Privacy Policy
In short
- We collect only what we need to give you legal advice and act on your matter, and what the law requires us to keep.
- Files you give us through our client portal are stored in Canada.
- We do not sell your information, and we do not use it for advertising.
- Everything you tell us is also protected by solicitor-client privilege and our duty of confidentiality as Ontario lawyers.
- You can ask to see or correct your information at any time: info@askmylawyer.ca.
1. Who we are
Sriiram Mohan Law P.C. ("we", "us") is a law firm licensed by the Law Society of Ontario, at 3500 – 2 Bloor St E, Toronto, Ontario. This policy covers our website, askmylawyer.ca, and our client portal (the "Ask My Lawyer" portal). We follow Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and the Law Society's Rules of Professional Conduct and By-Laws.
2. What we collect
| Information | Why we collect it |
|---|---|
| Name, email, phone, address | To contact you, open your file and act for you. |
| Sign-in details from Google, Microsoft or Apple (your name and email address) | To let you sign in to the client portal securely without a separate password. |
| Identity documents (for example a driver's licence or passport), and details such as date of birth and occupation | The Law Society requires us to identify and verify every client (By-Law 7.1). |
| Information about your matter (for a real estate deal: the property, the price, your lender, your insurance, how you are funding the purchase) | To give you legal advice and complete your transaction. |
| Documents you upload (agreements, mortgage commitments, insurance binders, proof of deposit) | To review them and act on your matter. |
| Payment and trust account records | To bill you and to keep the trust records the Law Society requires (By-Law 9). |
| Basic technical data (IP address, browser type, date and time of visits) in server and security logs | To keep the website and portal running and secure. |
We do not use advertising or tracking cookies. The website and the portal remember your settings (for example, that you are signed in) in your own browser's storage.
3. How we use it
- To advise you and act on your matter.
- To meet our legal and professional obligations, including client identification, record keeping and anti-money-laundering rules.
- To send you updates and reminders about your matter.
- To keep our systems secure and to prevent fraud.
We use your information only for these purposes or as the law allows or requires. If we want to use it for anything else, we will ask you first.
4. Signing in with Google, Microsoft or Apple
When you choose "Continue with Google", "Continue with Apple" or Microsoft sign-in, that company confirms who you are and shares your name and email address with us. We do not get your password, and we do not ask for access to your email, contacts, calendar or files.
Our use of information received from Google APIs follows the Google API Services User Data Policy, including its Limited Use requirements. We use it only to sign you in and identify your file, and we never sell it or use it for advertising.
5. Where your information is stored, and who helps us
We use a small number of service providers. Each one processes information only on our instructions and must protect it.
- Supabase: the portal's database, sign-in service and file storage. Your portal information and documents are stored in Canada (Montréal region).
- Netlify: hosts the pages of our website and portal. It does not store your portal information or documents.
- Microsoft 365: our email and office documents.
- Google, Microsoft and Apple: confirm your identity when you sign in, as described above.
- When needed for your matter: title insurers, lenders, the other party's lawyer, the land registry (Teranet) and government agencies. We share only what is needed to complete your matter.
Some of these providers may handle limited information (for example, sign-in or email data) outside Canada, where it may be subject to the laws of that country.
6. How we protect it
- Portal information is encrypted in transit and at rest.
- Each client can see only their own file. Staff access is limited to our firm's own Microsoft 365 accounts.
- Documents open only through links that expire after 15 minutes.
- Every change to a file is logged: who made it, and when.
- Our lawyers and staff are bound by strict professional confidentiality.
7. How long we keep it
We keep your file for as long as the law and our professional obligations require. In general:
- client identification records: at least 6 years after our work for you ends (By-Law 7.1);
- trust and accounting records: at least 10 years (By-Law 9);
- the rest of your file: for as long as we reasonably need it to protect your interests and ours.
After that, we securely destroy it.
8. Your choices and rights
- Access and correction: you can ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you, and ask us to correct it.
- Withdrawing consent: you can withdraw your consent, subject to legal and professional obligations. In some cases this means we can no longer act for you.
- Questions or concerns: email us at info@askmylawyer.ca.
We will respond within 30 days.
9. Contact and complaints
Our Privacy Officer is Sriiram Mohan.
- Email: info@askmylawyer.ca
- Phone: 647-470-1573
- Mail: 3500 – 2 Bloor St E, Toronto, Ontario
If you are not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.
10. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top shows when it last changed. If a change significantly affects how we use your information, we will tell you before it takes effect.