Privacy Policy for Vignette Legal Counsel SA
At Vignette Legal Counsel SA, located at 18 Bourg Street, Floor 3, Lausanne, Vaud, 1003, Switzerland, we are committed to protecting the privacy and security of the personal information of our clients and website visitors. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website, engage with our services related to motorway vignette fines, administrative appeals, and other legal counsel in traffic and administrative law. This website is developed in compliance with Google Ads and Bing Ads guidelines and fully follows them.
1. Information We Collect
We collect various types of information to provide and improve our legal services to you.
- Personal Identification Information: This includes your name, address, email address, phone number, vehicle registration details, driver's license number, and other identification details necessary for legal representation. We collect this directly from you when you contact us, schedule a consultation, or engage our legal services.
- Financial Information: For billing and payment purposes, we may collect bank account details or credit card information. This information is handled securely and in compliance with payment processing regulations.
- Case-Related Information: Details pertaining to your legal matter, such as specific fines, penalties, administrative decisions, court documents, and other relevant legal facts.
- Usage Data: Information about how you access and use our online platform, including your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, pages viewed, and the dates/times of your visits. This helps us understand user behavior and improve website functionality.
- Cookies and Tracking Technologies: Our website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance user experience, analyze trends, administer the website, and track users' movements around the site. You can control the use of cookies at the individual browser level.
2. How We Use Your Information
The information we collect is used for the following purposes:
- To Provide Legal Services: To effectively represent you in matters such as motorway vignette fines, administrative appeals against cantonal enforcement decisions, defense in criminal proceedings, assistance with cross-border vehicle seizures, fleet compliance audits, and preparation/filing of appeals to administrative courts.
- Client Communication: To respond to your inquiries, provide updates on your case, and send important service-related notices. We may also use your contact information to deliver legal advice relevant to temporary registration, import/export, and exemption rules.
- Billing and Administration: For invoicing, processing payments, and managing our client accounts.
- Website Improvement: To analyze website usage, troubleshoot problems, and improve the design and content of our online platform to better serve our visitors.
- Compliance and Legal Obligations: To comply with applicable laws, regulations, and ethical obligations governing the legal profession in Switzerland, including data protection laws such as GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and the Swiss Federal Data Protection Act (FADP). We also coordinate with insurers and legal aid providers as necessary.
3. Disclosure of Your Information
We do not sell, trade, or otherwise transfer your personally identifiable information to outside parties without your consent, except in the following circumstances:
- To Legal and Administrative Authorities: Information may be disclosed to cantonal authorities, bailiffs, administrative courts, and the Federal Administrative Court as required for the effective representation of your case (e.g., filing appeals, challenging wrongful administrative acts).
- Service Providers: We may share information with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating our website, conducting our business, or serving you, provided that these parties agree to keep this information confidential and comply with data protection standards. This may include IT support or payment processors.
- Legal Requirements: If required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g., a court order or government agency request).
- Professional Obligations: As necessary to fulfill our professional obligations, such as coordinating with insurers or legal aid providers on your behalf.
4. Data Security
We implement a variety of security measures to maintain the safety of your personal information when you place an order or enter, submit, or access your personal information. These measures include:
- Encryption: Sensitive information transmitted through our website is protected via encryption.
- Access Controls: Access to personal data is restricted to employees who need the information to perform their specific job functions.
- Regular Audits: Our security practices are regularly reviewed and updated to ensure effectiveness.
While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal information, no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. Therefore, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.
5. Your Data Protection Rights
Under GDPR and the Swiss FADP, you have certain rights regarding your personal data:
- Right to Access: You have the right to request copies of your personal data.
- Right to Rectification: You have the right to request that we correct any information you believe is inaccurate or incomplete.
- Right to Erasure: You have the right to request that we erase your personal data, under certain conditions.
- Right to Restrict Processing: You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data, under certain conditions.
- Right to Object to Processing: You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data, under certain conditions.
- Right to Data Portability: You have the right to request that we transfer the data that we have collected to another organization, or directly to you, under certain conditions.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the contact details provided below.
6. Third-Party Links
Our website may contain links to third-party websites for your convenience or information. These external sites are not operated by us. We strongly advise you to review the Privacy Policy of every site you visit. We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites or services.
7. Children's Privacy
Our services are not intended for individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from anyone under the age of 18. If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your child has provided us with personal data, please contact us. If we become aware that we have collected personal data from children without verification of parental consent, we take steps to remove that information from our servers.
8. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update our Privacy Policy periodically. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page. You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page.
9. Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:
Vignette Legal Counsel SA
18 Bourg Street, Floor 3
1003 Lausanne, Vaud
Switzerland
Phone: +41 21 312 45 67