Privacy Policy
Your Privacy Matters.
As an immigration law firm, we handle highly sensitive personal information including identification documents, family records, and immigration history. We treat this information with the care it deserves, in compliance with the American Bar Association Model Rules of Professional Conduct, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act (TDPSA), and other applicable laws.
Information We Collect
Information collected automatically. When you visit vidallawfirm.com, we may collect technical information such as your IP address, browser type, device type, pages visited, and time spent on the site. This information is collected through standard web analytics tools and is used solely to improve our website and services.
Information from third parties. In the course of representing you, we may receive information from government agencies (such as USCIS, ICE, the Department of State, or foreign consulates), employers, family members, or other parties relevant to your case, with your consent or as required by law.
How We Use Your Information
- To provide legal services and represent you in immigration matters
- To communicate with you about your case, our services, and relevant legal updates
- To submit applications, petitions, and other filings on your behalf to government agencies
- To respond to inquiries and consultation requests
- To comply with legal, regulatory, and ethical obligations applicable to law firms
- To improve our website and the quality of our services
- To protect the rights, property, and safety of our clients, our firm, and others
No Unsolicited Marketing
- Existing clients with whom we have an active attorney-client relationship
- Prospective clients who have submitted inquiries through our website, by phone, or through professional referrals
- Government agencies, embassies, and consulates in connection with active immigration matters
- Professional contacts with whom we have an established business relationship
How We Protect Your Information
- Legal: All client information is protected by attorney-client privilege and the duty of confidentiality under ABA Model Rule 1.6.
- Administrative: All staff are bound by confidentiality obligations and trained on data protection practices.
- Technical: Two-factor authentication on all firm accounts, encrypted file storage, secure cloud-based systems, and regular security audits.
- Access controls: Sensitive client files are restricted to attorneys and staff directly working on each matter.
When We Share Information
- With your consent: When you authorize us to share information with specific third parties.
- To provide legal services: With government agencies (USCIS, Department of State, consulates), opposing counsel, courts, or other parties as necessary to advance your case.
- With service providers: Trusted third-party vendors who assist us with case management, secure document storage, accounting, and IT services. These vendors are contractually bound to protect your information.
- When required by law: In response to subpoenas, court orders, or other legal processes, or to comply with regulatory obligations.
- To protect rights and safety: When necessary to prevent fraud, protect our rights, or address security threats.
Your Rights
Depending on where you live, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information:
- California residents (CCPA): The right to know what personal information we collect, the right to request deletion, the right to correct inaccurate information, and the right to opt out of the sale of personal information (which we do not engage in).
- Texas residents (TDPSA): Similar rights to access, correct, delete, and obtain a copy of your personal information, subject to certain exceptions for legal records.
- All clients: The right to access your case file and receive copies of documents related to your representation, in accordance with applicable bar rules.
- Texas residents (TDPSA), additional rights: the right to data portability — to obtain a copy of the personal information you previously provided in a portable and, to the extent technically feasible, readily usable format — and the right to opt out of targeted advertising, the sale of personal data, and profiling. Vidal Law Firm does not engage in targeted advertising, the sale of personal data, or profiling.
Please note that some of our records are subject to legal and ethical retention requirements that may limit our ability to delete certain information.
How to submit a request and how we respond. You may submit a privacy request by emailing contact@vidallawfirm.com, by calling +1 619-215-9443, or by using the request form on our website. We will acknowledge your request, take reasonable steps to verify your identity before acting on it, and respond within 45 days. When reasonably necessary, we may extend our response by an additional 45 days and will notify you if we do.
No discrimination. We will not discriminate or retaliate against you for exercising any of your privacy rights — for example, by denying services, charging different prices, or providing a different level of service.
Right to appeal (Texas residents). If we decline to act on your request, we will explain why. You may appeal our decision within a reasonable period by emailing contact@vidallawfirm.com with the subject line “Privacy Request Appeal.” We will respond to your appeal in writing within 60 days and explain the reasons for our decision. If your appeal is denied, you may contact the Texas Attorney General to submit a complaint at texasattorneygeneral.gov.
Sensitive Information & Your Choices
Because we are an immigration law firm, much of the information we handle is considered “sensitive” under privacy law — including your citizenship or immigration status, government identification numbers (such as a passport number, A-number, ITIN, or Social Security number), and certain financial and family information.
Consent to process sensitive information (Texas residents). Texas law requires your consent before we process sensitive personal data. By engaging our firm and providing this information so that we can represent you, you consent to our processing of your sensitive information for the purpose of providing the legal services you have requested. This consent is also confirmed in our engagement agreement.
Right to limit use of sensitive personal information (California residents). California residents may request that we limit the use and disclosure of sensitive personal information to what is necessary to perform the services you requested. We already use your sensitive information only to provide legal services, to comply with our legal and ethical obligations, and for the limited purposes described in this policy — we do not use it to infer characteristics about you, and we do not sell or share it. To make a request, contact us using the methods above.
Data Retention
We retain client files and related records in accordance with applicable bar association rules and statutory requirements. In most cases, files are retained for a minimum of seven years after the conclusion of representation, after which they may be securely destroyed in compliance with our records retention policy. Some records may be retained longer if required by law or relevant to ongoing legal matters.
We keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this policy. The criteria we use to determine retention periods include the following:
| Category of information | Retention period / criteria |
|---|---|
| Client case files & work product | At least 7 years after the matter closes (longer where law, an ongoing matter, or bar rules require). |
| Identification & sensitive documents | Retained for the life of the matter; securely destroyed with the file unless a longer period is legally required. |
| Prospective-client inquiries (no engagement) | Up to 24 months, then deleted, unless an engagement begins. |
| Website / analytics data | Retained in aggregate; identifiable technical logs kept no longer than needed for security and site operation. |
| Financial & billing records | Retained as required by tax and accounting rules (generally 7 years). |
Cookies and Tracking
Third-Party Links
Children's Privacy
Changes to This Policy
California Privacy Disclosures
This section provides the categories-based disclosures required by the California Consumer Privacy Act. In the past 12 months, we have collected the following categories of personal information.
| Category (CCPA) | Examples | Collected? |
|---|---|---|
| Identifiers | Name, postal/email address, phone, IP address, government IDs | Yes |
| Sensitive personal information | Citizenship/immigration status, passport/A-number/ITIN/SSN, financial account info | Yes |
| Customer records | Family information, employment history, financial details | Yes |
| Internet/network activity | Pages viewed, browser/device, time on site | Yes |
| Professional/employment | Employer, job history, credentials | Yes |
| Geolocation (general) | Approximate location from IP address | Yes |
| Biometric / precise geolocation | — | No |
Sources of information: directly from you; from government agencies (such as USCIS, the Department of State, ICE, and consulates); from employers, family members, or other parties relevant to your case; and automatically from your use of our website.
Business purposes for collection: to provide legal services and represent you; to communicate with you; to make filings on your behalf; to comply with legal, regulatory, and ethical obligations; to secure our systems and prevent fraud; and to operate and improve our website.
Categories of third parties we may disclose to: government agencies and courts; opposing counsel; service providers who assist us with case management, secure document storage, accounting, and IT (each contractually bound to protect your information).
Sale or sharing of personal information: We do not sell or share your personal information, and we have not done so in the preceding 12 months. We do not use or disclose sensitive personal information beyond the purposes permitted by the CCPA.
Contact Us
Vidal Law Firm
25420 Kuykendahl Rd., Ste E-500
Tomball, TX 77375
Phone: +1 619-215-9443
Email: contact@vidallawfirm.com
Questions about your privacy or our data practices?