HomePrivacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Effective Date: March 26, 2026

This Privacy Policy describes how Law Office of Carl G. Hawkins, PLLC ("the Firm," "we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, and protects information you provide when visiting this website or engaging our services. By using this website, you agree to the practices described below.

1. Information We Collect

We collect information you provide directly to us, including when you submit a contact form, book a consultation, purchase an incorporation package, enroll in the Sentinel Plan subscription service, or engage the Firm for trademark services. This may include your name, email address, phone number, mailing address, business entity name, proposed trademark name, and any details you provide about your legal matter.

When you complete a payment through our website, payment processing is handled by Stripe, Inc. The Firm does not store your full credit card number, CVV, or other sensitive payment credentials. Stripe retains a tokenized reference to your payment method for the purpose of processing recurring subscription charges authorized under the applicable service agreement. Stripe's privacy policy governs the handling of your payment information.

We may also collect certain technical information automatically when you visit our website, including your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, and pages visited. This information is collected through standard web analytics tools and is used to improve the website's performance and user experience.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

  • To respond to your inquiries and provide the legal services you have requested.
  • To process consultation bookings, incorporation package purchases, and Sentinel Plan subscription enrollments.
  • To send you the Client Intake Form and other pre-consultation materials.
  • To communicate with you about your matter, including scheduling and follow-up.
  • To perform Sentinel Plan monitoring services, including querying the Florida Division of Corporations (Sunbiz), Florida UCC filing records, and the USPTO trademark database on your behalf, and to send you alert notifications when changes are detected.
  • To conduct trademark clearance searches using the USPTO TESS database, state trademark registries, and common-law sources, and to prepare and deliver written trademark memoranda and USPTO applications.
  • To verify whether a client has previously purchased an incorporation package for the purpose of applying the formation client rate to Sentinel Plan enrollment.
  • To comply with applicable legal and professional obligations.
  • To improve the website and our service delivery.

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.

3. Attorney-Client Privilege & Confidentiality

Information you share with the Firm in the context of a legal representation is protected by the attorney-client privilege and the Firm's professional duty of confidentiality under the Florida Rules of Professional Conduct and applicable D.C. Bar rules. This Privacy Policy governs information collected through the website and does not modify or limit those professional obligations.

Please note that submitting a contact form, booking a consultation, or providing information through this website does not, by itself, create an attorney-client relationship. An attorney-client relationship is established only through a written engagement agreement signed by both parties.

4. Third-Party Service Providers

We use the following third-party services in connection with the operation of this website and our practice:

  • Stripe, Inc. — Payment processing for consultation fees, incorporation packages, and Sentinel Plan subscription billing.
  • Calendly — Online appointment scheduling for consultations.
  • Jotform — Client intake form collection and management.
  • Florida Division of Corporations (Sunbiz) — Queried on behalf of Sentinel Plan clients to monitor entity status and annual report compliance.
  • Florida Secured Transaction Registry (UCC) — Queried on behalf of Sentinel Plan clients to monitor for new UCC lien filings.
  • USPTO TESS/TSDR Database — Queried on behalf of Sentinel Plan clients enrolled in trademark watch monitoring, and in connection with trademark clearance searches.
  • Resend, Inc. — Transactional email delivery service used to send confirmation emails, alert notifications, and attorney notifications. Resend processes your email address solely for the purpose of delivering these communications.

Each of these providers operates under its own privacy policy and data practices. We encourage you to review their respective policies. We share only the information necessary to provide the relevant service and do not authorize these providers to use your information for their own marketing purposes.

5. Cookies & Analytics

This website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to analyze traffic and improve user experience. Analytics data is collected in aggregate and is not used to identify individual visitors. You may disable cookies through your browser settings; doing so may affect certain website functionality.

6. Data Security

We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect the information we collect from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

If you believe your information has been compromised, please contact us immediately at [email protected].

7. Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, to comply with our legal and professional obligations, and to resolve disputes. Client matter files are retained in accordance with Florida Bar and D.C. Bar records retention guidelines.

8. Your Rights

You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of personal information we hold about you by contacting us at [email protected]. We will respond to such requests in accordance with applicable law. Please note that certain information may be subject to retention obligations that limit our ability to delete it.

9. Children's Privacy

This website is not directed to children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a child, please contact us and we will promptly delete it.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The effective date at the top of this page reflects the date of the most recent revision. Continued use of the website following any update constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.

11. Contact

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

Law Office of Carl G. Hawkins, PLLC

35 Durbin Station Court, Suite #105, St. Johns, FL 32259

Phone: (904) 780-0059

Email: [email protected]