Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

National Opinion Counsel P.C. d/b/a Opinion Counsel ("Opinion Counsel," "we," "our," or "us") is a New York professional service corporation providing legal opinion letter services for commercial real estate and commercial finance transactions. Our principal address is in New York, New York. You can reach us at erika@opinioncounsel.com.

2. Information We Collect

We collect information you provide directly to us, including:

• Account registration information: name, email address, firm name, phone number.
• Order information: lender name, borrower name, property state, loan amount, transaction type, and closing date.
• Documents you upload in connection with an order (e.g., organizational documents, operating agreements, resolutions).
• Payment information: processed through Stripe; we do not store card numbers.
• Communications you send us.

We also collect certain information automatically, including IP address, browser type, and pages visited, through standard server logs and analytics.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide, operate, and improve our legal opinion letter services.
• Communicate with you about your orders, including status updates and delivery notifications.
• Conduct conflicts checks required by professional responsibility rules.
• Process payments and maintain trust accounting records as required by New York Rules of Professional Conduct.
• Comply with our legal and professional obligations.
• Maintain our attorney-client relationship with you.

4. Attorney-Client Privilege and Confidentiality

Information you share with us in connection with a legal engagement is subject to attorney-client privilege and our professional duty of confidentiality under the New York Rules of Professional Conduct. We will not disclose confidential client information except as required by law, court order, or with your informed consent.

5. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We share information only in the following circumstances:

• Service providers: We use trusted third-party services to operate our platform, including Supabase (database), Stripe (payments), DocuSign (electronic signatures), Google Workspace (document storage), Twilio (SMS notifications), Resend (email), and Anthropic (AI-assisted research assistance). Each is subject to appropriate data processing agreements.
• Legal compliance: We may disclose information if required by law, subpoena, or other legal process.
• With your consent: We may share information for any other purpose with your explicit consent.

6. Data Retention

We retain client matter files for a minimum of seven (7) years following matter closure, consistent with New York bar guidance on file retention. Electronic records are retained on encrypted servers during this period. Portal access closes 60 days after opinion delivery; underlying matter data is retained for the full retention period.

7. Security

We implement technical and organizational measures to protect your information, including encryption in transit (TLS) and at rest, role-based access controls, and multi-factor authentication options. No system is perfectly secure; if you believe your account has been compromised, contact us immediately at erika@opinioncounsel.com.

8. Your Rights

You may:

• Access or correct your account information through your portal settings.
• Request a copy of your matter file by contacting us.
• Request deletion of account data not subject to legal hold or professional retention obligations.

To exercise these rights, contact us at erika@opinioncounsel.com.

9. Artificial Intelligence Disclosure

Our platform uses AI-assisted tools to aid in legal research, document analysis, and draft preparation. All AI-generated work product is reviewed and approved by a licensed attorney before delivery. No AI output is transmitted to clients without attorney review. Our AI workflow is disclosed to our malpractice insurer.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by email or by posting a notice in your portal. Continued use of our services after the effective date of any change constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact

Questions about this Privacy Policy? Contact us at erika@opinioncounsel.com or National Opinion Counsel P.C., New York, NY.