Privacy Policy
Scope
This Privacy Policy explains how Accord & Shield Legal, PLLC collects, uses, discloses, retains, and protects personal information in connection with the Website, online forms, consultation requests, scheduling tools, communications, marketing, client intake, and related online services. This Privacy Policy applies to Website visitors, prospective clients, clients, vendors, business contacts, and other individuals who interact with the firm online, regardless of where they are located. Privacy rights and obligations may vary by location and by the nature of the relationship, information, and processing activity. This Privacy Policy does not replace the confidentiality, privilege, data-handling, or records provisions of any signed engagement agreement, court order, protective order, professional-conduct rule, or applicable law.
Attorney-Client Privilege and Legal Confidentiality
Information handled during an attorney-client relationship may be protected by attorney-client privilege, attorney work-product doctrine, professional-conduct duties, court rules, protective orders, or other legal protections. Those protections are separate from and may be broader than this Privacy Policy. This Privacy Policy does not reduce the firm’s professional obligations. If there is a conflict between this Privacy Policy and a legal ethics duty, court order, protective order, or engagement agreement, the stricter or legally controlling requirement will apply.
Categories of Personal Information We May Collect
Depending on how you interact with the firm, Accord & Shield Legal, PLLC may collect the following categories of personal information:
- Identifiers — name, business name, mailing address, email address, phone number, online identifiers, IP address, and account or matter identifiers.
- Professional or business information — company, title, role, industry, employer, business records, contract information, trademark information, business formation details, compliance information, and matter-related facts.
- Contact and intake information — consultation requests, adverse-party names for conflict checks, matter descriptions, deadlines you disclose, jurisdiction, preferred contact method, and communications with the firm.
- Commercial and payment information — consultation payments, invoices, transaction records, billing contact information, and payment status. Full payment-card information may be processed by third-party payment processors rather than stored by the firm.
- Internet or network activity — device information, browser type, pages visited, referring pages, time on site, search terms, cookie identifiers, and interactions with Website features.
- Geolocation information — approximate location inferred from IP address.
- Audio, electronic, or visual information — voicemails, call records, video consultation information, uploaded documents, or messages.
- Sensitive personal information, if you choose to provide it or if it is necessary for a legal matter — government identifiers, financial account information, employment information, health-related information, immigration-related information, precise legal dispute information, trade secrets, or confidential business data.
- Inferences — likely practice-area interest, communication preferences, or service needs based on your interactions with the Website.
Sources of Personal Information
The firm may collect personal information from: you directly; your authorized representatives; online forms, scheduling platforms, email, phone, SMS, voicemail, video calls, and document uploads; clients, counterparties, witnesses, vendors, courts, agencies, public records, trademark databases, business registries, and other matter-related sources; analytics, hosting, security, payment, client-intake, customer relationship management, and communications vendors; referral sources, professional contacts, events, and social media platforms; and publicly available sources.
Purposes for Collecting and Using Personal Information
Accord & Shield Legal, PLLC may collect, use, retain, and process personal information to: operate, maintain, secure, and improve the Website; respond to inquiries and consultation requests; conduct conflict checks and evaluate whether to accept representation; provide legal services if an attorney-client relationship is formed; schedule consultations, meetings, and calls; process payments, invoices, retainers, refunds, and accounting records; communicate with you about the firm, services, matters, updates, and administrative issues; manage client intake, onboarding, identity verification, and records; perform legal research, factual investigation, filings, registrations, negotiations, transactions, and compliance work; comply with legal, regulatory, professional, accounting, tax, insurance, and risk-management obligations; detect, prevent, investigate, and respond to fraud, misuse, security incidents, unauthorized access, claims, or unlawful activity; enforce terms, agreements, and legal rights; send marketing or educational communications where permitted, subject to opt-out rights; analyze Website usage, advertising effectiveness, and service interest; and fulfill any purpose disclosed at the time of collection or with your consent.
Cookies, Analytics, GA4, Google Search Console, and Microsoft Clarity
The Website uses Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to help the firm understand how visitors use the Website, which pages are visited, how visitors arrive at the Website, and how the Website can be improved. GA4 may use cookies, device identifiers, IP address information, browser information, pages viewed, referring pages, approximate location, and similar usage information. The Website also uses Google Search Console to help the firm understand Website search performance, indexing, search visibility, search queries, page performance, and technical issues affecting the Website in Google Search. Accord & Shield Legal, PLLC uses GA4 and Google Search Console for website analytics, performance, and search visibility. The firm does not sell personal information and does not use Website analytics to sell customer, client, or visitor information. Google may process analytics and search-performance information according to Google’s own terms and privacy policies. Users can manage cookies through browser settings and may review Google’s available privacy controls and browser add-ons for Google Analytics. Disabling cookies may affect Website functionality.
The Website also uses Microsoft Clarity to understand how visitors use and interact with the Website through behavioral metrics, heatmaps, and session replay. Microsoft Clarity captures Website-usage data using first- and third-party cookies and other tracking technologies, which may include pages viewed, clicks, scrolling, mouse movement, approximate location, device and browser information, and IP address information. Accord & Shield Legal, PLLC uses this information for Website analytics, site optimization, fraud prevention and security, and to improve and market the firm’s services. Website-usage data captured through Microsoft Clarity is processed by Microsoft according to Microsoft’s own terms and privacy policies. The firm does not sell personal information and does not use Website analytics to sell customer, client, or visitor information. For more information about how Microsoft collects and uses your data, visit the Microsoft Privacy Statement.
The Website may also use Vercel Web Analytics and Speed Insights, which provide cookieless website performance and usage analytics.
Online Intake Questionnaire and Interactive Tools
The firm offers a secure online intake questionnaire to clients and prospective clients who have received an access code from the firm. Information you enter in the questionnaire — which may include contact information, business information, and details about your website, technology environment, or data practices — is stored temporarily in a secured cloud database so you may save your progress and return later. In-progress questionnaire entries are automatically deleted after sixty (60) days of inactivity.
When you submit a completed questionnaire, your responses are transmitted to the firm by email through the firm’s email service provider, and the temporarily stored copy is deleted after successful submission. Submitted responses may become part of the firm’s records relating to your inquiry or engagement and will be handled in accordance with the Retention and Attorney-Client Privilege and Legal Confidentiality sections of this Privacy Policy, as applicable.
The Website also offers interactive tools, including a legal risk scorecard, an entity selection quiz, an AI governance readiness check, a subscription compliance self-assessment, and downloadable checklists. If you choose to use these tools and provide your name, email address, or other requested information, the firm collects that information along with your responses to deliver your results by email and, where permitted, to follow up regarding your inquiry.
These tools provide general information only and do not constitute legal advice. Your use of these tools, including submission of information through a questionnaire or other interactive feature, does not by itself create an attorney-client relationship.
How We Disclose Personal Information
Accord & Shield Legal, PLLC may disclose personal information to the following categories of recipients where appropriate and permitted: service providers, contractors, and vendors that support hosting, email, scheduling, intake, payments, billing, accounting, document management, cybersecurity, analytics, communications, and firm operations; courts, government agencies, trademark offices, regulators, opposing parties, counterparties, counsel, experts, consultants, investigators, mediators, arbitrators, and other participants in legal matters; professional advisers, accountants, insurers, auditors, ethics counsel, and risk-management providers; successors or potential successors in a business transaction involving the firm, subject to professional duties and applicable law; law enforcement, regulators, courts, or other parties where required or permitted by law; persons you authorize or direct us to contact; and other recipients disclosed at the time of collection or with your consent.
No Sale of Personal Information
Accord & Shield Legal, PLLC does not sell personal information. The firm does not sell customer, client, visitor, confidential, privileged, or prospective-client intake information. The firm also does not knowingly sell personal information of children under 16.
Text Messaging (SMS) Communications
If you provide your mobile phone number to the firm and consent to receive text messages, we may send you conversational and informational SMS messages related to your inquiry or matter, such as appointment scheduling and reminders, case-related communications, and billing notifications. Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply.
Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages. Text messaging originator opt-in data and consent will not be shared with any third parties, excluding aggregators and providers of the Text Message services.
No mobile opt-in information, phone numbers collected for SMS purposes, or text messaging originator opt-in data and consent will be shared with, sold to, or otherwise disclosed to any third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. We may share this information only with service providers who assist us in delivering text messages (such as our telecommunications and messaging platform providers), and only for that purpose, or as otherwise required by law.
You may opt out of text messages at any time by replying STOP to any message from us. You may reply HELP, call us at (623) 239-2682, or email connect@accordshield.com for assistance. Opting out of text messages does not affect other communications with the firm.
Retention
Accord & Shield Legal, PLLC retains personal information for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, comply with legal and professional obligations, maintain business and accounting records, preserve evidence, resolve disputes, enforce agreements, conduct conflict checks, and maintain client or prospective-client records. Retention periods may vary based on the type of information, matter type, jurisdiction, legal requirements, ethical duties, and firm record-retention policies.
In-progress online questionnaire entries that are never submitted are automatically deleted after sixty (60) days of inactivity.
Security
Accord & Shield Legal, PLLC uses reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information. However, no website, email system, online form, scheduling platform, payment system, or internet transmission is completely secure. You use the Website and electronic communications at your own risk.
Your Choices
Depending on applicable law and your relationship with the firm, you may have choices or rights regarding: marketing emails, by using unsubscribe links or contacting the firm; cookies and analytics, through browser settings, cookie tools, or opt-out mechanisms; access to certain personal information; correction of inaccurate contact information; deletion of certain information, subject to legal, ethical, professional, and records-retention exceptions; restriction of or objection to certain processing activities, if applicable; withdrawal of consent where processing is based on consent; and other rights that may apply under applicable privacy law. Requests may be denied or limited where necessary to protect attorney-client privilege, work product, legal rights, confidentiality obligations, security, fraud prevention, legal compliance, conflict-check records, or the rights of others.
Children
The Website is not directed to children under 13, and the firm does not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 through the Website. If you believe a child has provided personal information through the Website, contact the firm so it can evaluate and address the issue.
Users Outside Arizona, California, and Texas; International Users
The Website may be accessed by users from different states or countries. Accord & Shield Legal, PLLC provides legal services only where authorized and only after the firm accepts representation in writing, but privacy rights may vary depending on where a user is located and which laws apply. If you access the Website from outside Arizona, California, or Texas, or from outside the United States, you understand that your information may be processed in the United States, where privacy laws may differ from those in your location. If a privacy law applicable to your location gives you specific rights, the firm will respond as required by applicable law, subject to legal, ethical, privilege, confidentiality, security, and record-retention limitations.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
Accord & Shield Legal, PLLC may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The effective date above will be updated when changes are posted. Continued use of the Website after an updated Privacy Policy is posted means you acknowledge the updated policy.
Contact Information
Privacy requests and questions may be directed to: Accord & Shield Legal, PLLC, 16220 N Scottsdale Rd., Suite 302, Scottsdale, AZ 85254. Email: connect@accordshield.com. Phone: (623) 239-2682.
Privacy Rights and Applicable Law
Accord & Shield Legal, PLLC does not sell personal information. The Website uses GA4 and Google Search Console for analytics, performance, and search visibility, as described above. Privacy rights may vary depending on where a user is located, the nature of the user’s relationship with the firm, the type of information involved, and whether a particular privacy law applies to the firm or the specific processing activity. If a privacy law applies, the firm will comply with applicable legal requirements. Privacy requests or questions may be sent to connect@accordshield.com. Requests may be limited or denied where necessary to protect attorney-client privilege, attorney work product, legal ethics duties, confidentiality obligations, conflict-check information, legal claims, investigations, security, fraud prevention, compliance obligations, or the rights of others.
Arizona Privacy and Prospective Client Notice
Arizona residents and prospective clients should review the Attorney Advertising and Legal Disclaimer and the confidentiality warning carefully. Do not send confidential information until Accord & Shield Legal, PLLC has completed a conflict check and agreed in writing to represent you. Arizona professional-conduct guidance recognizes the importance of disclaimers and caution when prospective clients communicate with lawyers by email or internet intake.
This page is provided for general informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. Using this Site or contacting Accord & Shield does not create an attorney-client relationship.