Our Privacy Policy Overview
At the law office of Douglas Coutinho Criminal Law, your trust is our top priority. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, and protect your personal information when you access and interact with our law firm, use our legal services, or visit and use our website https://criminalistadouglascoutinho.com/. Preserving your privacy and anonymity is built into the core values of our law practice-positive client advocacy record and uncompromising ethical standards. Please read this Privacy Policy carefully to learn how we use and keep private your information as well as what security measures we implement in order to keep it confidential.
About Us
Douglas Coutinho Criminal Law is a law firm dedicated to criminal defense work, located in Phoenix, Arizona. Douglas Coutinho has over 10 years of experience and is an alumnus of Stanford Law School. Our law firm provides personalized one-on-one representation to people charged with criminal offenses and offers educational services through our resources and client-centered work. We uphold the highest standards of legal ethics in ensuring we gather and safeguard our clients’ most important confidential information.
Privacy Policy Applicability
This Privacy Policy pertains to all information gathered through our website, various forms of communications, and in person. It outlines the use of personal information provided to us by individuals including clients, potential clients, website visitors, and persons who contact and visit Douglas Coutinho Criminal Law for the purposes of education, consultation, or representation. Our privacy policy applies to information collected electronically and in the real world, including via e-mail, phone call, or office visit.
What Information We Collect
- Personal Information: Name, address, phone number, email address, and other contact information you voluntarily provide to us when you contact our office, set up an appointment for a consultation, or subscribe to a newsletter or blog.
- Case-Related Information: If you wish to receive advice or representation from our lawyers, we may collect confidential and sensitive information regarding your case, such as history, criminal charges, and backup records.
- Website Usage Information: We collect non-personal information through our website with regard to IP address, browser type, device type, and browsing patterns by using cookies and other technology on your computer to enhance our website and services to you.
- Communications Records: For purposes relating to the quality of legal services we provide (and for risk management), we keep records of communications between us and you via email, telephones, or forms of text/message.
- Billing Information: We may collect certain payment card information or other financial data for billing purposes. We process that data securely as set forth in industry standards.
We do not knowingly collect personal information of children under 18 years of age without appropriate parental consent.
How We Obtain Your Information
- Direct communications: For instance, if you reach out to us directly by phone, email, or office visit, or if you complete forms on our website.
- Website analytics: We may use various automated means such as cookies and web beacons to help track services that we obtain to better understand how visitors are interacting with our site.
- Third-parties: In some instances, we may be provided information by other attorneys, law enforcement, government agencies, and/or authorized representatives, in relation to your case or with your consent.
We seek information collection by transparent methods in compliance with applicable rules and ethics standards.
The Ways We Use Your Information
- Provide legal advice, representation, or assistance
- Answer your inquiries and set up meetings
- Evaluate the merits of your potential case and develop a strategy for your defense
- Deliver case-related progress, legal alerts, and informational materials
- Enhance services, our website, and client experience
- Comply with billing and administrative guidelines
- Satisfy legal and regulatory requirements, including but not limited to conflict check and compliance with applicable judicial or regulatory orders
We shall only disclose and make use of your information to the extent necessary for the purposes referred to above or as may otherwise be required by law.
Lawful Bases for the Processing of Information
- Contract: When you instruct our legal services, we process your information to provide that service to you.
- Legal obligation: We have to collect and hold some information to comply with our legal, regulatory, or professional obligations or any court orders.
- Legitimate interests: We may use information if we believe it is in your interests-such as to improve client experience, detect fraud/crime/deficiencies, or to maintain security.
- Consent: Where we need consent in law to do something with your information (for example, when sending electronically produced marketing materials or in educational presentations) we will ask for your express consent to do this.
Confidentiality and Attorney-Client Privilege
As a firm, we are governed by attorney-client privilege standards. Information that is communicated to us while seeking legal advice or representation is always kept confidential and privileged on your behalf, including the following:
- Your matter and information will not be disclosed by us to any third party(ies), without your consent, except as the law may require.
- We have stringent protocols and processes in place within the firm to ensure that all case information remains private and confidential.
- Staff and all attorneys receive ongoing training about privacy and confidentiality obligations.
How We Safeguard Your Information
The protection of your personal information is very important to us. At Douglas Coutinho Criminal Law, we use a variety of physical, technical, and administrative security measures to protect your information from unauthorized access, disclosure, modification, or destruction, including the following:
- Secure office premises
- Restricted access to e-mail correspondence and electronic files
- Electronic data stored on encrypted file systems
- Up-to-date security software, firewalls, and antivirus protection
- Restricted accessibility, whereby only those employees with a need to do so have access to your information as well as regularly scheduled employee training on data privacy and security practices
Unfortunately, however, no method of transmission over the Internet or other method of electronic storage is 100% secure. We will continue to monitor and evaluate our security practices in order to improve our processes.
Data Storage Periods
We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law or regulatory requirements. The length of information retention varies depending on the type of information and the nature of the services we provide, but in general record retention includes: Active files are kept for the duration of the legal representation and a statutory period following closure of the file. Consultation records and communications are often retained for a period sufficient to allow for full follow up or fulfill our record retention obligations. Financial records are kept in accordance with tax and accounting regulations. Information is deleted and destroyed securely when no longer needed in accordance with reasonable best practices and as otherwise required by applicable law.
Sharing and Disclosure of Your Information
We do not sell, rent, or otherwise provide your personal information to third parties. Personal information disclosure is made in very limited circumstances and only in ways required by law or necessary to render you effective service, including:
- With your express permission for the referral or collaboration with other legal services professionals
- To court officials, law enforcement, or regulatory authorities as required by law or court subpoena
- To trusted service providers that provide administrative, IT, or payment processing support on our behalf and where services are merged into our platform, on a confidential basis
- For administrative purposes including during the course of a merger, acquisition, or restructuring activity of the business (notice will be provided to the individuals in all such circumstances of a merger)
All third parties receiving any information about you are bound by the same privacy and confidentiality obligations we adhere to.
Cookies and Online Tracking Technologies
Cookie Notice: Our site makes use of cookies and similar technologies in order to function properly, analyze site usage, and enhance our services. Cookies are small data files placed on your device that allow us to identify you and remember your preferences-we also use these for aggregated user stats. Types of cookies in use:
- Site core cookies to help make the site functional and secure
- Analytics cookies to check site performance and usage activity
- Preference cookies to remember our visitors and improve compatibility
Your browser setting should be able to refuse cookies or warn before accepting them-but this may impact how our site functions. For more details, please refer to our Cookie Policy.
Links to Third-Party Websites and Online Resources
Our website may contain links to third party websites, legal information, or educational material that is not owned or controlled by Douglas Coutinho Criminal Law. We do not control the privacy policies or practices of those third party websites. We encourage visitors to those websites to review any privacy policy of that website in order to learn how that website collects and uses information.
Your Legal Rights and Your Choices
You have certain rights in relation to your personal information. Subject to applicable limitations under applicable law, you may have the right to: a copy of the personal data we hold about you; rectification of inaccuracies and incompleteness; erasure or restriction of processing, as long as the legal or contractual reasons do not prevent us from doing so; an objection to certain processing activities like direct marketing; and withdrawal of consent to specific activities forming the legal basis for processing. If you wish to exercise any of these rights, please contact us at [email protected] or (480) 253-9354. We will respond to your request in a timely, professional manner and in any event subject to our legal or ethical obligations.
Children’s Privacy
Douglas Coutinho Criminal Law does not knowingly collect or obtain personal information or accept online payments, such as credit card information, from children under the age of 18. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under the age of 18, we will promptly delete such information. Parents or guardians who believe their child may have disclosed personal information to us are encouraged to contact us at their earliest convenience so that we may provide proper assistance in such matters.
International Transfers of Personal Data
Although we generally process information about you in the United States, using our services when accessing SRS Data may result in certain of your information being transferred to, processed, or stored in jurisdictions other than the state or country in which you reside. Where we do so, we will take all reasonable steps to ensure that any such information is appropriately protected under this Privacy Policy and data protection laws.
Marketing and Other Educational Communications
With your consent, Douglas Coutinho Criminal Law may convey to you newsletters, legal updates, or educational materials related to criminal law and your rights. You may opt out of these communications at any time using the unsubscribe link within our communication or by writing to [email protected]. Your preferences will be respected. We will promptly give effect to all opt-outs.
Data Breach Notification
Should a breach of personal information occur in our organization, we will immediately evaluate the incident, contain the incident, and communicate with such individuals and other applicable entities as required by law. We will implement our incident response protocols to reduce risk, minimize impact, and promote transparency. Our goal is to apply lessons learnt to improve processes around data security compliance.
Modifications to This Privacy Policy
We may from time to time update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our legal or contractual obligations, services, or privacy practices. If we make a material change to the Privacy Policy, we will provide notice on our website in addition to changing the effective date on the front page of the policy. We encourage you to revisit this page periodically to ensure you are aware of any changes.
Reaching Out to Douglas Coutinho Criminal Law
If you have questions, complaints, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy, or your personal information generally, or the ways in which we process data, do not hesitate to contact us and let us know. We are happy to explain and protect your interests in privacy and information security.
| Contact Information | |
| Address: | 4747 N 7th St Ste 15, Phoenix AZ 85014 |
| Phone: | (480) 253-9354 |
| Email: | [email protected] |
Privacy matters to us. Treating you with integrity and respect is a privilege we take seriously. For more ways to get in touch, please see our Contact Us page.
Your Consent
By accessing, interacting with, and/or continuing to use Douglas Coutinho Criminal Law, this website, or by providing us with your personal information for legal or consultation purposes, you consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of your information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. If you do not wish to consent to this policy, then we respectfully ask that you do not use our services or website.
Disclosure of Privacy Best Practices
Douglas Coutinho Criminal Law is dedicated to maintaining the strictest privacy, confidentiality, and data protection protocols. We are consistently reviewing developments in privacy law and industry best practices to ensure that our policies and procedures are both effective and legally compliant. Our commitment to client trust and professional ethics informs everything we do with respect to how we collect, manage, use, and disclose information.
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What information do you collect during a consultation?
A: We retain your identification information, relevant facts about your case, and what documents you provide us in order to best assess your needs.Q: Will anyone else see my case information?
A: Your case information is private. We only allow access to others with your permission, or where required by law.Q: How do I make changes to correct my information?
A: You may make any request for changes or corrections regarding your information, by contacting us at [email protected] or (480) 253-9354.Q: Do you use my information for advertising purposes?
A: We only do so if you specifically give us permission. You may opt out of any advertising contact you wish at any time.Q: How does this company keep my information safe?
A: On-site encryption, storage, and access codes protect you from unauthorized access to the data we store.
For more answers, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.
California Data Protection Rights
If you are a resident of California you may have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), including a right to access, delete, or opt-out of sale of your personal information. Douglas Coutinho Criminal Law is not in the business of selling your personal information. Please contact us at [email protected] or (480) 253-9354 to exercise your California privacy rights.
Acceptance of this Policy
By using our services, communicating with our firm by any means, or making use of our website, blog, or any other written materials, you signify that you have read, understood, and agreed to this Privacy Policy. If you would like further clarification, or if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to ask as we want your dealings with Douglas Coutinho Criminal Law to be completely transparent and secure.
Effective Date and Modifications to This Policy
This Privacy Statement has an effective date of June 2024 but will remain in effect except as to modification to its terms in the future. We will post any changes on this page and we encourage you to review this Privacy Statement from time to time for the most up-to-date information.
Ongoing Commitment to Your Rights and Security
At Douglas Coutinho Criminal Law, protecting your privacy is not only our legal responsibility but part and parcel of helping us to defend your rights. We pledge to honour and uphold the confidentiality, integrity, and security of your information at all times in all stages of your interaction with our office. We thank you for the confidence you place in us to address your legal needs and for allowing us to represent you.