Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

OTT Law (“we,” “us,” or “our”) is a law firm located in St. Louis, Missouri. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information responsibly. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, with whom we share it, and the choices you have when you visit or interact with our website at ott.law (including traffic redirected from ottlawfirm.com and josephott.com), our social media pages, or our online chat feature.

By using our website, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with these practices, please discontinue use of our website.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide Directly

• Contact form submissions — name, email address, phone number, and the content of your message when you request a consultation or send an inquiry.
• Chat widget interactions — messages you exchange through our AI-powered intake chat widget (see Section 5 below for details about our AI chat feature).
• Phone and email communications — information you share when you call our office at (314) 710-2740 or email joe@ott.law.

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

• Analytics data — we use Google Analytics 4 (Measurement ID: G-FC2G9ERZK1) to collect anonymized usage data, including pages visited, session duration, referral source, device type, browser type, screen resolution, and approximate geographic region. Google Analytics uses cookies and similar technologies to gather this information. Google’s use of collected data is governed by the Google Privacy Policy.
• Server log data — our web server automatically records your IP address, browser type and version, operating system, referring URL, pages requested, and date/time stamps. This data is used for security monitoring and performance optimization.
• Cookies and similar technologies — see Section 4 below for our full Cookie Policy.

2.3 Information We Do Not Collect

We do not knowingly collect Social Security numbers, financial account information, health records, or other sensitive personal data through our website. If you need to share sensitive information as part of a legal matter, we will provide secure methods for doing so after an attorney-client relationship has been established.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• Legal services — to respond to your inquiries, evaluate potential legal matters, and provide legal consultations.
• Website improvement — to analyze website traffic, diagnose technical issues, and optimize the user experience.
• Content publishing — to publish informational legal content on our website and social media pages, including our Facebook Page (“Ott Law Firm”). We use the Meta (Facebook) API to publish posts to our business page. We do not use the Meta API to collect, access, or store any user data from Facebook.
• Communication — to follow up on inquiries you have submitted and to provide information you have requested.
• Legal compliance — to comply with applicable laws, regulations, court orders, or governmental requests.
• Security — to detect and prevent fraud, abuse, or unauthorized access to our website.

4. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

4.1 What Are Cookies

Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. They help the website remember your preferences and understand how you interact with the site.

4.2 Cookies We Use

4.3 Managing Cookies

You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to block or delete cookies. You can also opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. Please note that disabling cookies may affect your experience on our website.

5. AI-Powered Chat Widget

Our website features an AI-powered chat widget designed to assist with initial intake inquiries. This chat feature is powered by Anthropic’s Claude AI technology. Please be aware of the following:

• Chat conversations are processed by Anthropic’s AI service to generate responses. Anthropic’s data practices are governed by the Anthropic Privacy Policy.
• The chat widget is intended for general intake purposes only. It does not provide legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship.
• While we treat all chat interactions as confidential, you should avoid sharing highly sensitive personal information (such as Social Security numbers or financial account details) through the chat.
• Chat session data is transmitted over encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS) and is not sold or shared with third parties for marketing purposes.

6. Social Media and Meta Platform Integration

We maintain a business presence on social media platforms, including our Facebook Page (“Ott Law Firm”). Our use of Meta (Facebook) platform tools is limited to the following:

• Content publishing — we use the Meta Graph API to publish informational posts (such as blog articles and legal updates) to our Facebook Page. This is a one-way publishing action; we do not use the API to read, collect, or store data about Facebook users.
• Page insights — we may review anonymized, aggregate engagement metrics (such as post reach and engagement counts) provided by Meta through standard Page management tools to understand how our content performs.
• No user data collection — our Meta API integration does not access, collect, transfer, or store any personal data from Facebook users, their profiles, friends lists, or private messages.

Your interactions with our social media pages (such as liking, commenting on, or sharing our posts) are governed by each platform’s own privacy policy, including the Meta Privacy Policy. We encourage you to review those policies directly.

7. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party service providers in connection with our website. Each provider processes data in accordance with its own privacy policy:

We do not sell your personal information to any third party. We share information with third parties only as described in this Privacy Policy or as required by law.

8. Data Security

We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your personal information, including:

• HTTPS encryption (TLS 1.2+) for all data transmitted between your browser and our website
• Secure server infrastructure hosted on Amazon Web Services with access controls and monitoring
• HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) headers to prevent downgrade attacks
• Rate limiting and security headers configured through our web server

While we strive to protect your personal information, no method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security but are committed to maintaining industry-standard protections.

9. Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, including:

• Contact form submissions — retained for the duration necessary to respond to your inquiry and, if a legal matter proceeds, in accordance with our record retention obligations under Missouri law and the Missouri Rules of Professional Conduct.
• Chat widget data — chat session transcripts are retained for intake evaluation purposes and are deleted when no longer needed.
• Analytics data — Google Analytics data retention is configured in accordance with our GA4 property settings.
• Server logs — retained for a limited period for security and performance monitoring purposes.

10. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information. We honor the following requests from all users, regardless of location:

• Access — you may request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Correction — you may request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
• Deletion — you may request that we delete your personal information, subject to our legal and regulatory obligations to retain certain records.
• Opt-out of analytics — you may opt out of Google Analytics tracking by adjusting your browser settings, using a browser extension such as the Google Analytics Opt-out Add-on, or configuring your device’s privacy settings.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information in Section 15 below. We will respond to your request within a reasonable timeframe, typically within 30 days.

11. State Privacy Law Disclosures

11.1 California Residents (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), may provide you with additional rights regarding your personal information. We do not sell or share (as those terms are defined under the CCPA/CPRA) your personal information. You have the right to request disclosure of the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected, to request deletion, and to be free from discrimination for exercising your rights. To make a request, contact us at joe@ott.law.

11.2 Other State Privacy Laws

Several other states have enacted comprehensive privacy laws (including Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, and others). If you are a resident of a state with an applicable consumer privacy law, you may have rights similar to those described above. We are committed to honoring your privacy rights regardless of your state of residence. Please contact us if you have questions about your rights under your state’s law.

12. Attorney-Client Privilege and Confidentiality

Using this website, submitting a contact form, or engaging with our chat widget does not create an attorney-client relationship. An attorney-client relationship with OTT Law is established only through a signed written engagement agreement.

Notwithstanding the above, we treat all consultation inquiries received through our website as confidential to the extent permitted by the Missouri Rules of Professional Conduct. We will not disclose the content of your inquiry to third parties unless required by law or with your consent.

If you are seeking legal representation, please do not send sensitive or privileged information through our website until an attorney-client relationship has been formally established.

13. Children’s Privacy

Our website is not directed to children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without parental consent, we will take steps to delete that information promptly. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us at joe@ott.law.

14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technologies, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically. Your continued use of our website after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

15. Contact Information

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

The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements.