Privacy Policy

I. American Bar Association Privacy Policy

 

This Privacy Policy explains how the ABA may collect, use, share, and safeguard information on www.americanbar.org, www.abajournal.com, mobile websites, microsites, mobile applications, ABA profiles on ABA social media sites and any other digital services and platforms officially operated or used by the ABA from time to time (the “Sites” or “Services”).  In certain Sites operated overseas, the Privacy Policy displayed on those Sites, not this Privacy Policy, will govern the collection, use, and sharing of information.

 

II. Changes to the Privacy Policy

As the ABA, its membership, products and services change from time to time, this Privacy Policy is expected to change as well. We reserve the right to amend the Privacy Policy at any time, for any reason. The date of the last revision to the Privacy Policy will be indicated by the "Last updated" date at the bottom of this page.

 

III. Information We Collect

1. Personally Identifiable Information: We may collect information (whether online, by phone, or by paper) that identifies you (“Personally Identifiable Information”) when you: provide such information on our Sites, apply or register for ABA events, or otherwise interact with the ABA, including, but not limited to, applying for membership, registering for an ABA event or program, or purchasing ABA products or services. The types of Personally Identifiable Information collected  may include your name, address, phone number, birth date, billing and delivery information, Email address, information about your practice or business, credit card, or other financial account information.  The ABA may also receive Personally Identifiable Information of individuals who are new bar admittees from various state bar entities.

 

2. Non-Personal Data: As you interact with our Sites, we may also collect information about your browsing history or certain other information that is not Personally Identifiable Information through your use of and visits to the Sites and our use of a variety of technologies, including, but not limited to, cookies, tags, beacons, Internet Protocol (IP) address , and other tools. "Cookies" are pieces of code/text placed on your computer when you browse our Sites. Cookies may be placed by us or third party advertisers. “Tags” and web beacons refer to code scripts that are primarily used to track visitors’ activities on our Sites by web analytics software. The types of non-personal data collected on our Sites through the use of these, and other tools as the ABA may add from time to time, may include: the search terms you used, new or returning user, browser information, computer type, operating system, internet service providers, website usage, referring/exit pages, platform type, date/time stamp, number of clicks, ads viewed, etc. Additionally, cookies, tags and other tools placed by third parties may collect other information about you and your visits to Sites and elsewhere on the Internet including, but not limited to, your industry, company size, job function, seniority level, etc.)(collectively, all of the foregoing data the "Non-Personal Data").

 

IV. How We Use and Share Personally Identifiable Information

 

Once collected, we may use your Personally Identifiable Information in a variety of ways including, but not limited to:

  • Provide service communications such as bill reminders, order confirmations, program registrations, and customer service messages
  • Respond to your emails or online requests for products, services, or information
  • Deliver and process surveys
  • Personalize and improve the usability of the Sites
  • Fulfill and/or deliver ABA products and services
  • Publish membership directories and registration lists as described below
  • Sharing with certain other companies to offer you products and services that may be of interest to you as described below
  • Tailor content, advertising and marketing to you
  • Share with third parties as required by law or to protect the ABA as described below
  • Share your email address as permitted under ABA Email Policy as described below

 

Publication of Your Personally Identifiable Information for Membership Directories and Registration Lists. To allow other lawyers and the public to find you, the Personally Identifiable Information we receive may be published on the Sites and other print or digital media, in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to, directories, membership lists, and other types of registration lists for ABA programs and events (“Directory Lists”). Directory Lists will not include sensitive information, such as credit card or bank information, or social security numbers. Users may request their information be suppressed from Directory Lists by contacting us.

 

Sharing Your Personally Identifiable Information to Fulfill Service Requests and Perform Business Functions. When fulfilling service requests initiated by you, we may share your Personally Identifiable Information with certain third parties to fulfill the requests. We may also share such information with service providers that perform business functions for us. For example, the ABA occasionally hires other companies to provide limited services on our behalf including, but not limited to, packaging, mailing and delivering promotional offers, sweepstakes or contests, answering customer questions about products or services, consulting services, data modeling, printing, sending postal mail and processing event registrations.  In such cases, the ABA may share your Personally Identifiable Information.  

 

Sharing Your Personally Identifiable Information with Certain Other Companies. The ABA may share Personally Identifiable Information, except for Email addresses, with certain other companies in order to provide them an opportunity to offer products or services that may be of interest to you, which helps contribute non-dues revenue to the ABA. 

 

Sharing Your Personally Identifiable Information When Legally Necessary or to Protect the ABA’s Interests. The ABA may disclose your Personally Identifiable Information if required to do so by law or in the good-faith belief that such action is necessary to: (a) conform to legal requirements or comply with legal process served on the ABA; (b) protect and defend the rights or property of ABA; or (c) protect the personal safety of ABA personnel or members of the public in appropriate circumstances. In addition, if the ABA and/or its assets (or a portion of its assets) are sold, assigned, transferred, or merged, or if the ABA undergoes some other change including a change to its corporate form as part of a bankruptcy proceeding or otherwise, information may be transferred as part of that transaction or change. 

 

Sharing Your Email Address Pursuant to ABA Policy. Your e-mail address will only be used by the ABA and its entities. We do not sell or rent e-mail addresses to anyone outside the ABA. The ABA will also not share e-mail addresses to unrelated third-parties, affiliates, or ABA members.  Please understand, however, that your Email address may be visible to other attorneys, others who have interest in the legal profession and ABA events, as well as the general public through Directory Lists as set forth above.  The ABA may also share your Email address with third parties to enable the ABA to take security measures to help protect against unauthorized access to or unauthorized alteration, disclosure, or destruction of data.  Finally, the ABA may share Email addresses with third parties as necessary for the ABA to perform certain services on our behalf, such as packaging, mailing and delivering products and processing event registrations and to respond to your service requests.  

 

V. How to Manage the Sharing of Your Personally Identifiable Information

 

You can manage your profile and e-mail preferences, including opting out of e-mail either online or by contacting us. Additionally, if you prefer to receive mailings only from the ABA and have your name and address removed from the list we provide to certain companies, please contact us. For California residents, please consult the “Your California Privacy Rights” for additional considerations.

 

VI. How We May Use and Share Non-Personal Data

 

Through the use of various technological tools, we may collect Non-Personal Data to improve the usability of our Sites/Services and for other business reasons. We may share the Non-Personal Data we collect with third parties or permit third parties to place tools like cookies, tags and web beacons, to collect additional Non-Personal Data when you browse our Sites. We or other third party companies may then use the Non-Personal Data to provide advertisements and targeted advertisements to you (ads based on the Non-Personal Data). We do not share Personally Identifiable Information with third parties with whom we share your Non-Personal Data. Please note that you may be subject to the privacy policies of other non-ABA companies when you select an advertising link or other link that takes you to sites not operated by the ABA.

 

How You Can Manage the Collection of Non-Personal Data. Third party advertising companies may collect data about your visit to our Sites and others to provide you more relevant advertising here and elsewhere on the Internet. This type of advertising is known as Online Behavioral Advertising. You can stop this collection and use of data for these purposes by companies participating in the Digital Advertising Alliance (“DAA”) by visiting the “Opt Out From Online Behavioral Advertising” website. By opting out, the ads you see may be less relevant, and you may still continue to see other non-targeted advertisements on our Sites and elsewhere. 

 

VII. California Privacy Rights

 

In addition to the rights as explained in this Privacy Policy, under California’s "Shine the Light" law, California residents who provide personal information (as defined in the statute) in obtaining products or services for personal, family, or household use are entitled to request and obtain from us, once a calendar year, information about the personal information we shared, if any, with other businesses for marketing uses. If applicable, this information would include the categories of personal information and the names and addresses of those businesses with which we shared such personal information for the immediately prior calendar year (e.g., requests made in 2012 will receive information about 2011). To obtain this information please write to us at: American Bar Association, 321 N. Clark St. Chicago, IL 60654. Attn: ABA List Sales -- California Privacy Law. Please include your full name and address and ABA Member Number, if applicable.

 

VIII. Canada Anti-Spam Law (CASL)

 

The ABA complies with CASL. Non-ABA Members or Associates who have provided us a Canadian mailing address will not receive unauthorized Commercial Electronic Messages (CEMs as defined under CASL) unless these individuals have opted-in to receive CEMs.

 

IX. Children

 

We do not knowingly collect personal data online from or market online to children under the age of 13.

 

X. Information Security

 

The ABA implements commercially reasonable security measures to help protect against unauthorized access to or unauthorized alteration, disclosure, or destruction of data. Except for Directory Lists and the sharing of information as set forth in this Privacy Policy, we restrict access to personal information to certain companies who may need to know that information in order to operate, develop, or improve our services. These individuals or partner organizations are bound by confidentiality obligations and may be subject to discipline, including termination and criminal prosecution, if they fail to meet these obligations.

 

Unfortunately, no data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. Accordingly, and despite our efforts, the ABA cannot guarantee or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us, or to or from our online products or services. If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us.

 

XI. User ID and Password

Certain areas of the Sites may require the use of a user ID, email address, or password as an additional security measure that helps protect your information.  To help you protect your privacy, the ABA Sites have tools to help you log in and log out.

 

XII. Linking to Other Internet Sites

 

You should be aware that other Internet sites that are linked from the Sites or from an ABA email message may contain privacy provisions that differ from the provisions of this Privacy Policy. To ensure your privacy is protected, we recommend that you review the privacy statements of these other linked sites, applications, or other digital platforms.

 

XIII. How You Can Access and Change Information

 

If you are a registered user of the Sites, subscriber to ABA publications, purchaser of ABA products and services, or an ABA member, you may review and update/correct your information directly on the ABA’s website—americanbar.org—or by contacting us.

 

Last updated October 9, 2015