Privacy Policy

Scope and Who We Are

This Privacy Policy describes how The West Firm, PLLC ("we" or "our") collects, uses, and discloses personal information through our website (located at westfirmlaw.com) and related online services. The West Firm, PLLC is a law firm located at 575 Broadway, 3rd Floor, Albany, NY 12207. This Policy applies to information we collect from visitors, clients, and other users of our website. It does not apply to information collected offline or in the context of attorney-client relationships outside of the website.

By using our website, you agree to the collection and use of your information as described in this Policy. We comply with applicable U.S. privacy laws, including the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), other state privacy laws, the New York SHIELD Act, and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), as explained below.

Information We Collect

We collect information from you in two ways: (1) information you choose to provide to us directly, and (2) information collected automatically through technology when you interact with our site.

Information You Provide Directly

  • Contact Forms and Communications: When you fill out our online contact form or otherwise communicate with us through the site, we collect the personal information you provide. This typically includes your name, email address, phone number, mailing address, and any other information you include in your message. We will also collect any information you send via email to an @westfirmlaw.com address or provide when requesting information or a consultation.

  • Other Voluntary Information: If you subscribe to a newsletter, register for an event, or otherwise voluntarily provide information on our website, we will collect the information you submit. This may include preferences or any other details relevant to your request.

Information Collected Automatically

  • Device and Usage Information: When you visit our website, we automatically receive certain information about your visit. This includes your IP address (which may tell us your general location), your device and browser type, the date and time of your visit, and the pages or content you view. We also record how you arrived at our site (for example, via a search engine or a link from another site).

  • Cookies and Similar Technologies: We use cookies and similar tracking technologies (like web beacons and pixels) to collect information about your interactions with the site. Cookies are small text files that websites store on your browser to remember information about you. Through cookies, we may collect data about your browsing actions and patterns on our site over time, such as which pages you visit and the links you click. For details on our use of cookies and how to control them, see Cookies and Tracking Technologies below.

  • Analytics Data: We use third-party analytics tools (such as Google Analytics) to understand how visitors use our site. These tools may use cookies and collect information such as your IP address and browsing behavior on our site. This information helps us analyze web traffic and improve the user experience on our website.

We consider the information listed above as “personal information” if it can reasonably identify you. In some cases, the automatically collected data (like IP address or cookie IDs) may not directly identify you by name, but we still treat it as personal information or combine it with other data if required by law.

Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Cookies: Cookies are small data files stored on your browser when you visit websites. We use cookies to make our site function properly, to remember your preferences, and to analyze how our site is used. For example, when you return to our site, cookies allow us to recognize your browser and recall certain settings (like your user preferences). Some cookies are essential for site operation (for instance, to enable navigation or remember your input on forms), while others are used for analytics and performance.

Google Analytics: We use Google Analytics, which is a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. Google Analytics uses cookies and similar technologies to collect information about how users interact with our site. This information (such as your IP address, pages visited, time spent on pages, and links clicked) is aggregated and used to compile reports on website activity. We use these reports to understand website traffic and improve our site’s content and layout. Google may also use the data it collects to contextualize and personalize the ads of its own advertising network, but we do not use Google Analytics for advertising or marketing purposes on our site. You can learn more about how Google Analytics processes data in Google’s privacy policy. If you wish, you can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on in your browser.

Managing Cookies: You have choices about cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can modify your browser settings to decline cookies or alert you when cookies are being placed. Please note that if you disable cookies, some features of our site may not function properly.

Online Tracking and "Do Not Track": Some browsers have a "Do Not Track" (DNT) feature that lets you tell websites you do not want to be tracked over time across sites. We are required by California law (the California Online Privacy Protection Act, or CalOPPA) to inform you how we respond to these signals. At this time, our website does not respond to Do Not Track signals, and we do not alter our data collection practices when we receive a DNT signal from your browser. Currently, there is no universal standard for recognizing or honoring DNT signals, and as allowed by law, we have chosen not to implement changes based on DNT settings. We will update this disclosure if a standard for responding to DNT is established in the future. However, you can still manage tracking by adjusting your cookie settings or using browser privacy tools.

Please note that third parties (such as analytics providers like Google Analytics) may collect personal information about your online activities over time and across different websites when you visit our site. These third parties may not respond to DNT signals either. We do not control third-party tracking technologies, but we do contractually require our analytics and service providers to use data collected from our site only for our purposes and not to sell it or misuse it.

Use of Personal Information

We use the personal information we collect for the following purposes:

  • To Respond to Your Inquiries and Requests: We use your contact information (such as name, email, phone number, and mailing address) to respond to messages or inquiries you send us through our contact form or via email. For example, if you ask a question or request a consultation, we will use your information to communicate with you and provide the requested information or arrange a meeting.

  • To Provide and Improve Legal Services: If you become a client or otherwise engage us, we will use the information you provide to deliver legal services, communicate with you about your case or matters, and carry out our obligations to you. We may also use personal information internally to evaluate and improve our services and the content of our website. For instance, we might analyze usage trends to make sure our website content is clear and helpful.

  • Site Operation and Performance: Information collected through cookies and similar means (like usage data from Google Analytics) is used to maintain and improve our website’s functionality, performance, and user experience. We analyze aggregate user behavior to debug issues, optimize page load times, and enhance navigation. This helps us understand which parts of our website are most useful to visitors and where we can make improvements.

  • Marketing and Newsletters: If you subscribe to our newsletter or ask to receive updates, we will use your email address and any preferences you provided to send you informational content or announcements about our firm. You can opt out of these communications at any time by following the unsubscribe instructions in the email or contacting us. (We will not send you marketing emails unless you have given consent or it is otherwise permitted by law.)

  • Legal Obligations and Protection: We may use your information as necessary to comply with any applicable laws, regulations, or legal processes (such as responding to subpoenas or court orders). We also use and may disclose information to establish or exercise our legal rights, to investigate or help prevent fraud or security issues, or to protect our firm’s rights, property, and the safety of our clients or others.

  • Other Purposes with Your Consent: If we intend to use your personal information for a purpose not listed above, we will explain that purpose at the time of collection and, if required, seek your consent.

We will not use the personal information we collected for materially different, unrelated, or incompatible purposes without updating this Privacy Policy or obtaining your consent as appropriate.

Sharing and Disclosure of Information

We understand the importance of keeping your personal information private. We do not sell your personal information to third parties for monetary compensation or other valuable consideration, and we do not share your personal information with third parties for their own marketing or advertising purposes. When we do share information, it is only as described in this Policy or otherwise permitted by law, such as in the following circumstances:

  • Service Providers: We may share your information with third-party service providers and partners who perform services on our behalf. For example, we use outside companies to host and maintain our website (our site platform is provided by FindLaw, a business of Internet Brands and to provide analytics (Google Analytics). These service providers may need access to personal information (e.g., your IP address or contact details) to perform their services for us. We require that they protect your information and use it only for the purposes we specify, consistent with this Policy.

  • Firm Personnel and Affiliates: Your information may be shared internally within our firm with attorneys and staff who need to use it for the purposes described (such as responding to your inquiry or servicing your case). We may also share information with our affiliated professional entities or consultants (like IT or security consultants) who assist us, under confidentiality obligations.

  • Legal Requirements: We may disclose personal information if required to do so by law or legal process. For instance, if we receive a lawful subpoena, court order, or government investigation, we may need to provide responsive information. We will also disclose information if we believe in good faith that such disclosure is necessary to comply with the law, to protect our rights or the rights and safety of others, or to investigate fraud or security issues.

  • Business Transfers: In the unlikely event that our firm undergoes a significant business transaction such as a merger, acquisition by another firm, reorganization, or sale of all or part of our assets, personal information we have collected may be transferred as part of that transaction. We would ensure the recipient of the information is bound by appropriate privacy obligations for that information. If such a transfer is subject to any special legal requirements, we will comply with those requirements.

  • With Your Consent: We will share your personal information with third parties in any other situation where you have given your consent for us to do so. For example, if you specifically request that we refer your matter to another law firm or expert, we will share contact information as needed with your permission.

Except for the situations above, The West Firm, PLLC will not disclose your personal data to unrelated third parties. In particular, we do not sell, rent, or exchange your personal information for third-party marketing. If our practices change in the future, we will update this Privacy Policy and provide any required notices or opt-in mechanisms.

Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which we collected it, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. For example, if you contact us with an inquiry, we will retain your information for as long as needed to respond and follow up, and for a reasonable period thereafter. If you become a client, we will retain your information as part of our client records, which may be kept for a number of years even after our engagement ends, in accordance with our legal and ethical obligations.

When we no longer have a legitimate need to retain your personal information, we will delete, destroy, or anonymize it. We adhere to the New York SHIELD Act’s requirement of timely and secure disposal of personal data. This means we will dispose of documents or records containing your personal information within a reasonable time after they are no longer needed for business or legal purposes. We use secure methods to destroy or erase personal information to prevent unauthorized access – for instance, by shredding physical documents and using secure deletion techniques for electronic data.

Please note that we may retain certain information if necessary to comply with our legal obligations (for example, retaining records to demonstrate compliance with privacy laws), resolve disputes, enforce our agreements, or as otherwise required or permitted by law.

Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your state of residence, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information. We are committed to complying with applicable privacy laws and enabling our website users and clients to exercise the rights granted to them under those laws.

California Privacy Rights

If you are a California resident, you have specific rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA). These rights include:

  • Right to Know: You have the right to know what personal information we collect about you, the categories of sources of that information, the business or commercial purposes for collecting it, and the categories of third parties with whom we share it. You also have the right to request a copy of the specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you in the past 12 months.

  • Right to Delete: You have the right to request that we delete personal information we have collected from you, subject to certain exceptions (for example, we may need to retain information to comply with legal obligations or complete a transaction you requested). Once we receive and confirm a verifiable deletion request, we will delete (and instruct our service providers to delete) your personal information from our records, unless an exception applies.

  • Right to Correct: You have the right to request that we correct any inaccurate personal information we maintain about you. Upon verifying a valid correction request, we will correct the information as you direct, to the extent required by law.

  • Right to Opt-Out of Sale or Sharing: You have the right to opt out of the sale of your personal information or the sharing of your personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising purposes. However, as noted above, we do not sell personal information, and we also do not share your personal information for targeted advertising. Therefore, we do not provide a "Do Not Sell or Share My Info" link, because there is no sale or sharing to opt out of.

  • Right to Limit Use of Sensitive Personal Information: If we collect any information that is considered “sensitive personal information” under California law (such as precise geolocation, Social Security number, financial account login information, or information about racial or ethnic origin, etc.), you have the right to limit our use and disclosure of that sensitive information to certain permitted purposes. (At this time, we do not collect sensitive personal information through our website.)

  • Right to Non-Discrimination: You have the right not to receive discriminatory treatment for exercising any of your CCPA rights. This means we will not deny you services, charge you a different price, or provide a different level of quality of services just because you exercised your privacy rights under California law.

Exercising Your California Rights: To make a request to know, delete, or correct under California law, please contact us using the information in the How to Contact Us section below. We will need to verify your identity before processing certain requests, which may involve asking you to provide additional information. You may also designate an authorized agent to make a request on your behalf, in which case we will need to verify the agent’s authority and possibly confirm the request with you directly. We will respond to privacy requests within the timeframes required by California law (generally within 45 days, with the possibility of a 45-day extension). If we cannot honor your request, we will explain the reasons in our response (for example, if an exemption applies or we cannot verify your identity).

California residents also have the right to request certain information about our disclosures of personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes (under California’s "Shine the Light" law). However, The West Firm, PLLC does not share personal information with unaffiliated third parties for their own direct marketing use, so no such list exists.

Other U.S. State Privacy Rights

Several other states have enacted privacy laws that grant residents rights over their personal data. These include the Colorado Privacy Act, the Connecticut Data Privacy Act, the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act, and the Utah Consumer Privacy Act, among others. If you are a resident of Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia, Utah, or another state with a comprehensive privacy law, you may have rights that are similar to the California rights described above. These may include the right to:

  • Confirm and Access: You can request confirmation of whether we are processing your personal data and access to that data, including obtaining a copy of the personal data you provided to us (data portability).

  • Correct: You can ask us to correct inaccuracies in your personal information, taking into account the nature of the information and purpose of processing.

  • Delete: You can request deletion of the personal data we have collected from you.

  • Opt-Out: You may have the right to opt out of certain types of data processing, such as: (a) sales of personal data (as defined by your state law), (b) use of your data for targeted advertising (cross-context behavioral advertising), and (c) in some states, profiling in furtherance of decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects on you.

  • Appeal: If we decline to take action on a request you make in exercising one of the above rights, you typically have the right to appeal our decision. We will inform you how you can appeal if we respond to your request with a denial or a refusal to act.

Exercising Your State Rights: You (or an authorized agent acting on your behalf) can exercise your state privacy rights by contacting us at the phone number, email, or mailing address listed in How to Contact Us below. Please specify which state’s laws apply to you (if not apparent) and which right you seek to exercise. We will verify your identity and respond within the timeframe required by applicable law. If we refuse your request, we will explain our reasons. If you wish to appeal a decision (for example, if you feel we wrongly denied a request to access or delete your data), you may contact us to initiate an appeal. We will review appeals in line with applicable state requirements (for instance, Colorado and Virginia residents can expect a response to an appeal within 45 days).

We intend to honor the privacy rights of all our users to the extent possible. Even if you are not a resident of one of the above states, you may contact us with any privacy-related request or question, and we will try to accommodate reasonable requests to the extent consistent with our legal obligations and the functionality of our services.

Children's Privacy

Our services are not directed to children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. In accordance with the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which gives parents control over what information websites can collect from their kids, if you are under 13 please do not submit any personal information to us. We do not intentionally invite or permit children under 13 to provide any personal data on our website.

If we become aware that we have inadvertently received personal information from a child under 13 without verified parental consent, we will take steps to delete that information promptly. If you are a parent or guardian and you believe that your child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us so that we can investigate and delete the information if necessary.

We also do not knowingly solicit personal information from minors between 13 and 18 without appropriate consent. Our website and content are intended for general audiences and not for children.

Data Security

We take the security of your personal information seriously. The West Firm, PLLC has implemented a comprehensive data security program and uses reasonable administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, or destruction. In accordance with the New York Stop Hacks and Improve Electronic Data Security (SHIELD) Act, we employ measures that are appropriate to the sensitivity of the information and our business operations. These measures include, for example:

  • Administrative Safeguards: We have designated personnel responsible for our data security program and trained our employees on proper data handling practices. We conduct periodic risk assessments of our data systems and take steps to address potential vulnerabilities. We also vet our vendors and require them to maintain strong security practices when handling personal information on our behalf.

  • Technical Safeguards: We protect our network and systems through the use of firewalls, encryption, and secure protocols. For instance, any personal information you submit through our website is transmitted using secure TLS/SSL encryption. We have systems in place to monitor for unauthorized access and to detect potential threats or attacks on our website. We regularly update our software and apply security patches to guard against emerging threats.

  • Physical Safeguards: We control physical access to our offices and servers where personal information may be stored. Paper records containing personal information are secured in locked cabinets or offices with access limited to authorized personnel. When we dispose of personal information, we do so by shredding, erasing, or otherwise destroying records in a secure manner, consistent with SHIELD Act guidelines for timely and secure disposalosano.com.

While we strive to protect your information, please be aware that no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. Therefore, we cannot guarantee absolute security of your data. However, we regularly review and enhance our security measures to protect your privacy. In the event of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will notify you and the appropriate authorities as required by law.

No Attorney-Client Relationship

No Attorney-Client Relationship is Formed: Your use of our website, including contacting us through online forms or email, does not establish an attorney-client relationship between you and The West Firm, PLLC. An attorney-client relationship can only be created with our firm after direct communication with you and after you formally engage us by signing a retainer or engagement agreement. Until such an agreement is in place, any information you provide to us through the website or by email is not protected by attorney-client privilege and will not be treated as confidential attorney-client communications.

No Legal Advice: The content on our website (including blog posts or articles) is for general informational purposes only and should not be taken as legal advice. Visiting our site or communicating with us via the site should not be seen as a substitute for obtaining legal advice from a qualified attorney licensed in your jurisdiction.

Use Caution When Sending Information: Because contacting us via the internet is not a secure or confidential method of communication for sensitive information, we urge you not to send any confidential or highly sensitive personal information (such as Social Security numbers, financial account details, or specifics about a legal matter) through our contact form or via email until an attorney-client relationship has been established. If you choose to provide information before such a relationship is formed, you do so at your own risk. We will still protect any personal information you provide according to this Privacy Policy, but the act of sending it will not, by itself, obligate our firm to represent you or maintain the information in confidence as attorney-client privileged.

Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites or resources that are not operated by The West Firm, PLLC. For example, we may link to external sites that discuss legal news, government resources, or other relevant content. If you click on a link to a third-party site, you will be directed to a site that we do not control. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those third-party websites. We recommend that you review the privacy policies and terms of use of any third-party sites or services before providing any personal information or using those sites.

The West Firm, PLLC is not responsible for the content, security, or privacy practices of any websites that are not under our control. The inclusion of a link to a third-party site on our website does not imply that we endorse or have reviewed the third party’s policies or practices. If you have questions about how other sites use your information, please consult their privacy policies directly.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technologies, legal requirements, or for other operational reasons. When we update the policy, we will post the revised version with a new effective date at the top of the policy. If we make any material changes to how we collect, use, or share your personal information, we will provide prominent notice either on our website or by other appropriate means (such as email notification, if we have your email on file and are permitted to contact you).

Your continued use of our website after any changes to this Privacy Policy have been posted will signify your acceptance of those changes. However, if the changes significantly affect how we handle personal information collected previously, we will obtain your consent or give you a clear opportunity to opt-out, as required by law.

This Policy is current as of the "Last Updated" date indicated below. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about our data practices.

Last Updated: August 29, 2025

How to Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, or if you wish to exercise your privacy rights, please contact us using the information below. We will respond as promptly as possible.

The West Firm, PLLC
575 Broadway, 3rd Floor
Albany, NY 12207, USA
Phone: (518) 641-0500
Email: amountain@westfirmlaw.com

You may also contact us by mail at the above address (Attn: Privacy Inquiry). If you are exercising a legal privacy right (such as requesting access or deletion of your data), please specify your request and provide enough information for us to verify your identity and understand the scope of your request.