Intro: Our Privacy Notice to You

Building Technology Berning Law Firm / Pool & Wellness Legal Services Ltd. (“Firm”) understands that privacy is a central concern that affects our relationship with our clients. As trusted advisors and premier legal practitioners for the wellness, pool, and building technology industries, we are committed to safeguarding the privacy of your confidential information to the highest standards of ethics, transparency, and compliance. The purpose of this Privacy Policy is to describe in detail the way our Firm collects, uses, communicates, and stores your private information when acting on your behalf as owner, operator, or other collaborator in the residential and commercial development, construction, or management of wellness technology, pool, or spa products or services. By this Privacy Policy, our Firm intends to provide you with every confidence that your trust in our firm is well-placed, and that your privacy rights are carefully protected at every step of the way.

Who We Are: Inside Building Technology Berning Law Firm

Building Technology Berning Law Firm / Pool & Wellness Legal Services Ltd. is an industry-leading legal services firm located in Los Angeles, United States. The firm offers a full range of legal services specifically targeted to the pool, spa, and wellness industries, providing legal solutions from initial consultation and project-planning stages through to regulatory compliance phases and continued legal support. The building technology law firm’s legal team includes highly-skilled, knowledgeable attorneys (such as Felix Berning, Jörg Berning, and others) and serves clients throughout the United States. The legal building technology law firm has a showroom at 5678 Sunset Blvd Ste 39, Los Angeles, CA 90028, where clients can receive in-person access to wellness legal services and building technology law expertise specific to the pool, spa, and wellness industries.

Privacy Policy Scope

“This Privacy Policy controls all personally identifiable data collected, handled, and stored by Building Technology Berning Law Firm / Pool & Wellness Legal Services Ltd. in connection with legal services provided. This policy applies to information received in connection with the use of our website (https://pool-wellness.com/), at our Los Angeles showroom during eyes-on consultations, in telephone and email communications, and at other contact points. Our policy covers information obtained from private homeowners, commercial entities and businesses, developers, architects, industry colleagues, and website users. When you use our services or visit our website, you agree to the practices and procedures as set forth in this policy.”

Information we Collect: Categories and Sources

In order to effectively provide legal services to you, we may process and store the following types of information about you:

• Identifying Information: Your name, address, telephone number, email address, and other contact details.
• Professional Information: Your professional title, name of your business, business addresses, and other similar details about your professional life.
• Project Information: Information regarding your wellness, pool-related, or other building technology projects, property information, plans, permits, and related landscaping, hardscaping, or regulatory data.
• Financial Details: Banking number, wiring details, credit card information, and records for invoicing and payment processing.
• Communications: Email messages, telephone call records and notes, meeting scheduling or notes, and online contact form submissions.
• Website Data: IP address, browser and device type, website cookies, and other data gathered through our website for analytics and security.
• Litigation and Case Data: Contracts, documents, correspondence, court filings, and other relevant materials regarding a legal matter.

We gather information directly from you, third-party partners (with consent or as authorized by law), and through automated website technology.

How We Use Information

Your information is used for purposes directly relating to our performance of our professional services and the operation of our business. More specifically, we may use your information to:

• Process and respond to legal inquiries, requests for pricing, and requests for consultations;
• Prepare, review, and negotiate agreements and other legal documents on behalf of counsel;
• Verify compliance with applicable U.S. federal, state, and local laws and regulations in connection with your project or matter;
• Communicate with you during the course of your matter, including for updates, reminders, follow-up services, and the like;
• Process payment and manage invoices;
• Facilitate the quality of our services (including staff training, internal quality control services, and related activities);
• Conduct internal audits, risk management, and legal research;
• Improve your experience on our website or help protect the security and integrity of our online services; and
• Periodically communicate with you, and others that help support our business efforts.

We do not use your information to market products or services unrelated to the professional services that you have requested from us or to unsolicitedly advertise solutions.

Legal Basis for Using Personal Data

“Our processing of personal data is on one or more of the following bases:

• Contractual: A contract requires us to use certain information;
• Legal Compliance: We are required to comply with relevant legal, regulatory, and professional requirements relating to the practice of law in the U.S.;
• Legitimate Interests: We use your information in order to run, support, maintain, and improve our business, provided our legitimate interests do not compromise your fundamental rights and freedoms;
• Consent: Where we require your consent in relation to specific processing activities and purposes (e.g., cookies policy, marketing emails), we establish a separate basis for processing.

We evaluate each processing activity to determine whether it is necessary in the context of your expectations, rights, and interests.”

How We Share Information

“Your confidentiality is important to us. We do not sell, rent, or market your personal information to third parties. However, in the course of providing legal services, we may share your information under strict conditions with:

• Authorized staff members and attorneys in Building Technology Berning Law Firm who are substantially involved in your matter;
• Third-party service providers and consultants who perform technical support (e.g., IT support, payment processing, or document management), subject to appropriate confidentiality agreements;
• Regulators, courts, or agencies as required by law, or to protect your legal rights; and
• Other parties (e.g., contractors, engineers, architects) involved in your project matters (or related projects), subject to your prior consent or as required to complete services.

All such third parties will be bound to keep your information confidential and secure, as required under applicable laws and our contractual arrangements.”

Data Security: Protections We Take With Your Information

“We employ enhanced technical, administrative, and physical security measures to secure your information from access, loss, abuse, or disclosure. Security measures we use include:

• Secure, access-controlled storage facilities for both electronic and paper files
• Encryption of confidential data in transit and at rest
• Regular security audits, vulnerability assessments, and staff education on data privacy
• Strict access control protocols for users accessing client records
• Regularly updated firewall and anti-virus software on all devices and networks
• Destruction or secure disposal of old records per legal retention timeframes

We’re constantly reviewing and updating security protocols to meet changing risks and keep your confidence.”

Data Retention: How Long We Keep Your Information

“We keep your personal information only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected in this Privacy Policy, including during the period of time which you are a client and after your matter’s legal work is completed and for legal, accounting, and regulatory purposes. In most cases:

• Client files and legal documents are held for 7 years from the end of your matter file unless the law requires longer
• Payment and financial transaction information is stored as required by tax, financial, or other laws
• Website usage information and analytics data is kept for up to 2 years for security and site enhancements

When retention periods expire, your information is deleted, destroyed, or anonymized in a secure manner.”

Your Privacy Rights and Choices

As a client or visitor, you have certain rights in relation to your personal information, such as:

• The right of access to the personal data that we process about you;
• The right to rectification of inaccurate or incomplete information that we hold about you;
• The right to request erasure/deletion (subject to any legal and contractual requirements);
• The right to restrict and/or object to certain types of processing
• The right to withdraw consent if consent is the applicable legal basis
• The right to receive a copy of your data in a format that can be delivered electronically and in a “commonly used machine-readable format”

If you wish to exercise any of those rights, you can contact us at (310) 251-3233 or [email protected] and we will respond to your request in accordance with relevant law.

Privacy and Cookies on our Website

“When you access https://pool-wellness.com/, we may automatically gather limited information through use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Such tools are used to:

• Understand how you use the Website to make navigation and content recommendations;
• Enhance security and fend off potential threats or fraudulent activities; and
• Remember your preferences to tailor your experience.

You can control cookie settings in your browser and generally can choose to disable non-essential cookies. Our Website does not use cookies for third-party advertisements and/or for tracking you on unrelated websites. For full disclosure about our cookie usage, please review the separate Cookie Policy.”

International Data Transfers

“While we conduct the majority of our business in Los Angeles, United States, some of our technology providers may process information outside the United States. Where your information is sent outside of the United States, appropriate safeguards will be used (including contractual clauses or adherence to recognized privacy frameworks) so that your information is protected regardless of where it is processed.”

Children’s Online Privacy

“Our website offerings are designed for adults and businesses engaged in wellness, pool, and building technology projects. We don’t knowingly obtain personal information from children under the age of 16. If we have been inadvertently provided such information, we will immediately delete it upon learning of same. Parents or guardians who believe their child’s information was provided to us should call us at (310) 251-3233 or email us at [email protected].”

Links to Other Websites and External Services

Our site may link to other third-party resources, affiliate program partners, or other legal information sites. This privacy policy is limited to information collected in Building Technology Berning Law Firm / Pool & Wellness Legal Services Ltd. Our firm cannot be held responsible for the information gathering and privacy policies of third party sites. Please read their privacy policies if you visit a website that is linked to our site.

Confidentiality and Attorney-Client Privilege

Any communications that you or our lawyers are exchanging constitute privileged communications under the attorney-client privilege rules recognized by U.S. law. Information shared with or communicated to us within such privileged context is confidential and privileged in nature and cannot be disclosed by us without your consent, except as may be required under law or professional code of ethics. We take extra precautions to ensure that such privileged communications are retained securely and can only be accessed by authorized personnel.

Disclosure Response – How We Respond to Legal Requests

We may be required to release your personal information in response to legal requests by public authorities (including meeting national security or law enforcement requirements). We will:

• Scrutinize the legality of the request (where appropriate) and disclose only what we are legally required.
• Inform you in advance, unless we are prohibited by law from doing so, so that you know of the disclosure.
• Keep a record of the disclosure for accountability and transparency.

We fight hard to protect client confidentiality and will only share information regarding our clients if absolutely necessary.

Changes to This Privacy Notice

We may choose to revise this policy to address changes based on new legal requirements or changes in new technology. We will provide reasonable notice of material changes by posting those changes through our website and, where appropriate, notifying affected clients directly. The date of the current policy is always posted at the top of the policy page. We recommend that you check back periodically to be informed of the state of our policy protecting your information.

How to Contact Us About This Privacy Notice

If you have any questions or concerns in relation to this Privacy Policy or our data protections practices, please contact us at the details below:

Building Technology Berning Law Firm / Pool & Wellness Legal Services Ltd.
5678 Sunset Blvd Ste 39
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Phone: +1 (310) 251-3233
E-mail address: [email protected]
Website: https://pool-wellness.com/

Our privacy officer will be available during business hours (Monday-Thursday 07.00-17.00 / Friday 07.00-13.30) to answer your queries and accompany you in the realization of your privacy rights.

Your Consent & Acceptance

By using our legal services, or sending information to our firm through our website or in any other way, you are agreeing to and accepting the terms of this Privacy Policy and all the requirements described herein. Your continued use of our services is your continuing acceptance to our collection, retention, and use of your information per these terms. If you do not accept the terms of this Privacy Policy, then do not use and continue to refrain from using our services; you may contact us and we will discuss with you your concerns.

Accessibility and Languages

“We strive to make our Privacy Policy and all client communications accessible to persons with disabilities and available in clear, easily understood language. If you would like this policy in a different format or in another language, please let us know by contacting our office. We believe it is very important for every client, regardless of background or ability, to fully understand his or her privacy rights and our responsibilities.”

California and U.S. State Privacy Rights

We are based in California, which has privacy laws, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) and other similar state privacy laws in the U.S. If you reside in California, you have additional privacy rights, including the rights of:

• The right to know what categories of personal information we collect and/or share and the purposes for using your information
• The right to request disclosure of specific information that we hold about you
• The right to opt-out of the sale of my personal information (Pool-Wellness does not sell personal information)
• Non-discrimination for exercise of privacy rights

Please contact us at (310) 251-3233 or [email protected] to learn more or exercise your state-specific rights.

Procedure for Notifying you of Risks of a Data Breach

In the unlikely event that your personal information is compromised in a data breach, we have procedures in place to:

• Immediately work to contain and evaluate the nature and scope of the breach.
• Notify affected individuals and those responsible within time frames set by applicable laws.
• Inform you of what action you can take to mitigate potential harm.
• Review and revise security measures to help ensure that it does not occur in the future.

Your security and trust are our top priorities and we are committed to being fully transparent in the event of any security incident.

Business Clients, Vendor and Customer Internet Users

We understand that many of our clients are commercial property developers, architects, and industry partners. All commercial information – including plans and specifications, contracts, and proprietary information – is treated with the same protection as personal information. Non-disclosure agreements and additional contractual protections are available upon request to further strengthen your businesses’ protection.

International Clients and Data Privacy Management

While we focus on the United States, we support global clients and partners in the wellness and building technology sectors – and our privacy practices reflect that, giving effect to international data protection requirements, including the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to the extent applicable. We provide details on how your data is processed, and implement cross-border transfers under international law.

This Privacy Policy Date

This Privacy Policy shall take effect on June 1, 2024. It supersedes all previous versions and shall remain in force until such time as it is replaced by a revised policy. Any updated policy will be prominently displayed on our website at https://pool-wellness.com/ and will be communicated to the firm’s clients via email as deemed appropriate.

Your Privacy is Our Responsibility

“At Building Technology Berning Law Firm / Pool & Wellness Legal Services Ltd., your privacy matters to us in a legal, personal, and professional sense. We promise to treat your information with explicit transparency and conscientiousness. If you have specific concerns regarding this Privacy Policy or would like to discuss your personal professional privacy needs, we invite you to contact us via phone, email, or in person at our Los Angeles showroom. We are eager to support the care of your wellness, pool, and building technology services in a manner that is lawfully and professionally sound.”