Privacy Policy

Scope and Firm Identity

MarriageGreenCards.com is operated by The Messersmith Law Firm, P.A. References in this Privacy Policy to “the firm,” “we,” “our,” or “us” refer to The Messersmith Law Firm, P.A.

This Privacy Policy applies to information collected through MarriageGreenCards.com, website forms, website-generated emails, telephone communications initiated through the website, and other communications directly related to use of this website.

This policy does not replace the terms of a signed attorney-client engagement agreement. Client information may also be governed by professional-responsibility obligations, applicable law, court rules, document-retention duties, and the terms of the applicable representation agreement.

Information We Collect

We may collect information that you provide directly, information created through communications with the firm, and technical information generated when you use the website.

How We Use Information

We may use personal information to:

• Respond to inquiries and requests for information;
• Conduct preliminary intake and determine the general nature of a matter;
• Conduct conflict checks and determine whether the firm may consider representation;
• Schedule consultations and communicate regarding requested services;
• Provide legal services after the firm accepts a matter;
• Administer client relationships and professional obligations;
• Operate, maintain, troubleshoot, improve, and secure the website;
• Process and deliver website forms and email notifications;
• Prevent spam, fraud, abuse, unauthorized access, and malicious activity;
• Maintain business, accounting, insurance, compliance, and professional records;
• Respond to lawful requests, subpoenas, court orders, professional obligations, or government requirements;
• Establish, exercise, or defend legal rights and claims;
• Analyze website performance and general usage trends when analytics tools are enabled; and
• Carry out other purposes disclosed at the time information is collected or with your consent.

We do not add a person to a marketing list solely because the person submitted a case-evaluation form. Any non-transactional electronic communication will include an available method to unsubscribe when required.

Legal Bases for Processing

Where applicable law requires a legal basis for processing personal information, we may rely on one or more of the following:

• Consent: when you voluntarily submit a form or authorize a particular use;
• Precontractual steps: when you ask the firm to evaluate or discuss possible legal services;
• Contract: when processing is necessary to perform an engagement agreement or provide requested services;
• Legitimate interests: to operate the firm, respond to inquiries, secure systems, prevent abuse, maintain records, and protect legal rights;
• Legal and professional obligations: to satisfy laws, court rules, ethical duties, accounting requirements, insurance obligations, or government requests; and
• Legal claims: when information is needed to establish, exercise, or defend legal rights.

Cookies and Online Activity

Cookies are small files or similar technologies placed on a browser or device. The website may use cookies, local storage, server logs, pixels, scripts, and related technologies for the following purposes:

Browser “Do Not Track” signals are not governed by a uniform industry standard. The website does not currently alter its ordinary practices solely in response to a browser Do Not Track signal.

Third-party providers may collect information through their own technologies and process it under their own privacy policies. We do not control third-party privacy practices.

How Information May Be Disclosed

We may disclose information when reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this policy.

We do not sell or rent information submitted through the case-evaluation form for monetary consideration. We do not use case-evaluation information for cross-context behavioral advertising.

Service providers are permitted to process information only as necessary to provide services, satisfy legal duties, protect their systems, or as otherwise allowed by their agreements and applicable law.

Attorney-Client Relationship and Confidentiality

Visiting the website, submitting a form, sending an email, leaving a telephone message, or participating in preliminary intake does not by itself create an attorney-client relationship.

Representation begins only after the firm accepts the matter and the required written engagement agreement and payment arrangements have been completed.

Before accepting representation, the firm may need to conduct a conflict check. Information submitted before acceptance may not receive the same protections that apply to communications within an established attorney-client relationship.

Once an attorney-client relationship exists, information relating to the representation may also be protected by attorney-client privilege, attorney work-product principles, professional-responsibility rules, confidentiality duties, and the engagement agreement. Those protections are subject to applicable exceptions and do not depend solely on this website Privacy Policy.

Data Retention

We retain personal information only for periods reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this policy, subject to legal, ethical, contractual, insurance, security, accounting, and professional-record obligations.

Retention periods may depend on:

• Whether the inquiry results in a consultation or representation;
• The need to document communications and conflict-check information;
• The duration and nature of legal services;
• Professional file-retention obligations;
• Applicable statutes of limitation;
• Tax, accounting, insurance, and business requirements;
• The need to prevent fraud, spam, or repeated abuse;
• Pending disputes, claims, investigations, or litigation; and
• Technical backup and disaster-recovery cycles.

Information contained in backups may remain until the applicable backup is overwritten or securely retired. Deletion requests may be limited where retention is required or permitted by law or professional obligations.

Information Security

We use administrative, technical, and organizational measures intended to protect information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, loss, misuse, or destruction.

These measures may include access controls, secure hosting, software updates, spam protection, email authentication, backups, authentication controls, encryption where available, monitoring, and limitations on personnel access.

No website, email system, internet transmission, cloud service, or storage method can be guaranteed to be completely secure. You submit information through the internet at your own risk.

Contact the firm promptly if you believe information submitted through the website has been accessed or used without authorization.

Privacy Rights and Requests

Depending on your location and the law that applies, you may have some or all of the following rights:

We may request information needed to verify your identity, authority, jurisdiction, and relationship to the information. We may deny or limit requests when allowed or required by law, including when information is protected by privilege, professional obligations, legal claims, or another person’s rights.

An authorized agent may submit a request where permitted, but we may require proof of authorization and direct verification from the individual.

We will not unlawfully discriminate against a person for exercising an applicable privacy right.

California Privacy Disclosures

California law may provide eligible residents with rights concerning personal information. Whether a particular California statute applies to the firm depends on the statute’s definitions, thresholds, exemptions, and the circumstances of the processing.

During the preceding 12 months, the categories of personal information we may have collected include:

• Identifiers: names, email addresses, telephone numbers, postal addresses, IP addresses, and similar identifiers;
• Customer-record information: contact, family, immigration, financial, or professional information voluntarily supplied;
• Protected classification information: citizenship, national origin, marital status, age, disability, or related information when relevant to an inquiry or representation;
• Commercial and professional information: requested services, consultation history, billing, payment, employment, and professional records;
• Internet activity: browser, device, referral, page-view, cookie, log, and website-interaction information;
• Approximate geolocation: general location inferred from IP address or device settings;
• Audio and communications information: telephone messages, emails, correspondence, and other communications;
• Sensitive personal information: immigration, citizenship, financial, health, criminal, account, or identification information when voluntarily provided or needed for legal services; and
• Inferences: conclusions reasonably drawn from submitted information for intake, conflicts, legal services, fraud prevention, or website operation.

We collect these categories from individuals, spouses and family members, referring professionals, public or government records, service providers, website technology, and other sources involved in an inquiry or representation.

We use and disclose these categories for the business and professional purposes described in this policy.

We do not sell or rent case-evaluation information for monetary consideration. We do not knowingly sell personal information belonging to individuals under 16 years of age.

California residents may submit an applicable request through the contact methods below. We may need to verify identity and may retain information where required for legal services, conflicts, security, professional obligations, or legal claims.

International Visitors

The firm and website are based in the United States. If you access the website from outside the United States, your information may be transferred to, stored in, and processed in the United States or another country where service providers operate.

Privacy laws in those locations may differ from the laws of your country. When required, we rely on consent, contractual necessity, legitimate interests, legal obligations, legal claims, or other authorized transfer mechanisms.

Residents of the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, Switzerland, or other jurisdictions may have rights to access, correct, erase, restrict, object, obtain portability, withdraw consent, or complain to a supervisory authority, subject to applicable exceptions.

The firm does not use solely automated decision-making through this website to make a decision producing legal or similarly significant effects concerning a prospective client.

Children’s Privacy

This website is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information online directly from a child under 13 without appropriate authorization.

Information about children may be provided by a parent, guardian, client, or prospective client when relevant to an immigration inquiry or legal representation.

Contact the firm if you believe a child under 13 submitted personal information directly through the website without appropriate authorization.

Third-Party Websites and Services

The website may link to USCIS, the Department of State, Google Maps, government resources, social platforms, payment services, scheduling services, or other third-party websites.

A link does not mean that the firm controls, endorses, or is responsible for the third party’s privacy, security, accessibility, content, or data practices.

Review the privacy policy and terms of each third-party service before providing personal information.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in website technology, service providers, legal requirements, professional practices, or the ways information is collected and used.

The revised policy will be posted on this page with a new effective or last-updated date. Material changes may also be communicated through another reasonable method where required.

Continued use of the website after an updated policy becomes effective is subject to the revised policy, except where additional consent is legally required.