Links to California State Bar for guidance on Attorney Websites:

Link to the State Bar of California Standing Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct, Formal Opinion Number 2001-155 addressing the following issue: What aspects of professional responsibility and conduct must an attorney consider when providing an Internet web site containing information for the public about her availability for professional employment?  Click here.

Link to the State Bar of California Standing Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct, Formal Opinion Number 2005-168 addressing the following issue: Does a lawyer who provides an electronic means on his website for visitors to submit legal questions owe a duty of confidentiality to visitors who accept that offer but whom the lawyer elects not to accept as clients, if the attorney disclaims the formation of an attorney-client relationship and a “confidential relationship”?  Click here.

Link to “Your Company’s Website: Friend or Foe?” by Scott Hervey from the State Bar of California website.  Click here.

Sample Disclaimer:

__________________________makes available the information and materials on this World Wide Web site (the "Materials") for informational purposes only. While we hope and believe the Materials will be helpful as a background matter, we cannot warrant that the Materials are accurate or complete. Moreover, the Materials are general in nature, and may not apply to particular factual or legal circumstances. The Materials may not reflect recent developments in law, may not be complete, and may not be accurate in or applicable in your jurisdiction. The Materials do not constitute legal advice and should not be relied on as such. If you desire legal advice, please consult a lawyer qualified in the applicable subject matter and jurisdiction.

Our attorneys are licensed to practice in the jurisdictions described in their individual biographies. Unless noted otherwise, our attorneys maintain offices and are licensed to practice solely within the State of California, and are available to appear only in courts located within the State of California.

This website may contain descriptions of matters in which the firm has successfully represented its clients. The facts and circumstances of every case are unique, and no representation is being made of a similar result or outcome, or to offer any guarantee or assurance of outcome.

We accept clients only in accordance with certain procedures and render legal advice only after completion of those procedures when it is legally permissible for us to do so. Your access to this website, receipt of the Materials, or transmission to electronic mail addresses on this website does not create an attorney-client relationship between you and our firm.

Please be advised that any information you submit to us via this website, or by transmission to electronic mail addresses on this website, will not be confidential.

Sample Privacy Policy:

This Privacy Policy describes the information that we collect through our website www._______________.com and how we use that information. If you have any questions or comments about this Privacy Policy or your personal information, please contact us at ___________________.

In general, you do not have to provide personal information to use this website. However, certain services which you may subscribe for through this website (for instance, firm mailings) may require you to provide personal information, such as your name, address, email address and other contact information. We use such personal information to respond to your inquiries and to send you newsletters or publications that you request. You may also receive other mailings relating to firm seminars or events that we think may be of interest to you.

In addition, incidental to your use of this website, our web server automatically logs certain information such as the name of your internet service provider, the IP address of the computer you are using, the type of browser software and operating system that you use, the date and time you access our website, the website address, if any, from which you linked directly to our website, the website address, if any, to which you travel from our website, and other similar traffic-related information. We may also aggregate information relating to your and other visitors' traffic patterns. We use the foregoing information to help us improve the website and the services that we provide through the website. We do not use such data in any way to create or maintain a personal profile of you or collect personal information from you.

Generally, we will not disclose information we collect through your use of the website to third parties. We reserve the right, however, to provide such information to our employees, contractors, agents, and designees to the extent necessary to enable them to perform certain website-related services (e.g., web hosting or maintenance services) on our behalf. We also reserve the right to disclose such information to any third party if we believe that we are required to do so for any or all of the following reasons: (i) by law; (ii) to comply with legal processes or governmental requests; (iii) to prevent, investigate, detect or prosecute criminal offences or attacks on the technical integrity of the web site or our network; and/or (iv) to protect the rights, property, or safety of our firm, the users of the website, or the public.

We do not use cookies on our web site to collect information on or from our users.

The internet and the benefits it offers are evolving rapidly, as are the ways in which people use the internet and the laws surrounding such use. Our firm therefore reserves the right to update and revise this Privacy Policy at any time. You can determine if this Privacy Policy has been revised by sending an e-mail to _____________. Your use of our website constitutes your acceptance of the terms of the Privacy Policy as amended or revised by us, and you should therefore review this Privacy Policy regularly to ensure that you are aware of its terms.

This website contains links to other sites. Please be aware that we are not and cannot be responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites and that this Privacy Policy applies solely to the information which we collect through this website. We encourage you to ensure that you read the privacy statements of all the destination sites which you visit.