PRIVACY POLICY

Last updated: September 13, 2026

This Privacy Notice for The Merna Law Group, P.C., doing business as Merna Law (“we,” “us,” or “our”), describes how and why we access, collect, store, use, and share (“process”) your personal information when you:

• Visit our website at https://mernalaw.com
• Contact us about bankruptcy or other legal services, or request or attend a consultation
• Engage with us in other related ways, including marketing or events

Questions or concerns? Reading this Privacy Notice will help you understand your privacy rights and choices. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, please do not use our Services. If you have questions, contact us at jmerna@mernalaw.com.

Who this policy covers

This Privacy Notice applies to visitors to this website and to prospective clients who contact us or submit information through this site. It does not govern our handling of client information.

Once we have agreed to represent you and you have signed a written engagement agreement, the information you provide is governed by the Virginia Rules of Professional Conduct — including the duty of confidentiality under Rule 1.6 — and by the terms of that engagement agreement. Those obligations are broader than this policy, and nothing here limits, waives, or modifies them.

Submitting information through this website does not create an attorney-client relationship, and information you submit before an engagement agreement is signed is not protected by the attorney-client privilege. Please do not send confidential, sensitive, or time-sensitive information through this website, a web form, or live chat.

If you have an urgent matter — a scheduled foreclosure sale, an active garnishment, a hearing date, or a pending repossession — call 1-800-662-8813. Do not rely on a web form, chat, or email.

Summary of key points

What personal information do we process? We process the information you give us when you contact us, complete an intake or evaluation form, or ask about our services. Because we handle bankruptcy matters, this includes detailed financial information.

Do we process sensitive personal information? Yes. Bankruptcy representation requires it. We process financial data, credit information, Social Security numbers or other government identifiers, and driver’s license information, with your consent or as otherwise permitted by law.

Do we collect information from third parties? We may obtain credit reports and court records in connection with a matter, with your authorization. We do not purchase personal information from data brokers, and we do not obtain information about you from marketing partners or social media platforms.

How do we process your information? To evaluate and respond to your inquiry, to provide legal services, to communicate with you, for security, and to comply with law and our professional obligations.

Do we sell your information? No. We do not sell or share personal information, and we do not use it for targeted advertising.

How do we keep your information safe? We use organizational and technical safeguards. No transmission over the internet can be guaranteed completely secure.

What are your rights? Depending on where you live, you may have rights regarding your personal information. Some information cannot be deleted because we are required to retain it.

How do you exercise your rights? Contact us at jmerna@mernalaw.com or 1-800-662-8813.

Table of contents

1. What information do we collect?
2. How do we process your information?
3. When and with whom do we share your personal information?
4. Do we use cookies and other tracking technologies?
5. How do we use artificial intelligence?
6. How long do we keep your information?
7. How do we keep your information safe?
8. Do we collect information from minors?
9. What are your privacy rights?
10. Controls for Do-Not-Track features
11. Do United States residents have specific privacy rights?
12. Do we make updates to this notice?
13. How can you contact us about this notice?
14. How can you review, update, or delete the data we collect from you?

1. What information do we collect?

Personal information you disclose to us

In short: we collect personal information that you provide to us.

We collect personal information you voluntarily provide when you contact us, complete an intake or financial evaluation form, request a consultation, or otherwise communicate with us. What we collect depends on how you interact with us, and may include:

• Names
• Phone numbers
• Email addresses
• Mailing addresses
• Debit or credit card numbers
• Personal and financial information needed to evaluate or process a bankruptcy matter

Sensitive information. With your consent or as otherwise permitted by law, we process:

• Financial data
• Creditworthiness data
• Social Security numbers or other government identifiers
• Driver’s license information

Bankruptcy matters require this information. The Bankruptcy Code requires that schedules and statements filed with the court be complete, accurate, and truthful.

Payment data. If you make a payment, we collect the information necessary to process it. Payment data is handled and stored by our payment processor, Authorize.Net. [VERIFY — see Section B, item 5]

All personal information you provide must be true, complete, and accurate, and you must notify us of any changes.

Information automatically collected

In short: some information — such as your IP address and browser and device characteristics — is collected automatically when you visit our website.

This information does not reveal your identity but may include your IP address, browser and device characteristics, operating system, language preferences, referring URLs, device name, country, approximate location, and information about how and when you use the site. It is used to maintain security and operation, and for internal analytics.

Log and usage data. Diagnostic, usage, and performance information our servers record in log files, including IP address, device information, browser type, pages viewed, and date and time stamps.

Device data. Information about the computer, phone, or tablet you use, which may include IP address, device identifiers, browser type, hardware model, internet service provider, and operating system.

Approximate location. We may derive an approximate location from your IP address. We do not collect precise GPS location from your device through this website.

We also collect information through cookies and similar technologies. See our Cookie Policy.

Information collected from other sources

In connection with a matter, and with your authorization, we may obtain credit reports and review public court records, including bankruptcy filings.

We do not purchase personal information from data brokers. We do not obtain information about you from joint marketing partners, affiliate programs, social media platforms, or intent-data providers, and we do not acquire information about you for targeted advertising.

2. How do we process your information?

In short: we process your information to evaluate and respond to your inquiry, to provide legal services, to communicate with you, for security, and to comply with law.

• To evaluate your inquiry. To review the information you provide, determine whether we can assist you, identify issues requiring attorney attention, and prepare for a consultation.
• To deliver legal services. To provide the services you have engaged us to provide.
• To respond to inquiries and provide support. To answer your questions and resolve issues.
• To send administrative information. Appointment confirmations and reminders, changes to our terms and policies, and similar communications.
• To process payments. To handle payments for fees and costs.
• To request feedback. To ask about your experience with our services.
• To send marketing communications, where consistent with your preferences. You can opt out at any time — see Section 9.
• To protect our services, including fraud monitoring and prevention.
• To evaluate and improve our services, including identifying usage trends.
• To comply with our legal and professional obligations, respond to legal requests, and exercise, establish, or defend legal rights.

3. When and with whom do we share your personal information?

In short: we share information only in the limited situations described below.

• Service providers. We share information with vendors that perform services on our behalf under written contract — including form hosting, document generation, payment processing, email and calendar, website analytics, and security. They may use the information only to provide services to us.
• Court filings and case administration. If you engage us to file a bankruptcy case, information required by the Bankruptcy Code and the rules of the court is filed with the United States Bankruptcy Court, where it becomes part of the public record, and is provided to the trustee, the United States Trustee, and your creditors as required.
• Legal compliance. Where required by law, subpoena, court order, or to establish or defend legal claims, subject to our professional obligations.
• With your direction. Where you ask us to share information, including with another attorney on referral.
• Business transfers. In connection with a merger, sale of assets, financing, or acquisition, subject to our professional obligations regarding client files.

We do not sell personal information. We do not share personal information with business partners for their own marketing or promotional purposes. We do not share personal information for targeted advertising.

4. Do we use cookies and other tracking technologies?

In short: we use cookies and similar technologies for essential site functions and for analytics.

We use cookies and similar technologies to maintain the security of the site, keep it functioning, and understand how it is used.

We do not use cookies to serve targeted advertising on this website, and we do not permit third parties to use tracking technologies on this site to display or tailor advertisements to you.

Details on the specific cookies we use and how to refuse them are in our Cookie Policy.

Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics to understand, in aggregate, how visitors find and use the site. We do not use Google Analytics Advertising Features such as Remarketing, Display Network Impressions Reporting, or Demographics and Interests Reporting. [VERIFY — see Section B, item 3]

To opt out of Google Analytics on any website, install Google’s browser add-on at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout. For more on Google’s privacy practices, see the Google Privacy & Terms page.

5. How do we use artificial intelligence?

In short: we use AI-assisted tools to help review intake submissions and manage website content. An attorney reviews the results.

We do not offer AI products or tools for you to use. We use artificial intelligence and automated tools internally, in two ways.

Website content and general inquiries. We use AI-assisted tools to help create, organize, and maintain content on this website, to support marketing and administrative tasks, and to help respond to general inquiries submitted through the site, including any chat or contact features.

Reviewing intake submissions. When you complete a pre-appointment, financial evaluation, or similar intake form, the information you provide may be processed by an automated system that summarizes your situation and flags issues for attorney review. This helps us prepare for your consultation and route your inquiry appropriately.

An attorney reviews the result. Automated analysis does not by itself determine whether we will represent you, what type of consultation you are offered, whether a consultation fee applies, or what advice you receive. A person at the firm reviews these matters before any decision is communicated to you.

Third-party processing. Information processed by these tools is handled by third-party technology providers acting on our behalf under contract. We do not sell information you submit, and we do not authorize these providers to use it to train their own models. [VERIFY — see Section B, item 4. This is the single most important verification item in this document.]

Do not rely on automated tools for urgent matters. Communications made through automated tools may not be confidential or protected by the attorney-client privilege, and are not monitored continuously. For anything urgent, call 1-800-662-8813.

6. How long do we keep your information?

In short: we keep information as long as necessary for the purposes described here, and longer where we are required to.

We keep personal information only as long as necessary for the purposes set out in this notice, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.

Some information cannot be deleted on request. We are required to retain client files, fee records, and certain other records under the Virginia Rules of Professional Conduct, under the Bankruptcy Code and the rules of the United States Bankruptcy Court, and under applicable tax and accounting law. Information filed with the bankruptcy court becomes part of the public record and cannot be withdrawn by us.

Where a deletion request conflicts with a retention obligation, we will explain which records we must keep and why.

When we have no ongoing need and no retention obligation, we delete or anonymize the information, or securely store and isolate it from further processing until deletion is possible.

7. How do we keep your information safe?

In short: we protect your personal information through organizational and technical security measures.

We have implemented appropriate and reasonable technical and organizational security measures designed to protect the information we process. However, no transmission over the internet or storage technology can be guaranteed completely secure, and we cannot promise that unauthorized third parties will never be able to defeat our security. Transmission of personal information to and from this website is at your own risk. You should access the site only within a secure environment.

8. Do we collect information from minors?

In short: we do not knowingly collect information from or market to children under 18.

We do not knowingly collect, solicit information from, or market to children under 18, and we do not sell such information. By using the site you represent that you are at least 18, or that you are the parent or guardian of a minor and consent to their use of the site. If we learn that we have collected personal information from someone under 18, we will take reasonable measures to promptly delete it. If you believe we have collected information from a child under 18, contact us at jmerna@mernalaw.com.

9. What are your privacy rights?

Withdrawing consent. Where we rely on your consent to process personal information, you may withdraw it at any time by contacting us using the details in Section 13. Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal, or processing carried out on a lawful basis other than consent.

Opting out of marketing communications. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in our emails, replying STOP or UNSUBSCRIBE to our SMS messages, or contacting us using the details in Section 13. You will be removed from marketing lists. We may still send you service-related messages — appointment confirmations, responses to your inquiries, and similar non-marketing communications.

Text messages. If you provide a phone number, you consent to receive calls and text messages from us at that number, including appointment confirmations and reminders, which may be sent using automated technology. Consent is not a condition of receiving legal services. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out.

No mobile information will be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. Sharing with subcontractors providing support services, such as customer service, is permitted. Text messaging originator opt-in data and consent will not be shared with third parties.

Reviewing or updating your information. To review, change, or request deletion of information we hold about you, contact us using the details in Section 13. We may retain information we are required to keep — see Section 6.

Cookies and similar technologies. Most browsers accept cookies by default. You can set your browser to remove or reject cookies, though this may affect certain features. See our Cookie Policy.

If you have questions about your privacy rights, email jmerna@mernalaw.com.

10. Controls for Do-Not-Track features

Most browsers and some mobile operating systems include a Do-Not-Track (“DNT”) feature you can activate to signal that you do not want your online browsing activity monitored. No uniform technology standard for recognizing and implementing DNT signals has been finalized. We do not currently respond to DNT browser signals or other mechanisms that automatically communicate a choice not to be tracked. If a standard is adopted that we must follow, we will describe that practice in a revised version of this notice.

11. Do United States residents have specific privacy rights?

In short: depending on your state of residence, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, or obtain a copy of your personal information.

Categories of personal information we collect

We collect sensitive personal information only for purposes allowed by law or with your consent. We do not collect or process sensitive personal information for the purpose of inferring characteristics about you. You may have the right to limit the use or disclosure of your sensitive personal information.

We may also collect personal information when you interact with us in person, by phone, or by mail.

Retention

We retain personal information as needed to provide our services and to satisfy our legal and professional retention obligations. Client files, fee records, and records relating to a filed bankruptcy case are retained in accordance with the Virginia Rules of Professional Conduct and applicable law. [VERIFY — item 7: replace with your actual file retention schedule]

How we use and share personal information

See Sections 2 and 3.

Will your information be shared with anyone else?

We disclose personal information to service providers under written contract. See Section 3.

We have not sold or shared personal information with third parties for a business or commercial purpose, and we will not sell or share the personal information of website visitors or prospective clients.

Your rights

These rights are not absolute, and in certain cases we may decline a request as permitted by law or where a professional retention obligation applies:

• Right to know whether we are processing your personal data
• Right to access your personal data
• Right to correct inaccuracies
• Right to request deletion
• Right to obtain a copy of the personal data you previously shared with us
• Right to non-discrimination for exercising your rights
• Right to opt out of processing for targeted advertising, the sale of personal data, or profiling in furtherance of decisions producing legal or similarly significant effects

How to exercise your rights

Email jmerna@mernalaw.com or call 1-800-662-8813.

You may designate an authorized agent to make a request on your behalf. We may deny a request from an agent who does not provide proof of valid authorization.

Request verification

We will need to verify your identity before acting on a request, to confirm you are the person about whom we hold information. We will use information you provide only to verify your identity or authority. If we cannot verify your identity from information we already hold, we may ask for additional information for verification and fraud-prevention purposes.

Appeals

If we decline your request, you may appeal by replying to our response or contacting us at jmerna@mernalaw.com. We will respond in writing and explain the reasons for our decision.

12. Do we make updates to this notice?

In short: yes, we will update this notice as necessary to stay compliant with relevant laws.

We may update this notice from time to time. The updated version will be indicated by a revised date at the top. If we make material changes, we may notify you by prominently posting a notice or by contacting you directly. We encourage you to review this notice periodically.

13. How can you contact us about this notice?

If you have questions or comments about this notice, email jmerna@mernalaw.com or write to:

The Merna Law Group, P.C. 621 North Lynnhaven Road Virginia Beach, VA 23452 Phone: 1-800-662-8813

14. How can you review, update, or delete the data we collect from you?

Depending on the laws of your state of residence, you may have the right to request access to the personal information we collect, details about how we have processed it, correction of inaccuracies, or deletion.

Some information cannot be deleted because we are required to retain it — see Section 6.

To make a request, email jmerna@mernalaw.com or call 1-800-662-8813.