Skip to main content

Privacy Policy and Disclaimer

Privacy and Notice Policy

The controllers for your personal information are Scott Legal, P.C. at 2 Park Avenue, Floor 20, New York, NY, 10016, U.S.A.   If you have any questions or comments about our Privacy Policy, please contact our founder by email iscott@legalservicesincorporated.com. You also may write to us at:

Ian E. Scott, Esq.

2 Park Avenue, Floor 20

New York City, NY

10016

Scott Legal, P.C. wants to ensure that our client and any relevant party are informed about the security and use of the personal data and information that we get from you or other sources and process on your behalf.  As such, his Privacy Policy is intended to inform you about our privacy practices. It describes the following:

  • What information we collect
  • How we use that information
  • Who this information is shared with
  • What we will do to maintain security

There are instances where Scott Legal, P.C. will be hired by a corporation  or employer and this may result in  processing of employee information at their request.  In some cases, it may be more appropriate for the beneficiary of a petition to also address any privacy and/or security concerns to these corporations.

Information that is Personal that We Collect

We collect certain personal information about you and, in some cases we will also collect information about your family members and/or employer. The reason we do this is to effectively perform our legal services and it would be not be possible to provide our services without this information. In many cases, the U.S. government will request this information to file immigration petitions.  This policy sets forth the purposes personal information is used and examples of the types of personal information that may be required. During our representation, we may reach out for more information that will allow us to deal with new or changing needs.

To help our clients, we collect personal information such as name, address, phone number, birth date, marital status, passport number, employment background, educational details, tax information, employee number, job details, and expatriate status. When needed we may also collect personal travel and other documents such as passport details, diplomas and transcripts, resumes, visa copies, birth certificates, and other documents.  The services we render will dictate the type of information we will collect.  In many instances we will also collect very sensitive financial information and do this to perform our legal work.

We obtain the personal information from many sources, including  our online portal (MyCase), email, online questionnaires and forms you complete, and other information you provide directly to us, including in conversation with our lawyers, paralegals and staff. In addition, we may obtain personal information with your permission from third-parties. (For example, previous employers or if you instruct us to contact an office, organization or other party).  We use this information to provide legal services required for immigration and other legal services.

Our firm will also use personal information in other instances in connection with the services we provide. This use occurs only when there is a legitimate interest to do so that is not overridden by your data protection rights as required by law, such as assisting in the management and administration of our clients’ global mobility programs (such as visa expiration tracking, immigration program compliance, etc.), providing access to online case-management tools, where applicable, and analyzing immigration trends, such as visa processing times and government approval rates. Where we are engaged by your employer, we process your personal information because it is in our legitimate interests to do so in order to fulfil our contract with your employer for client services.

As written above, in some cases we may work for a corporation or an employer in addition to a beneficiary.  In addition to providing you or your employer with our services, we process personal information to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations including record-keeping requirements. For example, we process personal information under “know your customer”, anti-money laundering regulations, anti-bribery regulations and professional and legal regulations.

If you request information about our services directly, you may choose to provide personal information such as your name, address, email address and telephone number. We use your information to respond to your request.

Also, Scott Legal may process your personal information with your consent, such as when we use your contact details to respond to a request or question by you, or where required by law.

Sensitive Personal Data and Information

The U.S. Government often requires extensive sensitive personal information to file immigration petitions and we need to collect this to prepare your petition.   The Government has various reasons for this information including border security and employment regulation.  At times, this information will be sensitive and may include information related to your tax return, financial information, race or ethnic origin, political opinions or afficliations, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, sex life or sexual orientation, physical or mental health or condition, data relating to offenses and/or criminal convictions, and biometric data, such as fingerprints, when used to uniquely identify you.  We collect this information to process your petition as the Government requires it.   We may also collect sensitive information to assist with other legal matters.

Our firm uses the Office 365 platform for sending and receiving email.  In some instances, government agencies require that your personal and sensitive data be transmitted through email.  Also, in some instances you may send us personal or sensitive information through email.  While we make every effort to make sure our email platform is secure, we also offer other  secure platforms such as our MyCase platform.

Our Website and the Information We Collect

We use cookies and related technologies on our websites and other web-based interfaces.  We use these technologies to understand how many users visited our sites and the pages they accessed so that we can best tailor our web services to our visitors.

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer’s hard drive when you visit certain websites that help collect data. We may use cookies to tell us, for example, whether you have visited us before or if you are a new visitor and to help us identify site features in which you may have the greatest interest. Cookies may enhance your online experience by saving your preferences while you are visiting a particular site.

Most browsers will tell you how to stop accepting new cookies, how to be notified when you receive a new cookie, and how to disable existing cookies. Please note, however, that without cookies, you may not be able to take advantage of all our website features.

Log files are web server files (containing information such as domain name or IP address, URL, http response code, or the date and duration of your visit) that are automatically created when an Internet user visits a website. An IP address is an identifier that certain electronic devices use to identify and communicate with each other on the Internet. When you visit our website, our servers log your IP address. In combination with other data, this information helps us understand which features are of interest to our visitors and the regions of the world where these visitors are located. In addition, log files help detect disruptions that may interfere with the provision of our website.

Information We Share

We will not sell, share, transfer, rent, use, or distribute your information for purposes other than those disclosed here unless required by law or as authorized by you or your employer. In many cases our services involve work with both an employer and employee.  We may share the information you provide with your employer and we may share information about a corporation with a beneficiary. We may also share information with a third party  as appropriate or necessary in connection with the services. In addition, as part of the immigration consulting and legal services Scott Legal discloses personal information to government agencies.  We also share the information with certain service providers we have retained in connection with the services we provide, such as translators, computer/IT maintenance, education evaluation services, couriers, consultants, interns, or other necessary entities as required to perform our services. We take steps to require that service providers protect the information consistently with this Privacy Policy. For example, in some cases our service providers will sign a confidentiality agreement.  These service providers are authorized to use the information only as necessary to perform services on our behalf or to comply with law or legal process. Where we have knowledge that a service provider processes your personal information in a manner contrary to this Privacy Policy, we will take reasonable steps to prevent or stop the processing. In addition, we will disclose information about you: (1) if we are required to do so by law or legal process, (2) to law enforcement authorities or other government officials, (3) when we believe disclosure is necessary or appropriate to prevent physical harm or financial loss in connection with an investigation of suspected or actual illegal activity; or (4) if necessary to protect the vital interests of any person.

What do we Do to Protect your Data and Information

We make every effort to ensure that the personal information that we collect is accurate, complete, current and otherwise. We maintain appropriate administrative, technical, organizational, and physical safeguards to protect against loss, misuse or unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction of personal information.  We train our staff and strive to maintain appropriate standards of conduct with regard to the protection of personal information.

We take steps to require that third parties who assist in our provision of services abide by all applicable privacy and data protection laws and prohibit them from using your information other than in connection with the services they have been engaged to provide.

We retain personal information for only as long as we need it to provide the services you or your employer has requested, for our own administration and internal purposes, and for any periods that are mandated by law or otherwise agreed to with our clients, after which, we take steps to delete or anonymize the

In some cases we may have to transfer your information outside of the U.S. to other countries.  When we do this we will attempt to safeguard that information as described in this Privacy Policy. We transfer personal information to third countries where it is necessary to provide you the service you (or your employer) requested.  We may also transfer personal information to service providers and we will use the safeguards in this policy when transferring your information.

Your Rights

We will respect your decision if you or your employer wish to opt-out of personal information.  We will only use your information for the purposes that it was given to us and will seek your consent if we wish to use it for any other purpose.  If you give your consent, we would follow this policy regarding the information.  In the event that either you or your employer informs us in writing that you wish to opt-out of future processing of personal information we will respect your request.

You can at any time know anything about the data we have of yours. You can also find out how long we keep your personal data and who receives data about you. If you request, we can inform you about the data we process about you. However, access may be restricted for the privacy of other persons. You can contact us at any time.

If you believe the data we have is inaccurate, you are entitled to correct them. If you believe your data is no longer necessary for the purpose we obtained them, you may want to have them deleted. If you believe your personal data is being processed in violation of the law or other legal obligations. When you address a request to correct or delete your personal data, we will investigate whether your request is warranted and, in that case, make changes or deletions as soon as possible.

You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data. You can use the contact information at the top to send an objection. If your opposition is justified, we will stop processing your personal data.

You are entitled to receive the personal data you have made available to us and those we have obtained from you with other actors based on your consent. You can also send your data. You also have the right to transfer this personal data to another service provider if you need it. If you wish to use your right to move your data (data portability), you will receive your personal data from us in a commonly used format.

To help protect your privacy and the security of your information, Our Firm takes reasonable steps to verify your identity before granting access to information.  This may include internet searches, questionnaires or conversations.   Where we rely solely on your consent, you may withdraw it at any time. You may also object to processing that is based on our legitimate interests alone. In such instances, our business interests must be found to be compelling and to not jeopardize your individual rights before further processing may continue. To exercise these rights, please contact your employer or Our Firm, as applicable. If you have unresolved concerns, where provided by local law, you may have the right to complain to a data protection authority where you reside, where you work or where you believe there has been an infringement of data protection laws.

Updates to our Privacy Notice

This Privacy Policy may be updated periodically without prior notice to you to reflect changes in our information practices. We will post a notice on our applicable websites or materials to advise of any significant changes to our Privacy Notice and indicate in the notice when it was most recently updated.

 

Disclaimer

The content of this website has been prepared by Scott Legal, P.C. for general informational purposes only. It is not legal advice and should not be considered or relied upon as legal advice. Transmission or receipt of the content of this website does not create, nor is it intended to create, and receipt does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. Because each matter involves differing facts, online readers should not act upon the content of this website without seeking legal advice.  Our New York law firm welcomes any inquiries and comments by telephone. However, do not send any information to our law firm (either electronically or by other delivery) until you speak with one of its lawyers to discuss whether, and how, to send that information. Past results are no guarantee of future results and prior results do not imply future results.  Each case is different and must be judged on its own merits.  All rights reserved.

This website constitutes attorney advertising.  Do not consider anything in this website legal advice and nothing in this website constitutes an attorney client relationship being formed.  Consult with us before acting on anything you read here. All photos on this website have been purchased and are for illustrative purposes only. None of the photos are lawyers, judges or clients and none of the people in the photos work for Scott Legal, P.C..

This site may contain references to various matters that have been handled by our law firm.  The results portrayed in those matters were dependent upon the facts of those particular cases, and results will differ if based on different facts. This site also may contain references to past and present clients. Such references are not intended to be testimonials or endorsements of the law firm and they do not constitute a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter.

Inclusion of third-party content or links to other sites does not imply recommendation or endorsement. The firm is not responsible for any third-party content that may be accessed through this site or available through links to another site.

Scott Legal, P.C. assumes no liability for the use or interpretation of information contained herein. This publication is provided “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT.

FREE WEBINARS