At Murtha Cullina, protecting the privacy of personal information of our clients and employees is of the utmost concern to us. We collect Social Security numbers from our clients when it is necessary to perform legal services on their behalf. Additionally, we are required to keep records of the Social Security numbers of employees. We have adopted the following policies and procedures to protect the confidentiality of the Social Security numbers in our possession, to limit access to the Social Security numbers, and to prohibit the unlawful disclosure of the Social Security numbers:
- We do not disclose personal information or Social Security numbers about current or former clients obtained in the course of representation of those clients, except as expressly or impliedly authorized by those clients to enable us to effectuate the purpose of our representation and consistent with the provisions of the codes of professional responsibility and rules of ethics governing our conduct as lawyers. We safeguard the Social Security numbers of clients in the same manner that we safeguard all our client files and information maintained at Murtha Cullina.
- Access to Social Security numbers of employees is strictly limited to employees with a business need to access such information, including employees in the Human Resources and Payroll Departments. The limited employees with access to employee’s Social Security numbers may not disseminate Social Security numbers to any other Murtha Cullina employee or to any third party, except to fulfill a necessary business function of Murtha Cullina such as performing payroll or employee benefit functions, or to comply with a court order, service of process, or other applicable law.
