Privacy Policy
Family Circle, LLC (“Family Circle,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) respects your privacy and recognizes that members may entrust highly personal and sensitive information to the Family Circle program.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, store, and protect information in connection with the Family Circle membership program, our website, technology platforms, communications, and related services (collectively, the “Services”).
By using the Services, you acknowledge the practices described in this Privacy Policy.
1Information We Collect
For purposes of this Privacy Policy, we generally categorize information as follows:
A. Account Information
“Account Information” means information used to establish, administer, and communicate with you regarding your membership, such as:
- Name;
- Address;
- Email address;
- Telephone number;
- Date of birth;
- Membership and account information;
- Billing and transaction information; and
- Communications with Family Circle.
B. Secure Information
“Secure Information” means private or sensitive information that you choose to provide, upload, store, or make available through the Services.
Secure Information may include information concerning:
- Your estate plan and estate-planning documents;
- Family members and beneficiaries;
- Fiduciaries and other designated individuals;
- Assets and financial information;
- Insurance;
- Tax matters;
- Legal matters;
- Healthcare information;
- Personal wishes and instructions;
- Important records and documents; and
- Other personal or confidential information.
You retain ownership of your Secure Information.
Providing Secure Information to Family Circle or through the Services does not transfer ownership of that information to Family Circle.
C. Usage Information
We may collect information concerning how you interact with the Services, including:
- Login dates and activity;
- Features used;
- Sections or portions of the Services completed;
- Account status;
- Device and browser information;
- IP address; and
- Security and diagnostic information.
Family Circle may use Usage Information to administer memberships, facilitate annual reviews and other program services, improve the Services, provide support, maintain security, and understand member engagement.
D. Aggregated and De-Identified Information
We may create or use statistical, aggregated, or de-identified information that does not reasonably identify an individual.
We may use this information to understand utilization of the Family Circle program, improve our Services, evaluate program performance, develop new features and services, and for other legitimate business purposes.
2How We Use Information
Family Circle may use information to:
- Establish and administer your membership;
- Provide, operate, maintain, and improve the Services;
- Facilitate participation in the Family Circle program;
- Conduct or coordinate annual membership and planning check-ins;
- Communicate with you regarding your membership;
- Coordinate appropriate program activities with participating law firms and other advisors;
- Process payments and renewals;
- Provide technical and member support;
- Maintain and improve our technology;
- Monitor and protect the security and integrity of the Services;
- Prevent fraud, misuse, or unauthorized access;
- Comply with applicable law; and
- Carry out other purposes authorized or requested by you.
Family Circle does not sell your Secure Information or personal information.
3Family Circle Is Not a Professional Advisor
Family Circle is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice or legal services. Family Circle also does not provide financial, investment, tax, accounting, insurance, medical, healthcare, or other professional advice.
Information maintained, organized, communicated, or made available through the Services should not be considered professional advice.
Any legal services provided to you are provided solely by your attorney or law firm pursuant to a separate attorney-client relationship. Other professional services are similarly provided solely by the applicable professional.
Use of Family Circle does not create an attorney-client, fiduciary, financial advisory, healthcare provider, or other professional relationship between you and Family Circle.
Communications with Family Circle are not protected by attorney-client privilege, work-product protection, physician-patient privilege, or any similar professional privilege merely because they occur through the Family Circle program.
4Your Control Over Your Information
Family Circle’s Services are intended to allow members to maintain appropriate control over their personal information.
Where functionality permits, you may determine what information you provide, what documents or information you maintain through the Services, and which individuals or organizations are authorized to receive or access particular information.
You are responsible for ensuring that information you provide is accurate and that you have the legal authority to provide information concerning another person.
When you authorize another person or organization to access information, that person’s subsequent use or disclosure of information may be outside Family Circle’s control.
5Participating Law Firms and Other Professionals
Your relationship with Family Circle is separate and distinct from your relationship with any participating law firm or other professional.
Family Circle may provide a participating law firm with Account Information or Usage Information reasonably necessary to administer the Family Circle program and coordinate services.
Family Circle will not provide a participating law firm with access to the contents of your Secure Information merely because the law firm participates in the Family Circle program. Access to Secure Information will be governed by your authorization, the functionality and permissions of the applicable technology platform, applicable law, and any separate relationship you have with the law firm.
Participating law firms and other professionals are independent from Family Circle and maintain their own privacy, confidentiality, record-retention, and information-security obligations.
Information maintained by a law firm as part of an attorney-client relationship may be subject to attorney-client privilege and professional confidentiality obligations independently of Family Circle.
6Technology and Service Providers
Family Circle relies upon third-party technology companies and service providers to provide portions of the Services.
These providers may assist with:
- Secure information and document storage;
- Member portals;
- Cloud infrastructure;
- Account authentication;
- Payment processing;
- Communications;
- Cybersecurity;
- Analytics;
- Customer support; and
- Other administrative or technology functions.
Family Circle may provide these service providers with information reasonably necessary for them to perform services on our behalf.
Certain Services may be provided directly through a third-party platform. When you use such a platform, your information may also be subject to that provider’s privacy policy and terms of service.
Family Circle selects and works with service providers that it believes maintain appropriate privacy and security practices, but Family Circle does not control the independent systems, policies, or practices of third-party providers.
7Payment Information
Family Circle may use third-party payment processors to process membership payments.
Payment card information may be collected and processed directly by the applicable payment processor rather than stored by Family Circle.
Family Circle may nevertheless receive limited payment-related information necessary to administer memberships, confirm transactions, issue refunds, maintain transaction records, identify suspected fraud, or otherwise operate the Family Circle program.
9Security
The nature of the Family Circle program means that members may maintain highly sensitive information through the Services. Protecting that information is important to us.
Family Circle uses reasonable administrative, technical, contractual, and organizational safeguards designed to protect personal information against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, loss, or misuse.
Family Circle also utilizes third-party technology providers that maintain their own security systems and safeguards.
However, no website, electronic communication, cloud service, database, or information-storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. Accordingly, Family Circle cannot guarantee absolute security.
Members are responsible for protecting their passwords, authentication credentials, devices, and account access and should promptly notify Family Circle of suspected unauthorized access or security incidents.
10Security Incidents
If Family Circle becomes aware of a security incident involving personal information for which notification is required by applicable law, Family Circle will provide notification in accordance with applicable legal requirements.
Family Circle may also take reasonable measures to investigate, contain, remediate, and mitigate actual or suspected security incidents.
11Account Closure, Information Retention, and Deletion
You may cancel your Family Circle membership as provided in the Family Circle Membership Agreement.
Upon termination or cancellation, access to Family Circle Services may be restricted or discontinued.
Family Circle will delete or cause to be deleted Secure Information under Family Circle’s control in accordance with its applicable account-closure procedures, subject to reasonable backup, archival, security, legal, and regulatory requirements.
Family Circle may retain Account Information, transaction records, Usage Information, and other information reasonably necessary to:
- Comply with legal obligations;
- Maintain business and financial records;
- Resolve disputes;
- Prevent fraud;
- Maintain security;
- Enforce agreements; or
- Establish a record of the member’s relationship with Family Circle.
Information maintained independently by a participating law firm or third-party provider is subject to that organization’s separate retention and deletion requirements.
12Cookies and Similar Technologies
Family Circle and its service providers may use cookies and similar technologies to operate the Services, authenticate users, remember preferences, understand usage, improve functionality, maintain security, and analyze performance.
Your browser or device may allow you to restrict certain cookies. Doing so may affect the functionality of the Services.
13Communications
Family Circle may communicate with you by email, telephone, text message, portal notification, or other reasonable means regarding your membership and the Services.
Certain communications—including security alerts, billing notices, membership notices, password or account notifications, and changes to applicable agreements or policies—are transactional or administrative and may be necessary to provide the Services.
Where required by law, you may opt out of promotional communications without affecting necessary administrative communications.
14Your Privacy Choices and Rights
Depending upon where you reside and applicable law, you may have rights concerning your personal information, including the right to request:
- Access to certain personal information;
- Correction of inaccurate information;
- Deletion of certain information; or
- Information regarding certain disclosures or uses of your personal information.
Family Circle will respond to verified requests as required by applicable law.
Family Circle may need to retain certain information notwithstanding a deletion request when retention is permitted or required by law or reasonably necessary for security, fraud prevention, recordkeeping, or other legitimate purposes.
15Information Concerning Children
Family Circle is not intended for use by children under age 13 as independent account holders.
A parent, guardian, attorney, or other authorized person may nevertheless provide information concerning a minor when relevant to estate planning, family organization, or other permitted uses of the Services.
16Business Transactions
If Family Circle becomes involved in a merger, acquisition, reorganization, financing, sale of assets, or similar transaction, information may be transferred as part of that transaction.
Any successor that receives personal information will be subject to applicable law and the privacy obligations applicable to the transferred information.
17Changes to This Privacy Policy
Family Circle may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our Services, technology, business practices, or legal requirements.
If we make material changes, we may provide notice by email, through the Services, on our website, or by other reasonable means.
The revised Privacy Policy will identify its effective date.
18Governing Law
This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of the State of Florida, except to the extent applicable federal law or the law of another jurisdiction requires otherwise.
19Contact Us
Questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or Family Circle’s privacy practices may be directed to:
Family Circle, LLC
500 N Westshore Blvd – Suite 950, Tampa, FL 33609