Privacy Policy

Introduction: Our Pledge to Protect Your Privacy

At the Law Office of David P. Schwarz, we understand that we earn your trust every day. As one of Southern California’s premier providers of family law representation and criminal defense in Costa Mesa and Orange County, we are dedicated to guarding you and your family’s legal interests and personal privacy. This Privacy Policy describes how the Law Office of David P. Schwarz collects, uses, protects, and may share information about you that we gather when you work with us or visit our website. Transparency is critical to us and all great attorneys, and as your attorney, we want you to know exactly what happens to your information at all stages of your relationship with the Law Office of David P. Schwarz.

Who We Are: The Law Office of David P. Schwarz

The Law Office of David P. Schwarz is a law firm located at 600 Anton Blvd, Suite 1100, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. This law firm provides experienced, caring, and aggressive representation in both family law and criminal defense cases. With over two decades of legal experience and hundreds of cases litigated, the attorneys of Law Office of David P. Schwarz (founding attorney David P. Schwarz and associate attorney Winiviere G. Sy) have built a reputation for committed client confidentiality, ethical court representation, and a drive for excellence. The firm’s privacy policies are reflective of their case preparation: diligent and careful.

What This Privacy Policy Covers

This Privacy Policy covers and applies to all individuals and businesses who have contact or dealings with the Law Office of David P. Schwarz, including clients, prospective clients, users of our website, third-parties, and all other persons. It governs information that the Law Firm collects, obtains, uses, stores, and discloses from our clients and prospective clients, as well as any personal information received by telephone, online via this website, in person at our office, and/or via electronic mail or other personal interaction or communication with us. Use of our website and your executing a contract or engaging our law firm indicates your agreement to these terms.

What We Collect

We collect the information necessary to provide you with top-notch legal services and to support the proper functioning of our business. The categories of information that we may collect include:

• Personal Information: This may include your name, postal address, email address, telephone numbers, date and place of birth, Social Security number (if necessary), and other contact information we might use to communicate with you.
• Case Information: This may include information relevant to a case or matter in which we are representing you (e.g., marital status, children in your family, criminal charges or legal issues faced, properties you own, financial assets or other resources you hold, relevant court filings, communications with us regarding an active case).
• Use of Website Data: This may include information related to your use of this website (e.g., Internet Protocol address, browser type, computer system identifiers, or so-called “cookies,” Internet Service Provider, and references to and from this website such as pages viewed and length of time spent on the pages). This data, when collected, will be done in the aggregate and through technology such as cookies, beacons, or web analytics programs.
• Communications: This may include copies of emails sent by you or received by us, copies of call lists and call logs, consultation notes, your messages submitted through the contact page on this website, and any other online portal used to communicate with you.
• Payment and Billing Information: Depending upon the services provided to you, this may include information gathered in connection with payments for legal fees or other provided services; e.g., payment records/receipts (e.g., credit card info, debit card info, PayPal account info), addresses for billing information, receipts for fees paid.

Except as necessary for representation of a minor client or a Child in Need of Care and Treatment under the juvenile code, we do not knowingly collect personal information about persons less than 18 years of age.

How We Use Your Information

We use your information only for the purposes necessary and relevant to our provision of legal services and operation of our firm, including, but not necessarily limited to, using your information to:

• Assess your needs and determine whether we can represent you
• Communicate with you about your matter or inquiry
• Prepare legal documents, court filings, and correspondence on your behalf
• Maintain, update, and amend files related to your legal matter(s)
• Facilitate billing and processing payment for legal services
• Respond to your inquiries, requests, and/or questions
• Comply with legal, regulatory, and ethical obligations of the Firm, including conflict of interest checks and record retention policies
• Improve our website, track its use, and monitor our service offerings and communications

We do not compromise your privacy for marketing purposes or sell your personally identifying information. We do not use your information for unsolicited marketing, such as solicitation or advertising.

Confidentiality and the Attorney-Client Privilege

As attorneys, we have legal and ethical obligations to protect confidential communications and information submitted by our clients and potential clients. The attorney-client privilege protects most attorney-client communications; what you submit to us as your attorneys and other information obtained through official channels will remain within our firm and will not be shared except at your direction or in response to written court directives. Staff and attorneys participate in ongoing training to ensure knowledge of the firm’s confidentiality requirements, and internal controls are in place to prevent improper access or disclosure.

The Measures We Use to Protect Your Information

Your data security is one of the main focuses at Law Office of David P. Schwarz. We utilize a mix of physical, administrative, and technical controls to protect the security and confidentiality of your data including:

• Locked office buildings with limited access to our paper files
• Password controlled computer access and encrypted databases for electronic records
• Regular software updates and security testing to combat malicious attacks
• Restricting access to case files so only authorized staff can view certain information
• Proper shredding and disposing of confidential documents once they are no longer required

We perform regular reviews and updates of our data security policies to stay in accordance with industry-wide standards, including new threats and technology.

How We Share Your Information

We will not share your personal information with others except in the following limited circumstances:

• With your express consent, for instance, when we are working with expert witnesses, accountants, financial planners, or other independent professional advisors concerning your matter
• With courts, government agencies, or opposing counsel as necessary to pursue your legal matter with them
• With our third-party vendors (e.g., information technology support, secure document storage and retrieval) pursuant to confidentiality agreements they have executed
• When required by law, court order, or our ethical obligations (e.g., to report imminent harm or prevent fraud)
• In the event of a sale of all or a portion of our practice or assets (e.g., as in a merger, consolidation, or acquisition transactions) where your information may be one of the assets that is included as part of the ongoing operation of the law firm. Notice would be provided in advance.

We do not rent, sell, or trade your information to others for marketing purposes.

Your Rights and Options

We value your rights with regard to your information. Depending upon the nature of the relationship between you and our firm, and applicable law, you may have the right to:

• View the information we have on file about you
• Correct inaccurate or incomplete information in our file
• Request that we delete your information (subject to legal and ethical requirements to maintain certain documents for specified periods)
• Withdraw consent for uses of your information (such as receiving newsletters or event invitations)

If you would like to exercise any of the above rights or opt-out of any other uses of your information, you may contact our office at 949-296-4119 or through the Contact Us form. We will make reasonable efforts to implement your request in accordance with applicable law.

Website Privacy and Cookies

Our website is intended to provide information regarding our services and facilitate interaction with our firm. We gather limited information about visitors to our website in order to enhance user convenience and provide improved functionality. We use cookies (files that your web browser places on your computer’s hard drive) to remember certain user preferences, measure site usage, and perform analyses of usage patterns. These cookies may be deleted or disabled using your web browser settings or cookie management tools, and you may also opt out of certain analytics cookie measurement. Our site may contain links to other sites we do not control (such as social media sites); we are not responsible for the privacy practices or content on these other sites. We encourage you to review the third party website’s privacy policy for information regarding use of such websites. For more details, please see our Cookie Policy.

Email and Other Electronic Communications

It is our policy to communicate with clients and potential clients by e-mail or other electronic media. We protect those communications with reasonable technology, including encrypted e-mail for communication of confidential information related to your legal matter. However, these technologies cannot be used to guarantee that information transmitted over the Internet will be secure. Should you wish to refrain from communicating with us electronically, please let us know so that we can make other arrangements. We will never request critical personal or financial information through unsolicited e-mail or other messages. If you receive a communication regarding this firm that you suspect may not be authentic, please do not respond and call us immediately at 949-296-4119.

Data Retention and Storage

We retain client files and other information for the length of your representation, and some period thereafter, as required by law, professional regulations, or our internal guidelines-usually seven years after the end of your matter, or until we are requested to destroy it in writing and its destruction is permissible. Records are destroyed in a way that protects your privacy once the retention period has ended. All archived files are stored securely so that only authorized personnel have access, whether in physical storage or encrypted digital media.

Children’s Privacy

The Law Office of David P. Schwarz does not knowingly obtain or collect personal information from children who are under the age of 18, except to the extent necessary to represent such children in family law or juvenile defense matters, and then only at the appropriate consent of a parent or legal guardian. If you have reason to believe that we may have obtained or collected personal information from a child who is under the age of 18, we ask that you contact us immediately so that we may investigate and, if necessary, remove such information immediately.

International Users and Cross-Border Data Transfers

We provide services throughout Orange County, California, and surrounding communities. If you are visiting our site from anywhere outside of the United States, you acknowledge that information you submit will be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States where data and privacy laws may be different than the laws in your country. You agree to this transfer and to the application of U.S. privacy laws by submitting this form or using our site or services.

Third Party Service Providers

We may use third party vendors who provide services in support of our business operations (for example, website hosting, document management, or payment processing). We provide these third party providers with access to only that information that is necessary for their provider to perform its services. Such service providers are contractually bound to protect your information and keep it confidential. We carefully evaluate our third party providers and require them to comply with industry data security and privacy best practices.

Legal and Regulatory Requirements

We have privacy practices in place that comply with all applicable law and professional standards, including the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, and the rules of professional responsibility that govern lawyers in California or other states. We also are committed to complying with the guidelines and recommendations of the bar associations and regulatory authorities. If changes in the law require any changes to our policies or procedures regarding privacy, we will make such changes as necessary and advise affected clients, as appropriate.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

As our website, business, and legal requirements change, we may modify this Privacy Policy. The most up-to-date version of our Privacy Policy will be at our website. We encourage you to review the Privacy Policy from time to time; if we make material modifications to our policy affecting your information, you will be notified by email or a notice on our website. Your continued relationship with us after such modification means you agree to the modified policy.

How to Contact Us with Privacy Issues

Should you have any inquiries, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us directly. We do take into consideration the privacy interests of those who engage us and we will make every effort to resolve any such issue or request in a timely and transparent manner. Please contact us at:
Law Office of David P. Schwarz
600 Anton Blvd, Suite 1100
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Telephone: 949-296-4119
Fax: 714-556-8410
Or, contact us using the Contact Us form on this site. We welcome all suggestions and honest criticism in connection with our privacy practices.

Privacy Rights in California

California consumers enjoy certain rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and other California laws regarding personal information, including the right to request:

• Disclosure of the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you.
• Disclosure of the categories of sources from which we have collected information.
• Disclosure of the business or commercial purpose for collecting or selling information (we do not sell your information).
• Disclosure of third parties with whom we share information.
• Deletion of your personal information subject to exceptions contained in the law.

In order to exercise your rights, call us at 949-296-4119 or send us a request via this website’s Contact Us form. We may need to verify your identity before proceeding with your request.

About this Law Firm: Attorney Advertising

The information found on our website and the information contained in this Privacy Policy are solely for informational purposes and do not constitute legal advice or the establishment of an attorney-client relationship. Any information sent to us over the internet or through our website (including through this Privacy Policy) will be treated by us as if we had received it directly from you. An attorney-client relationship will not be established until you and our firm have signed a written engagement letter. Until then, please do not send us any information over the internet or through our website that contains any confidential or sensitive information.

Notification Plan for Security Breach

Should your personal information be accessed and used in a manner inconsistent with your expectations, despite our security protections, we will investigate promptly and take appropriate remedial measures. To the extent we are required by law to provide notification to individuals whose information is so accessed or used, or a government agency, we will do so without unreasonable delay. Said notification would include information regarding the nature of such incident, affected data, and our response efforts which may include remedial measures to protect affected individuals from any harm caused by the incident. We review our Security Incident Response Plan on a periodic basis so as to position ourselves to respond promptly and appropriately to data and security incidents.

Best Practices for Data Security: Steps You Can Take

Although we take security measures to protect your information, data security is a shared responsibility. We ask that you:

• Choose unique, strong passwords for any online accounts accessed as part of your representation.
• Do not transmit or share confidential information via unsecure methods (such as public, internet-based wi-fi).
• Let us know as soon as possible if you suspect your information has been compromised.
• Keep your contact information updated with our office so we can reach you without unnecessary delay.
• Follow our advice around secure document transmission and storage.

We can further reduce the risk of your information being compromised by doing these things together.

Your Consent and Acknowledgement

By using the Law Office of David P. Schwarz for legal services or use of our website, you consent to the collection, usage, and disclosure of your data as stated in this Privacy Policy. You further signify that you have read and agreed to terms herein and will adhere to them. If you are not in agreement with the terms of our privacy policy, please do not use our website or present us any personal information. As always, we are here to take questions about our privacy policy.

Conclusion: Our Continuing Commitment to Privacy

At the Law Office of David P. Schwarz, your right to privacy is just as important to us as your legal rights. We are committed to providing our clients with the highest level of confidentiality, security, and professionalism at each stage of your legal matter. Our privacy policy is part of our commitment to integrity, respect, and the zealous protection of the interest of the individuals and families whose cases we handle. If you have questions about this policy or would like to schedule a confidential consultation with our law firm, contact us at 949-296-4119 or fill out the contact form at our website. We are here to protect what matters most – every step of the way.