Privacy Policy

Last Updated: August 17, 2026

Hewlett, Collins & Allard, PLLC (“HCA Law,” “the Firm,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) respects your privacy and is committed to handling personal information responsibly. This Privacy Policy explains how we may collect, use, disclose, and protect information when you visit our website, submit information through the website, communicate with the Firm, or otherwise interact with our online services.

By using this website, you acknowledge the practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with this Privacy Policy, please discontinue use of the website.

1. Information We May Collect

Depending on how you use the website, we may collect information that you voluntarily provide as well as certain information collected automatically.

Information You Provide

You may provide information to us when you:

• Submit a contact or consultation request;
• Call, email, or otherwise communicate with the Firm;
• Request information about our legal services;
• Communicate with us through an online form, client portal, scheduling system, or other digital service; or
• Otherwise voluntarily provide information to the Firm.

Information you provide may include your name, telephone number, email address, information about the general nature of your legal matter, and other information you choose to submit.

If you become a client of the Firm, we may collect additional information necessary to provide legal services. Client information may also be governed by engagement agreements, applicable law, attorney-client privilege, professional confidentiality requirements, and the North Carolina Rules of Professional Conduct.

Information Collected Automatically

When you visit the website, certain information may be collected automatically by our website, hosting provider, analytics providers, security services, advertising platforms, and other technology providers.

This information may include:

• Internet Protocol (IP) address;
• Browser type and version;
• Device type and operating system;
• Approximate geographic location derived from an IP address;
• Date and time of visits;
• Pages viewed;
• Referring websites or search terms;
• Links or buttons clicked;
• Website interactions;
• Cookie identifiers and similar device identifiers; and
• Other technical or usage information.

We may use this information to operate and secure the website, understand how visitors use it, improve its performance, evaluate our marketing efforts, prevent fraud or abuse, and improve our services.

2. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Our website may use cookies, pixels, tags, local storage, scripts, and similar technologies.

These technologies may be used to:

• Keep the website functioning properly;
• Remember certain preferences;
• Protect the website from spam, fraud, or malicious activity;
• Measure website traffic and performance;
• Understand how visitors interact with the website;
• Determine how visitors found the website; and
• Measure or improve advertising and marketing campaigns.

Some cookies may be placed by third-party analytics, advertising, security, hosting, or technology providers.

Depending on your browser, device, location, and applicable law, you may be able to block, delete, or restrict cookies through your browser settings or through cookie-management tools made available on the website. Disabling certain technologies may affect how some portions of the website function.

3. Analytics and Advertising Technologies

We may use third-party analytics and advertising services to better understand website usage, measure advertising performance, determine how visitors reach our website, and improve our marketing.

These providers may receive information such as your IP address, device identifiers, cookie information, browser activity, website interactions, and information about advertisements you viewed or interacted with.

We do not sell personal information to third parties in exchange for money.

However, certain uses of analytics cookies, advertising pixels, or similar technologies may be defined as a “sale,” “sharing,” or use for “targeted advertising” under the privacy laws of some jurisdictions. Where applicable law provides a right to opt out of these activities, we will provide or honor applicable opt-out mechanisms as required by law.

Where applicable law requires recognition of qualifying browser-based privacy preference signals, we will process those signals as required by applicable law.

4. How We May Use Information

We may use information collected through the website to:

• Respond to inquiries and consultation requests;
• Communicate with prospective, current, or former clients;
• Determine whether the Firm may be able to assist with a legal matter;
• Perform preliminary conflict checks;
• Provide legal services when an attorney-client relationship has been established;
• Schedule appointments;
• Operate, maintain, secure, and improve our website;
• Diagnose technical problems;
• Detect or prevent spam, fraud, abuse, security threats, or unlawful activity;
• Understand website traffic and visitor behavior;
• Measure advertising and marketing effectiveness;
• Improve our communications and services;
• Maintain appropriate business and legal records;
• Comply with applicable laws, regulations, court orders, professional obligations, or governmental requests;
• Establish, exercise, or defend legal rights; and
• Carry out other legitimate business purposes consistent with the context in which the information was provided.

5. Contacting the Firm Does Not Automatically Create an Attorney-Client Relationship

Submitting information through this website, sending an email, leaving a voicemail, communicating with the Firm, or requesting a consultation does not by itself create an attorney-client relationship.

An attorney-client relationship is created only when the Firm has agreed to represent you, any necessary conflict review has been completed, and any required engagement arrangements have been established.

You should not use a website contact form or ordinary email to transmit highly sensitive information, Social Security numbers, financial account credentials, passwords, detailed medical information, evidence, confidential documents, or other information that should be transmitted through a more secure method unless the Firm has instructed you to do so.

You should also not rely on a website submission for an urgent legal deadline, court appearance, statute of limitations, or other time-sensitive matter. If your matter requires immediate attention, contact the Firm directly by telephone.

Nothing in this Privacy Policy is intended to limit, waive, or alter any confidentiality obligation that may otherwise apply under applicable law or professional rules.

6. How Information May Be Shared

We do not disclose personal information except as reasonably necessary for legitimate business, legal, security, or professional purposes.

Information may be disclosed to:

Service Providers

We may use third parties to provide services such as:

• Website hosting;
• Website maintenance and security;
• Email services;
• Spam and fraud prevention;
• Analytics;
• Advertising and marketing;
• Appointment scheduling;
• Client communication or client portals;
• Case-management or practice-management systems;
• Cloud storage;
• Document management;
• Information technology support; and
• Other professional or technology services.

These providers may process information on our behalf as necessary to perform their services.

Legal and Professional Requirements

We may disclose information when we reasonably believe disclosure is necessary or appropriate to:

• Comply with applicable law;
• Respond to a subpoena, court order, warrant, or other lawful process;
• Comply with ethical or professional obligations;
• Protect the rights, property, security, or interests of the Firm, our clients, website visitors, or others;
• Investigate suspected fraud, abuse, or unlawful conduct; or
• Establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

Any disclosure involving information protected by an attorney’s professional duties remains subject to applicable legal and ethical obligations.

Business or Organizational Changes

If the structure or ownership of the Firm changes, information may be transferred as reasonably necessary in connection with a merger, succession, sale of a law practice, reorganization, or similar transaction, subject to applicable legal and professional obligations.

7. Client Confidentiality and Data Security

Protecting confidential information is particularly important to our Firm.

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational measures designed to protect information against unauthorized access, loss, misuse, disclosure, alteration, or destruction.

These measures may include appropriate access controls, security technologies, secure service providers, internal procedures, and other safeguards appropriate to the type of information involved.

The Firm also evaluates the use of emerging technology, including artificial intelligence and technology-assisted legal tools, with consideration for client confidentiality and information security. The Firm does not knowingly place confidential client information into unsecured public AI systems in a manner inconsistent with its professional obligations.

No website, email system, electronic transmission, cloud platform, or information-storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. Accordingly, we cannot guarantee absolute security of information transmitted electronically.

If we become aware of a security incident involving personal information, we will evaluate and respond to the incident in accordance with applicable law and our professional obligations.

8. Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected and for legitimate legal, ethical, security, operational, or recordkeeping purposes.

Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information, whether an attorney-client relationship was established, legal and professional requirements, applicable statutes of limitation, dispute-resolution needs, security considerations, and other legitimate business purposes.

Information associated with an attorney-client relationship may be retained in accordance with the Firm’s file-retention practices and applicable professional obligations.

9. Email, Telephone, and Text Communications

If you provide your email address or telephone number, we may use that information to respond to your inquiry or communicate with you regarding your request, consultation, or legal matter.

If you voluntarily opt in to receive text messages, we may use your telephone number to send communications consistent with that consent. Standard message and data rates may apply.

Where applicable, you may withdraw consent to nonessential marketing communications by following the instructions included in the communication or by contacting the Firm.

Transactional, legal, case-related, security, or other necessary communications may continue where permitted or required by law.

10. Personal Information of Children

This website is intended for a general audience and is not designed or directed primarily toward children under the age of 13.

We do not knowingly use this website to solicit personal information directly from children under 13 without appropriate authorization where required by law.

If we learn that personal information has been collected from a child in circumstances requiring parental consent and such consent was not obtained, we may take reasonable steps to delete the information.

11. Third-Party Websites and Services

Our website may contain links to third-party websites or may integrate services operated by third parties.

Examples may include maps, social media websites, video platforms, online review services, payment services, scheduling systems, client portals, or other external resources.

Once you leave our website or interact directly with a third-party service, that provider’s privacy practices and terms may apply. We are not responsible for the privacy practices, security, availability, or content of third-party websites or services that we do not control.

We encourage you to review the privacy policies of third parties before providing them with personal information.

12. Social Media

The Firm may maintain profiles or pages on third-party social media platforms.

Information that you choose to post publicly, comment, message, or otherwise provide through a social media platform may be processed by that platform according to its own privacy policies and settings.

You should avoid posting confidential or sensitive information about a legal matter publicly on social media.

13. Privacy Rights

Depending on where you reside and whether a particular privacy law applies to the Firm, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information.

These rights may include the right to:

• Request confirmation of whether we process your personal information;
• Request access to certain personal information;
• Request correction of inaccurate personal information;
• Request deletion of certain personal information;
• Obtain a portable copy of certain information;
• Opt out of certain sales, sharing, profiling, or targeted advertising activities;
• Limit certain uses of sensitive personal information where applicable; and
• Appeal a decision regarding a privacy request where applicable law provides that right.

These rights are subject to applicable exceptions, exemptions, verification requirements, and limitations.

Professional confidentiality requirements, attorney-client privilege, legal obligations, litigation holds, record-retention duties, security considerations, and other applicable laws may prevent us from fulfilling some requests.

We may take reasonable steps to verify your identity before processing a privacy request.

Where applicable law permits an authorized agent to submit a request on your behalf, we may require verification of the agent’s authority and your identity.

To submit a privacy-related request, contact the Firm using the information provided below and clearly identify the communication as a Privacy Request.

If applicable law provides you with a right to appeal a decision concerning a privacy request, you may submit an appeal using the same contact information and identifying the request as a Privacy Appeal.

We will not unlawfully discriminate against an individual for exercising privacy rights provided by applicable law.

14. Do Not Track and Privacy Preference Signals

Some web browsers offer a “Do Not Track” setting. Because there is not one universally applied standard governing all Do Not Track signals, our website may not respond to every such signal.

Separate browser-based opt-out preference signals may be legally recognized in certain jurisdictions. Where applicable law requires us to honor such a signal, we will process it in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

15. Information From Visitors Outside the United States

The Firm is located in the United States, and our website and legal services are primarily directed toward individuals seeking legal services in jurisdictions where the Firm’s attorneys are authorized to practice.

If you access the website from outside the United States, information you provide may be processed or stored in the United States or other locations in which our service providers operate.

Privacy laws in those locations may differ from the laws of your jurisdiction.

16. Changes to This Privacy Policy

Technology, our website, our business practices, and privacy laws may change over time.

We may therefore update this Privacy Policy periodically. When changes are made, the revised policy will be posted on this website with an updated “Last Updated” date.

Your continued use of the website following publication of an updated Privacy Policy constitutes acknowledgment of the revised policy to the extent permitted by applicable law.

17. Contact Us

Questions regarding this Privacy Policy, the Firm’s privacy practices, or a request concerning personal information may be directed to:

Hewlett, Collins & Allard, PLLC
110 N 5th Ave, Second Floor
Wilmington, NC 28401
Phone: (910) 763-0156

Please identify privacy-related correspondence as a Privacy Request so that it can be directed appropriately.