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Full Service Law Firm | Michael Best & Friedrich LLP

Specializing in the Intersection of Business &amp; Government

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Michael Best &amp; Friedrich LLP (“Michael Best”) respects your privacy rights.&nbsp; We have developed this Privacy Policy (“Policy”) to describe&nbsp;and&nbsp;let you know how we collect, use, share, and protect your Personal Information.&nbsp;

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This Policy applies to data we collect in multiple ways, including when we provide professional services (“Services”), when you visit our offices, participate in our events, when you apply for a job<a>,</a>&nbsp;when you visit our websites: www.michaelbest.com, bestworkplacesolutions.com, michaelbeststrategies.com, and venturebest.com (collectively, our&nbsp;“Sites”), or when you otherwise communicate with us.&nbsp;

We are committed to processing your Personal Information in accordance with applicable data privacy and security laws, including the California Consumer Privacy Act (as amended, the “CCPA”).

This Policy outlines our general data protection practices, including how we process Personal Information in the course of our legal representation of clients.&nbsp; We balance our general data protection practices with our overarching responsibilities to our clients as described in our client agreements and communications, to protect the confidentiality of our clients and to meet our rules of professional responsibilities under applicable laws.&nbsp;

Providing Personal Information to us, as set forth below, does not create an attorney-client relationship.&nbsp; If you have questions or concerns about this Notice, please contact us.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

IF YOU ARE A CALIFORNIA&nbsp;RESIDENT, PLEASE SEE&nbsp;YOUR CALIFORNIA PRIVACY RIGHTS&nbsp;&nbsp;AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POLICY FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THAT APPLIES TO YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS.&nbsp;

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For purposes of this Policy, we define Personal Information as information that identifies, relates to, describes, is reasonably capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with you, your devices, or your household (“Personal Information” or&nbsp;“Personal Data”).&nbsp; Personal Information excludes publicly available information or aggregated information that does not include personal data elements.

2. CATEGORIES OF PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

We may collect the following categories of Personal Information from&nbsp;or&nbsp;about you in connection with the operation of our organization:

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Your name, alias, telephone number, email address, postal address, IP address, driver’s license or state identification number, social security number and passport number.

We retain this information for so long as needed for business, legal and compliance purposes, or as provided in our engagement letter with you.

Client records such as your name, signature, social security number, address, telephone number, passport number, driver’s license or state identification card number, insurance policy numbers, education, employment, employment history, bank account number, credit card number, debit card number, financial information, medical information, or health insurance information.

We retain this information in accordance with our engagement letter with you. If no engagement letter exists, we retain the information for so long as needed for business, legal and compliance purposes.

Records related to Services we provide and communications with us.

We retain this information for so long as needed for business, legal and compliance purposes or in accordance with our engagement letter with you.

Internet or other electronic network activity information, including your IP Address, the websites you visit before or after you visit the Sites, the date and time you visited our Sites, search history, information regarding your interactions with the Sites, online identifiers like a Cookie ID, browser type, your internet service provider, operating system, application, or advertisement.

We retain this&nbsp;information&nbsp;as long as needed for the purpose for which we collected this information.

We retain this information as long as needed for the purpose for which we collected this information.

Audio, Electronic, and Video Information

Recordings for events we hold, security footage and phone or video calls for business reasons as permitted by law<a>.</a>

We retain this information as long as needed for the purpose which we collect this information.

Protected Classifications

Characteristics such as gender, ethnicity, veteran or military status, and citizenship.&nbsp;

Professional or employment-related information, including information you provide when applying for a position with us.&nbsp;

Education-related information, including information you provide when you apply for a position with us.&nbsp;

3. SOURCES OF PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

We collect Personal Information in the following ways:

We collect Personal Information directly from you as described below:

Legal and Other Professional Services. We collect Personal Information you give us when we provide you with legal or other professional services, or when we discuss the possibility of performing services for you.

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Communications.&nbsp; We collect Personal Information when you communicate with us, including by e-mail, mail, phone, or when you sign up for our newsletters or events.

Service Providers.&nbsp; We collect Personal Information from certain service providers who do business with us or seek to do business with us.

Feedback.&nbsp; We collect Personal Information you give us when you respond to or provide feedback in response to a survey or after a seminar.&nbsp; Unless you are our client, we will not treat that Feedback as confidential, and we may use that Feedback for any purpose in our sole discretion, so long as it does not personally identify you.&nbsp; Feedback will be used without attribution or compensation to you.&nbsp;

Site Visits.&nbsp; We collect Personal Information when you visit our Sites.

Events.&nbsp; We collect Personal Information when you register for a webinar or in-person event.

Job Applications and Inquiries. We collect your Personal Information when you submit job application materials to us directly, or when you are redirected from our Sites to our third-party business partner’s job application portal.&nbsp;

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We collect Personal Information using technology. For instance, we use Cookies and other online tracking mechanisms on our Sites to automatically collect certain information from you when you visit our Sites. Please review the Cookie section of our Policy below for more information.

We may collect Personal Information from third-party sources as described below.

Affiliates.&nbsp; We may collect Personal Information from our affiliates to refer clients that may have multiple business needs for our services or for marketing purposes.

Service Providers. &nbsp;We may receive Personal Information about you from third parties that provide services to us through (“Service Providers”). For instance, we may receive Personal Information when you submit a resume and/or job application through our third-party job application portal.&nbsp; To submit a job application for an open position with us, you will be redirected to our online career portal, which is provided by Micron Systems.&nbsp; You will be required to create an account with Micron Systems if you wish to save and return to your application at a later time.&nbsp; Job applications submitted through that portal, including your resume and all other materials and information you provide in the course of submitting an application, will be submitted directly to Micron Systems and&nbsp;will&nbsp;then be shared with us.&nbsp; We encourage you to review&nbsp;<a href="https://www.micronsystems.com/privacy-policy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Micron Systems’ Privacy Policy</a>.

Third Parties. We may collect Personal Information from third party companies for our business and marketing purposes.&nbsp; For instance, we collect Personal Information from analytics providers and market research companies that help us understand the demographics and user preferences of visitors to our Sites and to evaluate the operation of the Sites. We also receive Personal Information from third parties that perform targeted advertising, including website analytics and targeted marketing advertisers.

4. WE USE PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT FOR THE FOLLOWING BUSINESS AND COMMERCIAL PURPOSES:

To Communicate with You

To respond to your questions, requests, comments, or concerns

To notify you of changes to this Policy, other terms on our Sites or similar communications

To&nbsp;communicate&nbsp;regarding our Services

To Provide Professional Services

To communicate with you regarding your client matters

To&nbsp;communicate&nbsp;with you about Services we are providing to you or your organization

To operate our information technology systems

For Targeted Advertising, Marketing and Promotional Activities

To serve targeted advertising to you about events and information which may be of interest to you

To notify you about upcoming events and other information about our organization

To customize content and to improve our ability to contact you

To enhance our marketing capabilities, and to inform marketing, communication plans, and strategies &nbsp;

To Perform Analytics

To enhance users’ experience when visiting our Sites

To generate statistical information about Site usage and traffic patterns

Site Management

To operate the Sites and troubleshoot problems with the Sites

To improve the content and functionality of the Sites and your user experience

To conduct statistical and other analyses of the Sites

To Process Job Applications

To evaluate your qualifications for employment with us

Legal Purposes and Protection of Rights

To protect the legal rights or interests of our clients, our employees, our organization and those of third parties

To bring a legal action against you or anyone who may be causing harm to us, our Sites, or to other users of the Sites

To seek business, financial, or legal advice

To respond to subpoenas, court orders, and other legal processes

5. WITH WHOM WE SHARE OR DISCLOSE PERSONAL INFORMATION

In the chart below, we explain the types of Personal Information we share or disclose, with whom, and for what purposes.

Affiliated Companies

We may share your Personal Information with our affiliates to assist in offering and providing Services.

Service Providers

We share your Personal Information with our service providers in accordance with contracts we have with them requiring that they protect your Personal Information.

To help us collect and analyze Personal Information for a Business Purpose

To help us host, operate, support and secure our Sites

To improve the content and functionality of the Sites

To provide public relations and marketing services

Third Party Advertising Networks and Analytics Providers

To provide us targeted advertising or analytics services

To perform data analysis and statistical analysis of our website usage and operations To provide learning management systems

Social Media Companies

To allow you to interface with our Sites and your social media sites

Professional Advisors

To receive advice from our professional advisors, such as our attorneys, accountants, financial advisors, and business advisors, in their capacity as advisors to us

Government Officials and Law Enforcement

To comply with court orders or other valid legal process

To protect our Sites, clients, employees or others

To identify, contact, or bring a legal action against someone who may cause or be causing harm to our clients, employees, our organization or to another person, including persons who are interfering with our information technology systems and equipment, or an individual’s privacy or property

Parties to Business Transactions

If we are involved in a potential business transaction, including a due diligence process, merger, asset sale, financing, corporate divestiture, reorganization, or acquisition of all or some portion of our business to another company or if we undergo liquidation or bankruptcy proceedings, we may share your Personal Information in connection with such transaction or proceeding before and or after the transaction closes or the proceedings are completed, and we may transfer that Personal Information to be used by the new owner or successor at the end of the process.

Employment Information Educational Information

6. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING OUR PRIVACY PRACTICES

USE AND DISCLOSURE OF DE-IDENTIFIED OR AGGREGATED INFORMATION

We may de-identify or aggregate Personal Information to create an anonymous data set.&nbsp; We will maintain this data in a de-identified form and will not attempt to re-identify such data. When we enter into agreements with Service Providers, or third parties, where we share de-identified or aggregated data, we will implement contractual data protection restrictions to prevent Service Providers or third parties from attempting to re-identify the de-identified data.

The Sites are not directed at, nor do we knowingly collect information from, individuals under the age of legal age of majority.&nbsp; If a parent or legal guardian learns that their child provided us with Personal Information without his or her consent, please contact us and we will delete such Personal Information.

For clarity, we do not knowingly sell or share the Personal Information of anyone under the age of majority without affirmative authorization.

We are active on social media, including Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and LinkedIn (“Social Media”).&nbsp; Anything you post on Social Media is public information and will not be treated confidentially.&nbsp; We may post (or re-post) on the Sites and our Social Media pages any comments or content that you post on our Social Media pages.&nbsp; Your use of Social Media is governed by the privacy policies and terms of the third parties that own and operate those websites and not by this Policy. We encourage you to review those policies and terms.

YouTube.&nbsp; We use the YouTube application programming interface (API) Services to allow you to access YouTube content from our Sites.&nbsp; Your use of YouTube is governed by YouTube’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/t/terms" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Terms of Service</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Privacy Policy</a>, and not by our Terms of Use or Privacy Policy.&nbsp; We encourage you to read the YouTube Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, which are available on its websites at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/t/terms" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.youtube.com/t/terms</a>.

We do not currently use automated decision-making technology that makes or influences significant decisions about consumers or job applicants. Should this change, we will update our Privacy Policy accordingly.

We are committed to collecting, processing, and retaining only the data necessary to provide or maintain the products and services you request.

Personal Information. We limit collection and use of personal data to what is adequate, relevant, and reasonably necessary (or proportionate) for the specific purposes we disclose.

Sensitive Personal Information (SPI). As required by laws in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, and Massachusetts, we collect sensitive information (e.g., health data, precise geolocation, race, ethnicity, etc.) only when strictly necessary to deliver a specific product or service you request or with your consent.

7. HOW WE SECURE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

We use commercially reasonable physical, technical, and organizational measures to help secure Personal Information against unauthorized access to, acquisition of, loss, misuse, or alteration.  If we learn of an unauthorized access to or acquisition of your Personal Information, we will notify you of the incident as required under applicable law.

The Sites may link to, or be linked to, websites not maintained or controlled by Michael Best, including YouTube.&nbsp; Michael Best is not responsible for the privacy policies or practices of any third parties or any third-party websites.&nbsp; This Policy does not apply to any third-party websites, or to any personal or other information that you may provide to third parties.&nbsp;&nbsp;We encourage you&nbsp;to&nbsp;read the privacy policy for each website that you visit.

9. USE OF COOKIES AND YOUR CONSUMER DATA CHOICES

We use Cookies, web beacons, and other tracking technologies (collectively&nbsp;“Cookies”) when you use our Sites. A Cookie is a small text file that our Sites save onto your computer or device when you use the Sites.&nbsp; The Cookies&nbsp;allow&nbsp;the Sites to remember your actions and preferences and recognize you or your browser. Web beacons are small graphics on a webpage that monitor your activity when viewing a webpage.

Most browsers automatically accept Cookies. You can disable this function by changing your browser settings, but disabling Cookies may impact your use and enjoyment of the Sites. You cannot disable all Cookies, such as Cookies that are essential to the functioning of the Sites. You can manually delete persistent Cookies, or Cookies that track your activity across websites, through your browser settings.

We describe below some of the tools we use on our Sites to collect information, including Personal Information, for Targeted Advertising and Analytics and how you can opt-out, customize ad preferences, or limit collection of use of Personal Information for those purposes.

We use Cookies to serve targeted advertising to you, using Google Double Click.&nbsp;

We use Google Analytics and other analytics and advertising tools to serve targeted advertising to you, to learn more about how our Sites are used and to improve our Sites.

Google Analytics and Google Advertising Features.&nbsp; We use Google Analytics, a third-party data analytics service, to collect and process information about how you use the Sites.&nbsp; Google Analytics will set Cookies on your browser or device and then your web browser will automatically send information&nbsp;to Google Analytics.&nbsp; Google Analytics uses this information to provide us with reports that we use to better understand and measure how users interact with the Sites.

We have enabled and implemented the following Google Analytics Advertising Features: Remarketing with Google Analytics, and Google Beacons. To opt out of remarketing advertising provided through Google, to customize your ad preferences, or to limit Google’s collection or use this information, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://safety.google/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Google’s Safety Center</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://myaccount.google.com/not-supported?pli=1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Google’s Ad Settings</a>&nbsp;and follow&nbsp;<a href="https://support.google.com/ads/answer/2662922?hl=en&amp;ref_topic=7048998" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Google’s personalized ad opt-out instructions</a>.&nbsp; Opting out will not affect your use of the Sites.

For more information on how Google uses this data, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://policies.google.com/privacy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Google’s Privacy Policy</a>&nbsp;and Google’s page on&nbsp;<a href="https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">How Google uses data when you use our partners’ Sites or apps</a>.&nbsp; To prevent this data from being used by Google Analytics, follow the instructions to download and install the&nbsp;<a href="https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on</a>&nbsp;for each web browser you use.&nbsp; Using the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on will not prevent the Company from using other analytics tools and will not prevent Personal Information from being sent to the Sites or to Google.

You have a number of options with regard to limiting the use of your Personal Information.

FOR OPT-OUT OF USE OF COOKIES.&nbsp;&nbsp;

You may reduce the number of advertisements by changing your preferences online. &nbsp;To change your preferences with respect to certain online ads and to obtain more information about third-party ad networks and online behavioral advertising, visit the&nbsp;<a href="http://optout.networkadvertising.org/?c=1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">National Advertising Initiative Consumer opt-out page</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://thenai.org/opt-out/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Opt Out - NAI: Network Advertising Initiative (thenai.org)</a>&nbsp;or the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.aboutads.info/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Digital Advertising Alliance Self-Regulatory Program</a>.&nbsp;<a href="https://youradchoices.com/choices-faq" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">YourAdChoices.com | Consumer Assistance | WebChoices, AppChoices and YourAdChoices</a>. Changing your settings with individual browsers or ad networks will not necessarily carry over to other browsers or ad networks.&nbsp; As a result, depending on the opt-outs you request, you may still see our ads.

MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS – OPT-OUT.&nbsp;&nbsp;

If you Opt-In to receive marketing communications from us, we will collect your name, email, mailing address, and phone number.&nbsp; We use this information to send you promotional and other electronic and hardcopy communications.&nbsp; We may use third-party providers to deliver communications to you.&nbsp; You may Opt-Out of such emails by using the unsubscribe link in the email or contacting us at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:Privacy@michaelbest.com">Privacy@michaelbest.com</a> with “Unsubscribe” in the subject line. To&nbsp;Opt-Out&nbsp;of other communications (e.g. postal marketing), please contact us by phone, e-mail or mail using the contact information below.&nbsp; Opting-Out of marketing communications does not opt you out of communications about your account or transactions.

If you have any questions, you may contact us as set forth below:

By&nbsp;e-mail&nbsp;to:&nbsp;<a>Privacy@michaelbest.com</a>

By&nbsp;phone:&nbsp;(262) 956-6560

By&nbsp;mail, address&nbsp;your&nbsp;letter to:&nbsp;Privacy Department, Two Riverwood Place, N19 W24133 Riverwood Drive, Suite 200, Waukesha, WI 53188

12.&nbsp;ACCESS FROM OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES

If you access the Sites from outside the United States, please be aware that Personal Information may be transferred to, stored in, and processed in the United States.&nbsp; Certain governmental authorities may not consider the level of protection of Personal Information in the United States to be equivalent to that required by that of other jurisdictions.

We may update this Policy at any time.&nbsp; All changes will be effective immediately upon posting to the Sites.&nbsp; We will notify you of such updates by posting a notice at the top of the Policy or the Sites or communicating to you in another manner.

14. TERMS APPLICABLE TO CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS ONLY, INCLUDING YOUR CALIFORNIA PRIVACY RIGHTS

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”), California residents have additional rights with regard to their Personal Information.&nbsp; We provide a summary of those rights below.&nbsp; In the event of a conflict between this Section and the remainder of this Policy, this Section shall take precedence for California residents.&nbsp; Certain capitalized terms not defined in this Policy have the meanings set forth in the CCPA.

CATEGORIES OF PERSONAL INFORMATION SOLD OR SHARED

In the last 12 months, we have not sold Personal Information within the meaning of the California Consumer Privacy Act.&nbsp; In the last 12 months, we have shared the following categories of Personal Information with certain third parties for targeted advertising and analytics.&nbsp; See the section above titled “Categories of Personal Information We Collect” for more detail on the type of Personal Information in each category.

CATEGORIES OF PERSONAL INFORMATION DISCLOSED FOR A BUSINESS PURPOSE

In the last 12 months, we have disclosed the following categories of Personal Information to our service providers for business&nbsp;purposes.&nbsp; See the section above titled “Categories of Personal Information We Collect” for more detail on the type of Personal Information in each category.

Privacy Policy

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