Privacy Policy | Sterling & Hayes Legal

Effective date: January 1, 2026
Last updated: January 1, 2026

Sterling & Hayes Legal PLLC ("Sterling & Hayes," "the firm," "we," "us," or "our") respects the privacy of visitors to our website at sterlinghayeslegal.com (the "Site"). This Privacy Policy describes the categories of information we collect, how we use it, how we share it, and the choices you have. Please read it carefully. By using the Site, you agree to the practices described below.

This policy applies only to information collected through the Site. Information you share with us in the course of an attorney-client engagement is governed by separate professional confidentiality obligations under the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct and applicable evidentiary privileges, not by this Privacy Policy.

1. Information we collect

We collect two general categories of information:

Information you provide

Contact form submissions. When you submit our contact form, we collect your name, email address, optional phone number, company or business name, business type, stage, and the message you write describing how we can help.
Newsletter sign-ups. If you subscribe to our insights newsletter, we collect your email address and your stated consent.
Other voluntary communications. If you email or call us, we collect the contents of those communications and any contact information you choose to provide.

Information collected automatically

Log data. Our hosting provider automatically logs IP address, browser type and version, operating system, referring URL, pages viewed, and timestamps for security, performance monitoring, and abuse prevention.
Cookies and similar technologies. See the Cookies & Analytics section below.

2. How we use information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

To respond to your inquiry and evaluate whether the firm can assist with your matter.
To conduct a conflicts check before agreeing to represent you.
To send our newsletter to subscribers who have opted in.
To operate, secure, and improve the Site.
To measure the effectiveness of our marketing, including search engine and paid advertising campaigns.
To comply with applicable laws, regulations, court orders, and ethical obligations.

We do not sell personal information. We do not use personal information collected through the Site to train artificial intelligence models.

3. Cookies & analytics

The Site uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to operate properly and to help us understand how visitors use our pages. Cookies are small text files placed on your device by your browser.

We use the following categories of cookies:

Strictly necessary cookies that enable core Site functionality such as navigation and form submission. These cannot be disabled.
Analytics cookies that help us understand how visitors interact with the Site so we can improve it (see Google Analytics, below).
Advertising cookies that allow us to measure the effectiveness of paid campaigns and, where applicable, deliver more relevant content (see Google Ads, below).

Most browsers let you refuse or delete cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect Site functionality. We honor Global Privacy Control signals received through your browser as a request to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information, where applicable under state law.

4. Third-party services

We use a limited number of third-party service providers to operate the Site:

Google Analytics (GA4). Provided by Google LLC. Helps us understand aggregate visitor behavior. We have configured the service with IP-address anonymization. Google's privacy practices are described at policies.google.com/privacy. You may opt out of Google Analytics using Google's opt-out browser add-on.
Google Ads conversion tracking. Provided by Google LLC. Allows us to measure whether visitors who arrived from a Google Ads campaign completed a goal action such as submitting our contact form. You may manage Google ad personalization at adssettings.google.com.
Web hosting and CDN. The Site is delivered through a commercial hosting provider that processes log data on our behalf for security and performance purposes.
Email infrastructure. Inquiries and newsletter sign-ups are processed using commercial email service providers that act as our service providers under written agreements.

We do not embed social-media pixels or session-recording tools on the Site.

5. How we share information

We share information only as described below:

With service providers that perform services on our behalf, under written agreements that restrict their use of the information.
For legal reasons, including to comply with a subpoena, court order, or other valid legal process; to enforce our terms; or to protect the rights, property, or safety of the firm, our clients, or others.
In connection with a business transaction such as the dissolution, merger, or sale of all or part of the firm's assets, subject to applicable professional and ethical obligations.

We do not sell personal information, and we do not share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.

6. Your privacy rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights under state privacy law to:

Confirm whether we process personal information about you and access that information.
Request correction of inaccurate personal information.
Request deletion of personal information, subject to legal exceptions including the firm's record-retention obligations.
Opt out of certain processing activities, including sale, sharing for cross-context behavioral advertising, or use for profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects (none of which we currently engage in through the Site).
Appeal a denial of any of these rights.

These rights are available to Texas residents under the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act, to California residents under the California Consumer Privacy Act as amended, and to residents of other states with similar comprehensive privacy laws. To exercise a privacy right, write to us at the contact information below. We will verify your identity using reasonable means before responding. You will not be discriminated against for exercising a privacy right.

7. Data retention

We retain information collected through the Site only as long as needed to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, to comply with our legal, regulatory, and professional obligations, to resolve disputes, and to enforce our agreements. Contact-form submissions are retained for the period needed to evaluate and respond to the inquiry and, where an engagement results, for the period required by the Texas Rules of Disciplinary Procedure and applicable record-retention rules. Newsletter subscribers may unsubscribe at any time using the link in any newsletter email; we retain unsubscribe records to honor your preference.

8. Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect information we collect from loss, misuse, and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction. No method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is completely secure, however, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. Please do not transmit sensitive or confidential information through the Site unless and until you have an executed engagement letter with the firm and a secure channel has been established.

9. Children's privacy

The Site is directed to business users and is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided personal information through the Site, please contact us and we will delete it.

10. International visitors

The Site is operated from the United States and is intended for users located in the United States. If you access the Site from outside the United States, you do so on your own initiative and are responsible for compliance with local law. By using the Site, you understand that your information will be processed in the United States, which may not provide the same level of data protection as your jurisdiction of residence.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for legal, operational, or regulatory reasons. When we make material changes, we will update the "Effective date" above and, where appropriate, provide additional notice through the Site or by email to subscribers. Your continued use of the Site after the effective date of an updated policy constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.

12. Contact

To exercise a privacy right, ask a question about this policy, or submit a complaint, please write to:

Sterling & Hayes Legal PLLC
Attn: Privacy
401 Congress Avenue, Suite 1540
Austin, Texas 78701
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +1 (512) 555-0188

Texas residents may also contact the Office of the Texas Attorney General regarding privacy complaints.