This privacy policy covers all pages of the Virginia State Bar (VSB) website,
including, without limitation, the following:
This privacy policy also covers the VSB’s use of emails provided by
Virginia lawyers to the VSB and social media accounts maintained by the VSB.
The following information shall not be interpreted as a contract of any
nature, either stated or implied. The VSB reserves the right to amend the
Digital Privacy Policy statement at any time without notice.
External Links
The VSB website provides links to external websites that are not
controlled, maintained, sponsored, or regulated by the VSB or any
organization affiliated with the VSB. These links are included solely for
their value as educational, reference, or research tools. The inclusion of a
hyperlink to an external website is not intended as an endorsement of any
product or service offered or referenced on the linked website, the
organizations sponsoring said website, or any views that might be expressed or
referenced in the website. The VSB is not responsible for the content of
those websites. When you move via such links to another website, the
policy described on this page will not apply.
Hyperlinks to external websites and pages may be removed or replaced at any
time without notice.
If a hyperlink on the website is not working, please contact the webmaster by
emailing [email protected].
No Attorney-Client Relationship
The VSB does not create an attorney-client relationship by maintaining this
website or by allowing you access to it. Also, the VSB website may allow you
to subscribe to electronic publications such as newsletters. Subscription to
these publications does not create an attorney-client relationship. While the
VSB strives to keep material on this site current and accurate, it is possible
that information on this site or in electronic publications may be inaccurate,
incomplete, outdated, or inapplicable to your legal needs.
Please do not send any requests for legal advice via the interactivity that
may be offered by the VSB website, such as the email addresses of section
members. You should assume that such communications will not be
attorney-client privileged.
Information Collected
When you visit the VSB website, your Internet Protocol (IP) address, the type
of browser you use, the date and time of your visit, the pages or services you
visited, and the name of the website that referred you to the VSB website are
collected.
The VSB uses cookies, small data files that the VSB website places on your
computer to keep track of your preferences, to collect and store information
when you visit the site. The VSB uses this information to evaluate and improve
the site’s content and usefulness.
Most browsers automatically accept cookies by default, but you may refuse
cookies or selectively accept certain cookies by adjusting the preferences in
your browser. If you turn off cookies, there may be some features of the
VSB’s website that will not be available to you, and some pages may not
display properly.
When you electronically submit information via the VSB website, the VSB may
request that you provide certain information in order to deliver the
service(s) requested by you and possibly to communicate with you regarding VSB
matters. If you request to unsubscribe to such service(s), the VSB will
attempt to process your unsubscribe request as soon as possible.
The VSB website may permit you to send email to listed individuals, including
lawyers who hold various VSB positions. As noted above, such communications
may not be attorney-client privileged. Also, because such communications are
not part of an attorney-client relationship, individuals have no legal duty to
respond.
The VSB website may allow you to request information be contained in a VSB
printed or digital publication. If you so request, the information you provide
may be used for that purpose and may be included in other publications and
informational materials of the VSB.
Third-Party Service Providers
The VSB uses third-party service providers to help it communicate with
Virginia lawyers, measure the performance of the VSB website, provide
web-based services, and analyze and monitor the effectiveness of email
communications.
The VSB uses third-party service providers in order to efficiently send email
communications to Virginia lawyers. These third-party providers allow the VSB
to track individual statistics about a lawyer’s engagement with the
email, such as whether a lawyer has opened or clicked the email. Aside from
lawyer contact information, the VSB does not share any personal information
about lawyers with third-party service providers. In compliance with
the CAN-SPAM Act, Virginia lawyers can unsubscribe from mass emails sent from the VSB via the
third-party provider. Third-party service providers that the VSB has
contracted with are prohibited from sharing, selling, or renting lawyer
information and email addresses. However, the VSB has no control over how
other information may be collected or used by the owner or operator of any
third-party provider, and the VSB encourages lawyers to read any privacy
policy posted on a third-party site.
The VSB also maintains social media accounts that all members of the public
may voluntarily view and follow. People that choose to follow and engage with
the VSB on these external sites do so publicly. Many third-party social media
providers allow the VSB to track engagement with its content, including who
has viewed, clicked, and commented. The VSB encourages users of social media
websites and apps to read any privacy policy posted on a third-party site.
Applicable Law
The VSB protects its records in accordance with obligations as defined by
applicable state and federal statutes. Under the Virginia Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA), any records in the VSB’s possession at the time
of a FOIA request might be subject to inspection by or disclosure to members
of the public. However, identifiable personal information will be removed when
permitted by FOIA.
Restrictions on Disclosure of User Information
The VSB does not sell or rent information collected about website users
(see: “Information Collected”) to any outside organization.
The VSB does not reveal specific information
about website users to organizations outside the VSB, its
sections, and local bar organizations for their independent use, unless
required to do so by FOIA or other law.
Correction of Collected Information
If you submit any personally identifying information via the VSB website, you
may gain access to this information by calling the VSB during its business
hours. At such time, you also may request that such information be updated or
otherwise corrected
Distribution Privacy
If and when the VSB sends mass emails to any distribution list, it will do so
in a manner such that no recipient sees the identities of other recipients.
Security
The VSB does not request or anticipate that you will disclose any private
information via the VSB website, such as health information, financial
information, medical information, or Social Security numbers.
The VSB has implemented measures designed to secure your personal information
from accidental loss and from unauthorized access, use, alteration, and
disclosure. The safety and security of your information also depends on you.
You are responsible for safeguarding the username and password associated
with your portal account and notifying the VSB immediately if you suspect your account has been
compromised.
The transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure.
Although the VSB does its best to protect your personal information, the VSB
cannot guarantee the security of your personal information transmitted to or
through its website. Any transmission of personal information is at your own
risk. The VSB is not responsible for circumvention of any privacy settings or
security measures contained in the VSB websites.
Protection of Information Via Established Security Procedures
The VSB maintains security standards and procedures to prevent unauthorized
removal or alteration of data to ensure that this service remains available to
all users, and to prevent unauthorized attempts to upload or change
information or otherwise cause damage.
No Liability for Acts of Third Parties
The VSB will use reasonable efforts to safeguard the confidentiality of data
provided via the VSB website. Nonetheless, transmissions made by means of the
internet cannot be made absolutely secure by the VSB, since the VSB does not
control the internet. The VSB disclaims any liability for disclosure of data
due to errors in transmission by third parties or unauthorized acts of third
parties.
Copyright
The copyright to the VSB website is owned by the VSB, and pages are marked
with a notice at the bottom. Permission is granted to website visitors to make
fair use of the contents, as per U.S. Copyright Office Fair Use principles. If you are in doubt about whether your use constitutes fair use, please
send a request for explicit permission to copy the contents to the webmaster
at [email protected].
Questions
If you have questions about the VSB Digital Privacy Policy or website, please
contact the VSB at [email protected].
Disclaimer
The VSB does not warrant the accuracy, reliability or timeliness of any
information published by this system, nor endorse any content, viewpoints,
products, services, or advertisements linked from this system, and shall not
be held liable for any losses caused by reliance on the accuracy, reliability,
or timeliness of such information. Portions of such information may be
incorrect or outdated. Any person or entity who or which relies on any
information obtained from this system does so at his/her/its own risk. The
information and statements contained on this site shall not be used for the
purposes of advertising, nor to imply the endorsement or recommendation of the
VSB.
Terms and Conditions of Use for Virginia Lawyer Referral Services
portal
The Virginia Lawyer Referral Service is a service of the VSB. The VLRS pages are designed to provide
general information to the public and are not intended to, and do not, offer
legal advice. The VSB makes no warranties or representations concerning
an attorney’s ability to handle a client’s particular legal
matter. The decision to employ an attorney is solely that of the client,
subject to the attorney’s willingness to accept employment. There is no
attorney-client relationship formed by any use of the information provided on
the website, the VLRS application, or by VSB staff. If your legal problem is
an emergency, you should consult an attorney immediately.