1. Information We Collect
JudgeFinder.io collects the following categories of information:
Account Information
- Email address (when you create an account)
- Account authentication data (managed securely by Clerk)
- Profile preferences and settings
Professional Verification Data (Attorneys Only)
- Bar number(s) and jurisdiction(s) of licensure
- Law firm or practice name
- Practice area specializations
- Professional contact information (for advertising services)
Usage Data
- Search queries and browsing history on our platform
- Judge profiles viewed and bookmarked
- Feature usage and interaction patterns
- Device information, IP address, and browser type
- Referral sources and navigation paths
Communications
- Support inquiries and correspondence
- Feedback and survey responses
- Email communication preferences
2. How We Use Your Information
We use collected information for the following purposes:
Service Delivery
- Provide access to judicial data, analytics, and search functionality
- Personalize search results and recommendations
- Maintain bookmarks and user preferences
- Process advertising placements for verified attorneys
Platform Improvement
- Analyze usage patterns to enhance user experience
- Develop new features and improve existing functionality
- Conduct research to improve judicial analytics algorithms
- Test and optimize platform performance
Security and Compliance
- Verify attorney credentials through bar number validation
- Detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and security threats
- Enforce our Terms of Service and Acceptable Use Policy
- Comply with legal obligations and respond to lawful requests
Communications
- Send important service updates and security notifications
- Respond to support inquiries and feedback
- Deliver marketing communications (with your explicit consent, opt-out available)
3. Bar Number Data Handling
For attorneys who advertise on JudgeFinder.io or seek professional verification, we collect and verify bar numbers to ensure platform integrity and compliance with attorney advertising regulations.
Bar Number Security
- Encryption at Rest: Bar numbers are stored in encrypted database fields using AES-256 encryption
- Transmission Security: All bar number verification requests use TLS 1.3 encrypted connections
- Access Control: Only authorized system processes and verified administrators can access bar number data
- Verification Process: Bar numbers are verified against official state bar databases at registration
- Limited Retention: Bar numbers for non-advertisers are deleted after verification; advertisers' bar numbers are retained for compliance purposes only
How We Use Bar Numbers
- Verify active attorney licensure status
- Confirm jurisdiction(s) of practice
- Display "Verified Attorney" badges on profiles
- Maintain advertising platform integrity
- Respond to ethical complaints or regulatory inquiries
We never sell, share, or publicly display bar numbers. We do not use bar numbers for marketing purposes beyond platform verification badges.
4. Data Protection and Security
We implement comprehensive security measures to protect your information:
Technical Safeguards
- TLS 1.3 encrypted data transmission (HTTPS) for all connections
- Secure database storage with Supabase using row-level security policies
- AES-256 encryption for sensitive data at rest
- Multi-factor authentication support via Clerk
- Regular security audits and penetration testing
- Automated vulnerability scanning and patch management
Organizational Safeguards
- Limited access to user data by authorized personnel only
- Background checks for employees with data access
- Confidentiality agreements for all personnel
- Regular security training and awareness programs
- Incident response plan with breach notification procedures
Data Breach Protocol
In the event of a data breach affecting personal information, we will:
- Notify affected users within 72 hours of discovery
- Provide details about the nature and scope of the breach
- Describe steps taken to mitigate harm
- Notify applicable regulatory authorities as required by law
5. Data Retention
We retain personal information for different periods depending on the data category and purpose:
Retention Periods
- Account Data: Retained for the lifetime of your account plus 30 days after deletion (to prevent accidental data loss and facilitate account recovery)
- Bar Number Verification: For non-advertisers, deleted immediately after verification; for active advertisers, retained for duration of advertising relationship plus 7 years (for regulatory compliance)
- Usage Analytics: Aggregated analytics retained indefinitely; individual-level data retained for 24 months then anonymized
- Search History: Retained for 12 months for personalization, then automatically deleted
- Support Communications: Retained for 3 years for customer service quality and legal compliance
- Advertising Records: Retained for 7 years to comply with tax and advertising regulations
Data Deletion
Upon account deletion, we will:
- Immediately disable account access
- Delete personal information within 30 days (except where legal retention is required)
- Anonymize usage data that must be retained for analytics purposes
- Remove all bookmarks and preferences
- Cancel active advertising campaigns and process final billing
Note: Public court data about judges is not considered personal information and is not deleted upon account closure, as it is sourced from public records and not user-generated content.
6. California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) Compliance
California residents have specific privacy rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA).
Your California Privacy Rights
- Right to Know: You can request disclosure of the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you
- Right to Delete: You can request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain exceptions
- Right to Opt-Out: You can opt out of the sale of your personal information (Note: We do not sell personal information)
- Right to Non-Discrimination: You will not receive discriminatory treatment for exercising your privacy rights
- Right to Correct: You can request correction of inaccurate personal information
- Right to Limit Use of Sensitive Personal Information: You can limit our use of sensitive personal information (such as bar numbers) to necessary business purposes only
How to Exercise Your Rights
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at:
- Email: privacy@judgefinder.io
- Subject line: "CCPA Request - [Your Request Type]"
- Include your account email and describe your request
We will verify your identity before processing requests and respond within 45 days (extendable to 90 days for complex requests with notification).
Categories of Personal Information Collected
As required by CCPA, we disclose the following categories of personal information collected in the past 12 months:
- Identifiers (email, IP address, device identifiers)
- Professional information (bar numbers, law firm affiliations for verified attorneys)
- Internet activity (search queries, page views, interactions)
- Commercial information (advertising purchases, transaction history)
- Inferences (preferences, characteristics, behaviors derived from usage patterns)
Data Sharing Disclosure
We share personal information with the following categories of third parties for business purposes:
- Authentication service providers (Clerk) - identity verification
- Database hosting providers (Supabase) - data storage
- Analytics providers - usage analysis (anonymized where possible)
- Payment processors - for advertising transactions
We do not sell personal information and have not sold personal information in the past 12 months.
7. Public Court Data
JudgeFinder.io displays publicly available court data from official sources. This includes:
- Judge profiles and court assignments
- Public case decisions and rulings
- Court statistics and performance metrics
This public data is not considered personal information.
8. Your Rights
You have the right to:
- Access your personal data
- Request correction of inaccurate data
- Request deletion of your account and associated data
- Opt-out of marketing communications
9. Cookies and Tracking
We use essential cookies and analytics to:
- Maintain your login session
- Remember your preferences
- Analyze platform usage patterns
For detailed information about our cookie usage and how to manage your preferences, please see our Cookie Policy.
10. Third-Party Services
We integrate with trusted third-party services:
- Clerk for authentication
- Supabase for database services
- CourtListener for court data
Each service has its own privacy policy.
11. Contact Us
For privacy concerns or data requests, contact us at:
Email: privacy@judgefinder.io
Address: JudgeFinder.io, California, USA
12. Changes to This Policy
We may update this privacy policy periodically. We will notify you of significant changes via email or platform notification. The "Last updated" date at the top of this policy indicates when the most recent changes were made.
Your continued use of JudgeFinder.io after policy updates constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.
13. Additional Resources
For more information about your rights and our practices, please review: