Privacy Policy

Expert Witness USA ("we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our platform.

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. By using the Platform, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

2.1 Personal Information

We collect information that you provide directly to us, including:

• Account Information: Name, email address, password, phone number
• Profile Information: Professional credentials, education, experience, certifications, biography, practice areas
• Contact Information: Business address, city, state, office locations
• Communication Data: Messages, inquiries, and correspondence through the Platform
• Payment Information: Billing details processed securely through our payment processor (we do not store credit card numbers)

2.2 Automatically Collected Information

• Usage Data: Pages visited, search queries, time spent on pages, click patterns
• Device Information: IP address, browser type, operating system, device identifiers
• Location Data: General geographic location based on IP address
• Cookies and Tracking: We use cookies and similar technologies to track activity and store certain information

2.3 Information from Third Parties

• Payment processors (Stripe) for transaction data
• Analytics providers for usage statistics
• Background check services for expert verification (with consent)

We use the collected information for various purposes:

• Service Delivery: To provide, maintain, and improve the Platform
• Account Management: To create and manage your account
• Communication: To send you updates, notifications, and respond to inquiries
• Matching: To connect attorneys with relevant expert witnesses
• Payment Processing: To process transactions and prevent fraud
• Analytics: To understand how users interact with the Platform and improve user experience
• Marketing: To send promotional materials (with your consent, which you can withdraw at any time)
• Legal Compliance: To comply with legal obligations and enforce our terms
• Security: To protect against fraudulent, unauthorized, or illegal activity

We may share your information in the following circumstances:

4.1 Public Profile Information

• Expert witness profiles are publicly visible on the Platform
• This includes name, credentials, practice areas, biography, location, and contact preferences
• You control what information appears in your public profile

4.2 Service Providers

• Payment processors (Stripe) for transaction processing
• Email service providers for sending communications
• Cloud hosting providers for data storage and infrastructure
• Analytics providers for usage insights
• Customer support tools

4.3 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required by law or in response to:

• Valid legal requests (subpoenas, court orders)
• Requests from law enforcement or government agencies
• Protection of our rights, property, or safety
• Prevention of fraud or illegal activity

4.4 Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred to the acquiring entity.

Platform administrators have the ability to access, review, and monitor user-generated content submitted through the Platform, including messages, inquiries, uploaded documents (such as CVs, certifications, and publications), photographs, and other communications.

5.1 Legal Basis for Administrative Access

Administrative access is conducted under the following legal bases:

• Legitimate Business Interests: Maintaining platform integrity, preventing fraud, ensuring quality of the expert directory, and protecting all users
• Contractual Necessity: Fulfilling our obligations under the Terms of Service, including verifying expert credentials and resolving user disputes
• Legal Compliance: Responding to valid legal requests from law enforcement or regulatory authorities
• Consent: Your use of the Platform constitutes acknowledgment and acceptance of these practices

5.2 Purposes of Access

Administrators may access user content for the following legitimate purposes:

• Quality Assurance: Verifying the accuracy of expert credentials, qualifications, educational background, and professional certifications
• Fraud Prevention: Detecting and preventing fraudulent accounts, impersonation, or misrepresentation of qualifications
• Safety and Security: Investigating reports of harassment, abuse, inappropriate conduct, or threats to user safety
• Terms Enforcement: Investigating potential violations of our Terms of Service or community standards
• Dispute Resolution: Reviewing communications to assist in resolving complaints or disputes between users
• Legal Obligations: Complying with lawful subpoenas, court orders, or regulatory investigations
• Technical Support: Troubleshooting issues and providing customer support when requested
• Service Improvement: Analyzing usage patterns to improve Platform functionality (in anonymized or aggregated form where possible)

Recommendation for Sensitive Communications:

The Platform is designed to facilitate initial connections between attorneys and expert witnesses. For confidential case discussions, privileged communications, and the exchange of sensitive case materials, we recommend transitioning to direct contact methods after making your initial connection through the Platform.

By using the Platform and submitting content, you acknowledge that such content is not private from Platform administrators and may be accessed for the purposes described above.

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your information:

• Encryption: Data is encrypted in transit (TLS/SSL) and at rest
• Access Controls: Strict access controls and authentication for our systems
• Secure Hosting: Data is stored on secure, industry-standard cloud infrastructure
• Regular Audits: We conduct security audits and vulnerability assessments
• Employee Training: Our team is trained on data privacy and security best practices

While we strive to protect your information, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

We retain your information for as long as necessary to:

• Provide our services to you
• Comply with legal obligations
• Resolve disputes and enforce agreements
• Maintain business records for tax and accounting purposes

When you delete your account, we will delete or anonymize your personal information within 90 days, except where we are required to retain it for legal, regulatory, or legitimate business purposes.

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights:

7.1 General Rights

• Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Correction: Update or correct inaccurate information
• Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information
• Portability: Request a copy of your data in a machine-readable format
• Opt-Out: Unsubscribe from marketing communications
• Object: Object to certain types of data processing

7.2 California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

California residents have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act:

• Right to know what personal information is collected
• Right to know if personal information is sold or disclosed
• Right to opt-out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell personal information)
• Right to non-discrimination for exercising CCPA rights

7.3 European Privacy Rights (GDPR)

If you are in the European Economic Area, you have rights under the General Data Protection Regulation:

• Right to access your personal data
• Right to rectification of inaccurate data
• Right to erasure ("right to be forgotten")
• Right to restrict processing
• Right to data portability
• Right to object to processing
• Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at support@expertwitnessusa.com.

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to:

• Essential Cookies: Required for the Platform to function (authentication, security)
• Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how users interact with the Platform
• Preference Cookies: Remember your settings and preferences
• Marketing Cookies: Deliver relevant advertisements (with your consent)

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of the Platform.

The Platform may contain links to third-party websites or services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of these third parties. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.

Our Platform is not intended for individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have collected information from a child, please contact us immediately, and we will delete such information.

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your country of residence. These countries may have different data protection laws. By using the Platform, you consent to such transfers.

We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your information, including standard contractual clauses approved by regulatory authorities.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new policy on the Platform and updating the "Last updated" date.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically. Your continued use of the Platform after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us: