Privacy Policy

Our Clients’ privacy is important to us, as is their understanding of the way we handle their personal and confidential information. When a Client engages us to perform legal services, that Client is consenting to the collection, transfer, manipulation, storage, disclosure, and other uses of their information as described in this Privacy Policy. This document outlines the policies and procedures Parton Law adheres to when engaged in the collection, use, and disclosure of our Clients’ information in handling their matter. This Privacy Policy supplements and does not supersede North Carolina’s Rules of Professional Conduct. 



Parton Law, PLLC’s commitment to protecting our Clients’ privacy is of eminent importance to the Firm. It is the Firm’s policy that no Client’s information obtained by the Firm be sold or made available to third parties except when we collect, use, and disclose personal information to meet our Clients’ legal needs. For example, we may need to collect, use, or disclose personal information: 



i) To establish, manage, and terminate the Firm’s relationship with a Client; 



ii) To fully understand a Client’s legal issues and to assist with immediate and ongoing legal needs; 


iii) To ensure accuracy of information; 



iv) To assist in the litigation, management or maintenance of a Client’s matters and cases; 



v) To a Client’s accounting, legal and other third party representatives with the Client’s express authorization beforehand as required by the North Carolina Rules of Professional Conduct; 



vi) In accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and rules of professional conduct; and 



vii) Pursuant to the North Carolina Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 1.6(b), the Firm may reveal information protected from disclosure to the extent the Firm reasonably believes necessary: 



1) to comply with the Rules of Professional Conduct, the law or valid court order; 



2) to prevent the commission of a future crime by a Client; 



3) to prevent reasonably certain death or bodily harm; 



4) to prevent, mitigate, or rectify the consequences of a Client’s criminal or fraudulent act in the commission of which the lawyer’s services were used (emphasis added); 



5) to secure legal advice about the Firm’s compliance with these rules; 



6) to establish a claim or defense on behalf of the Firm in a controversy between the Firm and the Client; to establish a defense to a criminal charge or civil claim against the lawyer based upon conduct in which the Client was involved[1]; 



7) to comply with the rules of a lawyers’ or judges’ assistance program approved by the North Carolina State Bar or the North Carolina Supreme Court; or 



8) to detect and resolve conflicts of interest arising from a lawyer’s change of employment or from changes in the composition of ownership of a firm, but only if the revealed information would not compromise the attorney-client privilege or otherwise prejudice the Client. 



A complete set and updated version of the North Carolina Rules of Professional Conduct can be viewed by visiting: https://www.ncbar.gov/for-lawyers/ethics/rules-of-professional-conduct/

Additionally, the Firm will abide by the following specific Rules of Professional Conduct with respect to the collection, use or disclosure of our current, former, and prospective Clients’ information: 



i) Rule 1.6: Confidentiality of Information; 



ii) Rule 1.8: Conflict of Interest: Current Clients: Specific Rules; 



iii) Rule 1.9: Duties to Former Clients; 



iv) Rule 1.18: Duties to Prospective Clients; and 



v) Rule 8.6: Information About a Possible Wrongful Conviction. 



The Firm will not share non-public personal information about our Clients with nonaffiliated third parties without prior consent, except for specific purposes described below. This notice explains our collection, use, disclosure, and safeguarding of Client information.

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In connection with providing Clients with legal services, the Firm may obtain information about the Client from the following sources, among others: 


i) Client agreements and other information that Clients provide to us, whether in writing, in person, by telephone, electronically or by any other means. This information may include a client’s name, address, phone number, email address, social security number, employment information, income, investment experience, and credit references; 



ii) Personal tax returns provided by the Client or other litigation devices such as discovery requests authorized by the North Carolina Rules of Civil and Criminal Procedure; 



iii) Transactions on a Client’s behalf, including but not limited to, account balances, positions, investment interests and history; 



iv) Consumer reporting agencies, including but not limited to, account information and credit history; 



v) Public sources; and 



vi) Private investigators and/or forensic analyst and firms as the Firm deems necessary to provide legal services to the client. 



The Firm will only disclose non-public Client information to nonaffiliated third parties when we believe it necessary for our provision of legal services to you or as required or permitted by law, such as: 



i) If you request or authorize the disclosure of the information; 



ii) To provide a Client legal services and for Client case or matter maintenance and management; 



iii) To respond to a valid subpoena or court order, judicial process, law enforcement or regulatory authorities if required by law; 



iv) To help prevent fraud; 



v) With rating agencies, persons assessing compliance with industry standards, regulatory bodies enforcing professional rules of conduct, or to the attorneys, accountants and auditors of the Firm; 



vi) To comply with federal, state or local laws, rules and other applicable legal requirements; and 



vii) Pursuant to any other exceptions enumerated by North Carolina law.