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Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

The Collins Firm is committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of your personal information. As a law firm specializing in estate planning and estate administration, we understand the sensitive nature of the information entrusted to us and adhere to the highest ethical standards and legal obligations regarding data protection. This Privacy Policy outlines our practices concerning the collection, use, and protection of your information, including data related to our SMS messaging services.

  1. Information We Collect

We collect various types of information to provide our legal services and communicate effectively with you.

  • Information You Provide Directly: This includes personal and financial details necessary for estate planning, such as your name, address, contact information (phone number, email), family details, financial assets, and other sensitive information relevant to your legal matter.
  • When you opt-in to our SMS messaging service, you provide your mobile phone number and consent to receive text messages of a non-confidential nature.
  • Information Collected Automatically (SMS Messaging): When you engage with our SMS service, we may collect information related to your interaction, such as message delivery status and response times, and IP addresses or device information.

  1. Use of Your Information

Your information is used primarily to:

  • Provide legal advice and services in the area of estate planning and estate administration.
  • Communicate with you regarding your legal matter, including scheduling appointments, providing updates, and responding to inquiries.
  • Send you important information via SMS, such as appointment reminders, document readiness notifications, or urgent non-confidential updates related to your case, if you have explicitly opted into this service.
  • Maintain our client records and fulfill our professional and legal obligations.

  1. Attorney-Client Confidentiality and Information Sharing

Due to the fundamental principles of attorney-client privilege and our professional ethical obligations, The Collins Firm does not sell, rent, lease, or otherwise share your personal information, including your mobile phone number or SMS opt-in data, with any third parties for marketing, promotional, or any other purposes unrelated to the provision of your legal services.

Any information shared within the firm is strictly for the purpose of providing comprehensive legal services to you. In certain circumstances, and only with your explicit consent, we may share necessary information with other professionals (e.g., accountants, financial advisors, co-counsel) as required to effectively represent your interests in your estate planning or estate administration matter.

We will only disclose information if legally compelled to do so by a valid court order, subpoena, or other legal process, or if required by professional ethical rules to prevent certain serious harm, and we will always endeavor to protect your confidentiality to the fullest extent permitted by law.

  1. SMS Messaging Terms and Conditions

By opting into our SMS messaging service, you agree to receive text messages from The Collins Firm at the mobile number you provided. Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency will vary based on your legal matter and our communication needs.

  • Opt-Out: You can cancel the SMS service at any time. To stop receiving messages, reply STOP to any message you receive from us. After you send the SMS message “STOP” to us, we will send you an SMS message to confirm that you have been unsubscribed. After this, you will no longer receive SMS messages from us. If you want to join again, just sign up as you did the first time, and we will start sending SMS messages to you again.
  • Help: For assistance, reply HELP to any message or contact us at (703) 748-3400.
  • No Warranty: We are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.

  1. Data Security

We implement robust physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. Our commitment to data security is integral to our professional responsibility to protect client confidentiality.

  1. Your Rights Under the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA), the Maryland Consumer Data Protection Act (MCDPA), and the District of Columbia

As a Virginia, Maryland, or D.C. resident, you may have certain rights regarding your personal data under the VCDPA. These rights may include:

  • The right to confirm whether we are processing your personal data.
  • The right to access your personal data.
  • The right to correct inaccuracies in your personal data.
  • The right to delete your personal data.
  • The right to obtain a copy of your personal data in a portable format.
  • The right to opt-out of the processing of your personal data for targeted advertising, the sale of personal data, or profiling in furtherance of decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects concerning you. (Please note that The Collins Firm does not engage in these activities with your personal data.)

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information provided below. Please be aware that our ethical obligations regarding attorney-client privilege and confidentiality may impact our ability to fulfill certain requests.

  1. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. We will post any revised policy on our website at thecollinsfirm.com and indicate the date of the latest revision.

  1. Contact Information

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

The Collins Firm

1501 Farm Credit Drive, Suite 2000

McLean, VA  22102

Phone: (703) 748-3400

Fax: (703) 748-3405

thecollinsfirm.com

 

Effective Date: 1 Oct 2025