phone at (818) 990-1999, through our contact form at https://www.harriskaufman.com/contact.shtml, or by mail at 4580 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Suite 190, Thousand Oaks, CA 91362.

13. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will post the updated Policy on this page and revise the “Last Updated” date below. Your continued use of the Site after an update constitutes acceptance of the revised Policy, except where applicable law requires your prior consent.

Last Updated: September 14, 2015
Effective Date: September 3, 2026