Privacy Policy - Bold Tax Law

Bold Tax Law. (“Bold Tax,” “Firm,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) values the privacy of those (“you,” “your,” or “user(s)”, as applicable) who visit its (“Website”), contact the Firm and/or engage, access, or use its services (our “Services”), and any other individuals the Firm obtains their Personal Information (define below). The Firm is the data controller of the Personal Information we process, and is therefore responsible for ensuring that the systems and processes we use are compliant with data protection laws, to the extent applicable to us.

Please take a moment to read the entire Privacy Policy (“Privacy Policy” or “Policy”) before providing any information to us and contact us if you have any questions. By submitting your information to or through the Services and Website, you signify your agreement to the terms of this Privacy Policy. If you disagree with the practices described in this Policy, please do not disclose any information to us and do not use any of our Website and Services.

We may make periodic changes to this Policy. If such a change is made, we will post the revised terms on https://boldtaxlaw.com and where appropriate, by other means. The revised terms will be effective on the “Last Updated” date stated at the top of this Policy. Please see more on this topic under the “Changes and updates to the Privacy Policy” section below.

Information we collect and information you provide

We may collect your information in a variety of ways through your use of the Website or Services including when you visit or browse the Website and its pages, fill out and submit a form, submit a video or a review, access and use our Services, use our Live Chat, leave comments in our blog, or in connection with other features or resources available on our Website and Services. The type of information we collect varies and may include:

1. Personal Information you voluntarily provide to us.

When you contact us or access and use our Website and Services, we may collect a variety of information. Some of the types of information that we collect include:

“Personal Information” is information that can be used to identify you as an individual. Personal Information we collect includes, but not limited to, first name, last name, personal address, phone number, email address, certain Usage Data (defined below) under applicable laws, such as internet protocol (IP) addresses, other information collected through cookies that may be considered Personal Information under applicable laws, and credit card information. You are not required to provide Personal Information to us, but if you choose not to do so, in many cases we will not be able to provide you with our Services or respond to any questions or comments you may have.

We collect Personal Information from a number of sources, either directly from the data subjects, or from clients, and colleagues. Where the Firm receives data from its clients about employees, customers or other individuals, the client is responsible for ensuring that any such data transferred to us is in compliance with applicable data protection laws.

Certain Personal Information, such as information about personal health or finances is characterized as sensitive information (“Sensitive Personal Information”) under the applicable laws and is subject to stricter regulation than other personal information. Before providing it to us, we urge you to carefully consider whether to disclose your Sensitive Personal Information to us. If you do provide Sensitive Personal Information to us, you consent to its use and disclosure for the purposes and in the manner described in this Privacy Policy.

“Location Data” is a category of Personal Information collected about the location of a mobile device or computer, including:

the location of the mobile device or computer used to access the Website and Services derived from GPS or WiFi use;
the IP address of the mobile device or computer or internet service used to access the Website and Services; and
other information made available by a user or others that indicates the current or prior location of the user.

2. Non-personal Information we collect when you access or use our Website and Services.

Non-personal information is information that does not necessarily identify you as an individual (“Non-personal Information”). This may include a variety of information, including, but not limited to, Usage Information (defined below) and information related to your interaction with our Website and Services.

“Usage Information” or “Usage Data”—information about an individual’s online activity, such as:

technical information, including your browser type, service provider, IP address, by itself, may or may not identify your as an individual under the applicable laws and therefore this type of information is also listed under the “Personal information you voluntarily provide to us” section above), operating system and webpages visited;
information about what you’ve searched for and looked at while using the Website and Services or how you interact with the Website and Services;
metadata, which means information related to items you made available through the Website and Services, such as the date, time or location that a shared photograph or video was taken or posted.

Generally, we do not consider Usage Data as Personal Information because Usage Data by itself usually does not identify an individual. Personal Information and Usage Data, as well as different types of Usage Information, may be linked together and, once linked, may identify an individual person. Some Usage Data may be Personal Information under applicable law and will be treated as such. If we do combine Non-personal Information with Personal Information, the combined information will be treated as Personal Information for as long as it remains combined.

Do Not Track

California law requires us to disclose how we respond to web browser Do Not Track (“DNT”) signals. We do not respond to or take any action with respect to a DNT configuration set in your internet browser, and therefore, do not disable tracking.

How we collect information

Whether we collect certain types of information and how we process it depends on how you use and access the Website and Services. Some information is collected automatically through use of cookies and similar data collection tools. We collect information about you in the following ways:

When you voluntarily provide your information to us in order to use our Website and Services. For example, we collect Personal Information from you when you call/email or contact us for help or otherwise voluntarily provide your Personal Information. We also collect your payment or credit card information when you provide this information to us for payment of government fees/court fees. As for payment for our Services, we typically use a third party vendor for payment as described in the “How and with whom we share and disclose your information” section below. If any Personal Information is Sensitive Personal Information, we will process only with your explicit consent.
When you connect with social media through our Website or Services. Our Website and Services may offer you the ability to use Facebook Connect or other social media services (collectively, “Social Media”) in conjunction with certain Services. When you access the Services through your Facebook or other Social Media account, the Services may, depending on your privacy settings, have access to information that you have provided to the Social Media platform. We may use this information for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy or at the time the information was collected. When you associate your Social Media account with your account and authorize us to have access to this information, you agree that we may collect, use and store the information provided by Social Media services as described in this Privacy Policy.
When you participate in a sweeptakes or contest or when you complete a client satisfaction, a review, or market research survey. For instance, we collect the information and content that you submit to us, such as when you enter comments or submit a video for review/testimonial.
When we receive your information from our business partners and service providers. Third parties that assist us with our business operations also collect information (including Personal Information and Usage Information) about you through the Website and Services and share it with us. For example, our vendors collect and share information with us to help us detect and prevent fraud.
We may combine the information we collect from you with information from other sources and use the combined information as described in this Privacy Policy. As described above, we also automatically collect Usage Data when you interact with the Website and Services.
When we receive your information from cookies and other data collection tools.
We, along with the service providers that help us provide the Website and/or Services and certain third parties, use and allow small text files called cookies, as well as similar tracking technologies, and other data collection tools (such as web beacons and server logs). We automatically collect certain information and stores it in log files. Please review our Cookies Policy in conjunction with our Privacy Policy for more details regarding our use of cookies. By using this Website, clicking on “Accept” on or closing our cookie banner/message, you agree that we can store and access cookies and other data collection tools as described in this Cookie Policy unless you have disabled them. Detailed information on the use of cookies on this Website and how you can disable them is provided in our Cookie Policy.
Our Website uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. (“Google”). Google Analytics uses cookies. The information generated by the cookie about your use of the Website (including your IP address) will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States. Google will use this information for the purposes of evaluating your use of the Website, compiling reports on Website activity for website operators and providing other services relating to the Website activity and internet usage. Google may also transfer this information to third parties where required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the information on Google’s behalf. Google will not associate your IP address with any other data held by Google. As described above, you may refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser, however please note that if you do this you may not be able to use the full functionality of this Website. By accessing and using the Website and our Services, you consent to the processing of data about you by Google in the manner and for the purposes set out above.

Why we use information we collect

We may collect, process, use or disclose your Personal Information for the following purposes:

To provide legal services to you or any Services offered on the Website;
To process/complete transactions, to ensure appropriate legal use of the Website and Services, and for loss prevention, criminal activity prevention and anti-fraud purposes;
To comply with our legal and regulatory obligations and to perform conflicts of interest searches;
To enforce our legal rights and to investigate and/or settle inquiries or disputes;
To respond to your requests, verify your identity, and carry out requests made by you on the Website or in relation to our Services;
To improve our Website and Services, content, to help provide technical and services support and client/user communications, and enhance your overall Website and Services experience;
To protect the rights, property or safety of us or third parties, including our other clients and users of the Website or our Services;
To maintain our records;
To process business transaction data, such as in connection with a merger, or a restructuring, or sale;
To provide notification to users about updates, Website, Services, and changes to our terms, conditions, and policies;
Where you have given consent; and/or
As otherwise permitted or required by applicable law.

Our legal basis for this collection, processing, use, or disclosure of your information above is that it is in our legitimate interest or a third party’s interest to do so as it is necessary; for our compliance with legal obligations (including our professional and ethical duties as attorneys); consistent with applicable laws; to establish, enforce, or defend our legal rights; to protect the rights of third parties; for fulfillment of Services; and/or to develop and grow our business and Services and promote the Firm’s reputation. In some cases, this processing is necessary to perform a contract to which you are a party.

We may also use your information:

To conduct market research, implement marketing strategies, send you updates (by email, text message, telephone or post) or newsletters about legal developments or events that might be of interest to you, and/or to send information about our Services, including exclusive offers, promotions or new services;
To administer any promotional programs that you enter into; and
To identify potential business opportunities.

Our legal basis to use your information for marketing and client development purposes is that it is in our legitimate interest to develop and grow our business and Services and promote the Firm’s reputation. Because of this legitimate interest, we do not usually need your consent to send you promotional communications. However, where consent is needed, we will ask for this consent separately and clearly. You can opt out anytime by emailing us at privacy@boldtaxlaw.com and/or proceed with the link available to unsubscribe in the email sent to you, as applicable.

We may ask you to confirm or update your marketing preferences if you instruct us to provide further services in the future, or if there are changes in the law, regulation, or the structure of our business.

How and with whom we share and disclose your information

We share and publish Personal Information we collect with certain third parties, as we deem necessary, with your consent, or as we see appropriate in connection with delivering, operating, maintaining and/or providing the Website or Services to you. They include:

Third parties we use such as a payment or credit card processing company for clients to pay for our Services, a company that hosts our Website and maintains or provides technology for our Website and Services, a company that provides email or marketing technology, a company that assists us with client insight analytics, such as Google Analytics, and a company that provides data hosting, software, cloud services to store your information, or other technology services, such as the live chat feature on our Website. We will share your Personal Information only as necessary for the third parties to provide those services. Additionally, if we use or partner with third parties to provide specific services or information to you, those third parties may be allowed to use your Personal Information to provide such services. We do not share your Personal Information with third parties for their direct marketing purposes.
Our professional advisers, such as lawyers and accountants, and our contract attorneys and Of Counsel firms.
Third parties engaged in connection with our Services, such as counsels, arbitrators, mediators, clerks, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), witnesses, court reporters, court, opposing party and their lawyers, document review platforms and experts. Please note that when we share your name, business name and/or contact information with the USPTO, the USPTO will eventually publish documents with inventor or business name and contact information to the public.
Third party service providers that provide services to us or to whom we outsource certain services, such as paralegal services and patent searches and drawings.
Third party postal or courier providers who assist us in delivering our postal marketing campaigns to you, or delivering documents related to a matter.
Law enforcement and public and governmental authorities as it may be necessary by law, legal process, litigation, and/or requests whether they come within or outside your country of residence. We may also disclose information about you if we determine that for purposes of national security, law enforcement, or other issues of public importance, disclosure is necessary or appropriate. This also applies to Non-personal Information.
Other third parties if we determine that disclosure is reasonably necessary to enforce our terms and conditions, to fulfill legal duties and avoid conflicts of interest, to protect our operations or clients, as well as our rights, property, or interests, or to prevent misuse or unauthorized use of the Website and Services.
Relevant third parties in the event of a reorganization, merger, or sale where we may transfer any and all Personal Information we collect to the relevant third party.
Other third parties when you have agreed that we may do so.

Except as otherwise stated in this Policy, we do not sell, rent, or otherwise share Personal Information to anyone and may only share it with third parties described above.

We may post information about programs and events that are sponsored by or co-sponsored by other firms or organizations. Should you choose to register electronically for any of these events or submit your information to these third parties, we will have no control over the third party sponsors’ use of this information, and this Privacy Policy will not apply.

We may collect, use, transfer, and disclose Non-personal Information for any purpose. This Non-personal Information that you provide to us, or that is automatically collected is not sold to other parties, but may be disclosed with our affiliates, contractors and other third parties as we deem necessary or as we see appropriate in connection with delivering, operating, maintaining, and/or providing our Website and Services as described in this Policy.

Links to Third Party Services

The Services may contain links to third-party websites and services (“Third Party Service(s)”) with which we have no affiliation. A link to any Third Party Services does not mean that we endorse it or the quality or accuracy of information presented on it. If you decide to visit a Third Party Service, you are subject to its privacy policy and practices and not this Privacy Policy. We encourage you to carefully review the legal and privacy notices of all other digital services that you visit.

Your rights

It is important to us that you are able to access and review the Personal Information we have about you and make corrections to it or delete it, as necessary. If you are a client, you can access your client folder on our or our third party provider’s cloud storage to manage and correct the information we have on file about you. If you have any questions about how to access your Personal Information, please contact us at privacy@boldtaxlaw.com.

You have the following rights, which you can exercise free of charge:

Right to Be Informed: The right to receive certain information (for example, the identity of the controller, the reasons for processing your Personal Information and other relevant information necessary) on the collection and processing of your Personal Information.
Right to Access: The right to obtain and review Personal Information that has been collected.
Right to Rectify: The right to correct any incorrect information stored about your information.
Right to Erasure / to be Forgotten: The right to delete Personal Information (subject to certain exceptions)
Right to Object to data processing in certain cases (such as direct marketing): The right to object to the use of Personal Information for direct marketing use or scientific or historical research.
Right to Restrict Processing of Personal Information subject to certain conditions: The right to stop the processing of Personal Information and require notice of lifting the restriction and permission for any future use of that information.
Right to Data Portability: The right to obtain Personal Information for sharing it from one service provider to another through a safe and secure process for transfer.

Data retention and storage

The Personal Information we collect is stored in one or more databases hosted by one or more third parties. We require companies performing Services on our behalf to protect your Personal Information in a manner appropriate to the type and sensitivity of the information, and to use it only in connection with those Services.

In general, we will retain Personal Information of Website visitors or potential clients for at least 3 years from the date of our last interaction with you, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. We will retain and store Personal Information of our clients, such as names, emails, addresses, and payment histories, as well as files and information regarding client engagements and matters, for at least 7 years from the date of our last interaction with our clients – unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. We may then destroy such files without further notice or liability. If you wish that we no longer use your information to provide you Services, contact us at privacy@boldtaxlaw.com.

This data retention is necessary to respond to any questions, complaints or claims made by you or on your behalf, to protect our legal rights and interests or those of others, to keep records required by law, and other legitimate reasons. The data retention may also be needed to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy.

We retain and use Non-personal Information for as long as needed to provide our Website and Services and as necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, perform fraud prevention efforts, and enforce our agreements.

Security of your information

To help protect the privacy of Personal Information you transmit through use of our Website and Services, we maintain physical, technical and administrative safeguards. We update and test our security technology on an ongoing basis. We restrict access to your Personal Information to our employees, independent contractors, and our third party vendors who need to know that information to provide benefits or Services to you. Those processing your information will do so only in an authorized manner and are subject to a duty of confidentiality. All payment or credit card information you provide to us is stored on our third party provider’s secure servers. Our third party provider uses encryption technology to ensure safeguards are in place. We have appropriate security measures to prevent Personal Information from being accidentally lost, or used or accessed unlawfully.

In addition, we train our employees about the importance of confidentiality and maintaining the privacy and security of your information. We commit to taking appropriate disciplinary measures to enforce our employees’ privacy responsibilities.

We follow generally accepted standards to protect the Personal Information submitted to us, both during transmission and once we receive it. However, no method of transmission over the Internet, security system, or method of electronic storage, is 100% secure. Although we do our best to protect your Personal Information, we do not guarantee the security of any information you transmit to us or provide online. Any transmission of Personal Information is at your own risk. If you have any questions about security on our Website or Services, you can contact privacy@boldtaxlaw.com.

The safety and security of your information also depends on you. Where we have given you (or where you have chosen) access to certain parts of our Website or Services, you are responsible for keeping this access confidential. We ask you not to share this access with anyone. We urge you to be careful about giving out personal or private information in public areas of the Website. The information you share in public areas may be viewed by any user of the Website.

We also have procedures in place to deal with any suspected data security breach. We will notify you and any applicable regulator of a suspected data security breach where we are legally required to do so.

Children’s privacy

Our Website and Services are not directed at children or users under the age of 13. If we learn that we have collected the Personal Information of a child under 13, or equivalent minimum age depending on jurisdiction, we will take steps to delete the information as soon as possible.

Transferring Personal Information from the European Union (US) to the United States (US)

Bold Tax is a US law firm with headquarters in the US. This Website and our Services are controlled and operated by us from the United States and therefore, Personal Information we collect from you will be processed in the US. Because our Website and Services can be accessed worldwide, this section addresses transfer of Personal Information from the EU to the US. The US has not currently sought nor received a finding of “adequacy” from the EU under Article 45 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). We rely on derogations for specific situations as set forth in Article 49 of the GDPR. In particular, we collect and transfer to the US Personal Information only: with your consent; to perform a contract with you; or to fulfill a compelling legitimate interest of Bold IP in a manner that does not outweigh your rights and freedoms. We endeavor to apply suitable safeguards to protect the privacy and security of your personal information and to use it only consistent with your relationship with us and the practices described in this Privacy Policy. We also minimize the risk to your rights and freedoms by not collecting or storing sensitive information about you. Any Personal Information collected about EU visitors through the Website and/or Services is processed in the United States by us or by a party acting on our behalf. When you provide Personal Information to us through the Website and/or Services, you consent to the processing of your information in the United States.

Your privacy choices

You may request us to have access, correct, amend, update, or delete your Personal Information, or update your preferences, including opting out of particular communications, by contacting privacy@boldtaxlaw.com. Please remember that limited communications may be necessary in order to complete your transaction or for you to participate in our Services.

Changes and updates to the Privacy Policy

As our company, privacy practices, and Services may change from time to time, this Privacy Policy is expected to change as well. We reserve the right to amend the Privacy Policy at any time and for any reason. If we make any changes, we will notify you by revising the “Last Updated” date at the top of this Privacy Policy and, in some cases, we may provide you with additional notice, such as adding a statement to our homepage or sending you an email notification. If there are material changes to our Privacy Policy, we will notify you more directly by email or means of a notice on the home page prior to the change becoming effective. You should check our Website frequently to see the current Privacy Policy that is in effect and any changes that may have been made to it. Your continued use of or access to the Website or Services after we make changes constitutes your acceptance of these changes and the current version of this Privacy Policy, so please check the Policy periodically for updates.

Questions, concerns or complaints

We hope that we can resolve any query or concern you may raise about our use of your information. If you have any questions or concerns regarding our Privacy Policy or data processing, please identify the issue as a Privacy Policy concern in your communication to us to info@boldtaxlaw.com our contact details below:

J.D. Houvener, CEO, Bold Tax Law
6100 219th Street Southwest #480
Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043