As an attorney, you deal with a lot of private or confidential information. Before a client begins working with you, they’re going to want to feel comfortable entrusting you with this information. That means you must take a variety of steps to show you are trustworthy and that you take their privacy seriously.

One simple step you can take is to include a privacy policy on your website. It shows you care about keeping confidential information secure, and also ensures your compliance with local and federal privacy laws, such as the California Privacy Protection Act and the California Consumer Privacy Act.

Having that privacy policy in place on your website could be the difference between a visitor to your website reaching out about your services and navigating away to look elsewhere. 

Here are a few elements of an effective privacy policy:

  • Easy to find: Any privacy policy you include on your website should be easy to find. This doesn’t mean you need to place it front and center in the header of your website, but it should be found on the home page so clients don’t have to browse your entire sitemap to find it. Most web designers will include privacy policies in the footer—an area that is easily accessible but does not distract from the most important content on your website. 
  • Information about your firm: A privacy policy should begin with the name, address and relevant details of your firm. This indicates to readers that, yes, the policy they are reading is specific to your firm and that you developed it with your clients (and potential clients) in mind.
  • Talk about the information you will collect: Be thorough and specific with regard to the information you will collect on your website. This information could include names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses or credit card information.
  • Discuss how the information will be used: This is the most important part of your privacy policy. It’s not enough to just state which information you will collect; you will put your readers at ease and maintain compliance by being honest about how the information will be used. Examples could include using information for marketing or adding to a newsletter. You should also mention if you will be sharing any information provided with third parties.

For more information about drafting a strong, compliant privacy policy for your law firm’s website, contact us at Conroy Creative Counsel.