ABOUT LAW FIRM
WEBSITE
DISCLAIMERS
We suspect few people actually
read law firm website disclaimers, which are found
on most, if not all, such websites. You,
then, are one of the curious few. We'd like to
take a moment to explain why these disclaimers are
so ubiquitous.
WE STRONGLY URGE YOU TO
READ ALL OF THIS PAGE.
Some people may joke about legal ethics
being an
oxymoron. But in fact lawyers, our
insurers, and state attorney regulators take ethical rules very seriously. We
can be disbarred for violations.
Open communications with the
general public, particularly if they provide free
and
useful information and/or invite dialogue
on legal issues, can cause legal malpractice insurers and attorney licensing
authorities to worry. They let their imaginations run
wildly through all the conceivable "what-ifs."
- What if someone chooses an
incompetent lawyer because they are impressed by a slick
advertisement or website?
- What if someone reads
information on a lawyer’s site, takes action based
on it, and then learns the
information was incomplete or
outdated?
- What if such a reader is
located in a place where the lawyer is not
licensed to practice law?
- What if someone emails a
lawyer from a website, discloses
confidential information, and then winds
up suing the lawyer’s long-time client,
causing a conflict of interest?
For these and similar reasons, law firm
websites normally contain disclaimers such as those
below to protect against a variety of problems that keep our insurers up at
night.
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DISCLAIMER
THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS CAUTION YOU REGARDING IMPORTANT
CONSIDERATIONS,
AS
RECOMMENDED BY STATE ATTORNEY REGULATORS, ETHICAL EXPERTS,
AND/OR
OUR INSURANCE CARRIER:
- The choice of a lawyer is an
important decision and should not be based
solely upon advertisements, including a
website.
This statement must be included because attorney
licensing authorities continue to be concerned
that attorney advertising and marketing may
unduly influence individuals under the stress of a situation
requiring a lawyer. No matter how urgent
the need, this important decision should be
considered very carefully.
- All information provided by
this site, including summaries and articles on
legal topics, is general in nature and provided
for informational purposes only. This
information is not intended as legal advice, and
should not be taken as such.
Legal advice involves an attorney's
application of legal knowledge and judgment to specific facts and circumstances
presented by a client. Before providing specific
advice, a lawyer may need to conduct legal
research and/or obtain additional facts.
Nonlawyers should therefore not draw conclusions
about what may be legally required, permissible, or advisable based solely upon consultation of
general sources of legal information, including
this and other law firm websites, without first
seeking appropriate legal
advice.
- This site links to
other resources on the Internet that we have
identified as potentially helpful
and of interest. However, the linked websites
are not under our control, we are not
responsible for the accuracy of their content,
and we make no representation concerning such
content's
quality, currency, accuracy, safety, or suitability
for a particular use.
This statement must be included to remind you
that the Internet consists of billions of interlinked pages,
most of which have not been subjected to any
peer review or formal fact-checking process.
This is another reason not to take action based
on Internet research without seeking appropriate
legal advice.
- The information on this website may not reflect the most current legal
developments, and is not
guaranteed to be correct, complete or
up-to-date.
We have made every reasonable effort to
create an accurate and useful website. However,
labor and employment law is often
complex and rapidly changing, so what is true
today may no longer be true days, weeks, or
months from now.
This is another reason not to take action based
on internet research without seeking appropriate
legal advice.
- The information on this website should not be taken as a promise or
indication of future results.
This statement must be included to remind you
of the fundamental risks
inherent in the American justice system, as a
result of
which no lawyer, no matter how skilled, can predict the
outcome of any matter with certainty.
- Use of this website and/or
transmission of information to and from the
attorneys of this firm from this website and/or
by email is not intended to create, and does
not create, an attorney-client relationship.
No attorney-client relationship is created with
the firm or its attorneys absent an express
agreement to create such a relationship.
This means that generally information you
provide us is
not subject to the attorney-client privilege and
the attendant duty of confidentiality until we
have clearly and mutually decided to initiate an
attorney-client relationship. Until such time,
you should therefore refrain from communicating highly
sensitive or confidential matters.
- At this time our routine
email communications are not encrypted, a fact
you should take into account in communicating
highly sensitive or confidential matters.
In our judgment, email is generally a very
secure means of communication. However, for
maximum security, contact us to arrange for
encryption or use other means of communication.
- Missouri does not license
attorneys based on their legal practice area
specializations. Neither the Missouri Supreme
Court nor The Missouri Bar reviews or approves
certifying organizations or specialist
designations.
We can truthfully say we have each devoted
the great majority of our legal careers to
practicing labor and employment law representing
employers, and have each developed substantial
expertise in this area of the law. But the
ethical rules do not permit use of the word "specialist."
- We cannot represent clients
in states or jurisdictions in which we are not
licensed. The states in which each attorney is
licensed are indicated on their individual pages
within this site.
If this website does not comply with all laws
and ethical rules of the state or jurisdiction
in which it is viewed, including rules governing
communication of legal services, we will not
engage in any representation resulting from such viewing.
The information on this site is not intended to constitute legal advice
or to substitute for obtaining legal advice from
an attorney licensed in your state.
This statement reflects the unfortunate
dissonance between state-by-state regulation of
the practice of law and the reality of
interstate and international communications and
transactions.
Efforts are underway to address this issue of
"multi-jurisdictional practice," but they have
not yet come to fruition.
- To the extent the attorney
professional conduct rules in your jurisdiction
require us to designate a principal office
and/or a single attorney responsible for this
website, we designate Chesterfield, Missouri,
USA as our principal office, and
George L. Lenard as the attorney responsible for this website.
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PRIVACY
POLICY
Harris Dowell
Fisher & Harris, L.C. is committed to protecting
your privacy. Please read this Privacy Policy
to understand how we will treat your personal
information in connection with your use of this website.
When you use
this website, you consent to the use of your
personal information by Harris Dowell Fisher &
Harris, L.C. under the terms and to the extent specified here.
This policy may
change, so please check back from time to time by
clicking on the "Legal Disclaimer & Privacy Policy"
link at the bottom of each page.
Your continued use of
our website after any revisions constitutes
your agreement to any such revisions. This Privacy Policy
was last updated in May 2005.
Information We Collect
Harris Dowell Fisher & Harris, L.C.
collects "personally
identifiable information" and "automatic
information" through this website.
We do
not collect
any personally identifiable information from you
(e.g., name, address, telephone number, email
address) unless you voluntarily choose to disclose such information to us, including
by mail, telephone, fax, or electronically.
If you wish to change any information you
voluntarily submitted to
Harris Dowell Fisher & Harris, L.C., or if you wish
to opt out of our mailing list, please
contact us by phone,
fax, or email.
We collect some automatic information through our
web server (which may be hosted by a third-party),
such as the identity of your internet service
provider, the type of browser you use, and your
computer's IP address.
We
do not direct this website
to children under thirteen (13) years of age.
Individuals under eighteen (18) should consult with
their parent or guardian about the use of this website.
Use Of The Information We Collect
We
will use your personally identifiable information
for the purpose(s) for which you provided it: to respond to your
request for information; to provide you with a
newsletter or legal alert; or to
consider your request for consideration of
employment with Harris Dowell Fisher & Harris, L.C.
In addition to using personally identifiable
information for the purposes for which
you provided it, we may also use
it to send you publications,
invitations,
and other marketing materials related to our legal
services that may be of
interest to you.
We
will not sell, trade, rent, or give away your personally
identifiable information to third parties.
We may disclose
personally identifiable information or use
IP addresses to identify a user
when we have
reason to believe this
is necessary to protect our rights or property, or
that of others, or as may be required by law.
This policy applies only to Harris Dowell Fisher & Harris, L.C.'s use
and disclosure of information we collect from you.
To the extent you disclose personal information
to other sites, you subject yourself to the privacy
customs and policies of such sites. We
therefore encourage you to
familiarize yourself
with the privacy policies of any third-party
websites you visit
before you disclose
any personal information.
Protection Of Your Information
We
maintain firewalls, passwords, and other security
measures designed to provide reasonable security to
all information we receive and maintain.
Unfortunately, no data transmission over the
Internet can be guaranteed to be 100 percent secure.
As a result, while we strive to protect your
personal information, we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any
information you transmit to us or any information
provided online, and you do so at your own risk.
Harris Dowell Fisher & Harris, L.C. will not be
liable for disclosures of your personal information
due to errors in transmission or unauthorized acts
of third parties.
Questions About
The Privacy Policy
If
you have any questions about this Privacy Policy,
the practices of this website, or would like to
provide comments, please contact us by
phone, fax, or email.
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