Privacy Policy

Thomas P. Riley Law Office, PLC

Effective date: August 1, 2026

This is a new document, but it is not a change in how I handle information. It puts in writing the practices this website has followed since it launched in 2019.

This website is operated by Thomas P. Riley Law Office, PLC, a Michigan professional limited liability company located at 500 W Michigan Ave, Ste 1, Jackson, MI 49201-2075. In this policy, "I," "me," and "my" refer to Thomas P. Riley Law Office, PLC, and "you" refers to anyone who visits thomasrileylaw.com.

I know that people who come to this site are often dealing with money problems, collection calls, or garnishments, and that privacy matters a great deal in that situation. This policy explains, in plain language, what information this website collects, what I do with it, and what choices you have.

The short version

This website does not have any contact forms, chat boxes, or sign-up boxes. There is nothing here for you to fill out. The only information collected automatically is basic technical and traffic data used to keep the site running and to see how many people visit. I do not sell your information, and I do not run advertising on this website.

Important: using this website does not make you my client

Reading this website, or sending me an email or a text message, does not create an attorney-client relationship. Information you send me before I agree to represent you is not protected by the attorney-client privilege. Please do not send me confidential details about your finances, your debts, or your legal situation until we have spoken and I have agreed in writing to represent you.

Once you become a client, everything you share with me is protected by the attorney-client privilege and by my professional obligations under the Michigan Rules of Professional Conduct. This privacy policy covers website visitors. It does not limit or replace the confidentiality duties I owe my clients, which are stricter.

Information collected automatically

This site is built and hosted on the Wix platform. Like nearly every website, it records certain technical information automatically when you visit:

Your IP address, which shows your general geographic area but not your street address
Your browser type and version, operating system, and whether you are on a phone, tablet, or computer
The pages you viewed on this site, the date and time, and how long you stayed
The website or search engine that sent you here, if any
Basic error and performance data

This information is generated by your browser and by the hosting platform. I do not use it to try to identify you personally.

Cookies and analytics

A cookie is a small text file that a website stores on your device.

Wix cookies. Wix sets a small number of cookies that are necessary for the site to load correctly, to keep it secure, and to remember basic settings. These cannot be turned off without breaking the site.

Google Analytics. I use Google Analytics to see how many people visit the site, which pages they read, and roughly where visitors come from. Google Analytics uses cookies and a randomly assigned identifier to do this. I see this data only as totals and trends. I do not see your name, and I do not attempt to match analytics data to any individual person. Google processes this data on its own servers and under its own privacy terms.

If you would rather not be counted in Google Analytics, you have a few options:

Install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on, available at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout
Block or delete cookies through your browser's privacy settings
Use your browser's private or incognito mode

Blocking analytics cookies will not affect your ability to read anything on this site.

Google Search Console. I use Google Search Console, which shows me the search terms that led people to this site and how the site ranks in Google search results. This information is aggregated by Google and does not identify individual visitors.

Google Ads. I maintain a Google Ads account, but I do not currently run any advertising and there are no advertising, conversion tracking, or retargeting tags installed on this website. Nothing you do on this site is used to target ads to you. If that ever changes, I will update this policy before turning any advertising on.

Information you send me on purpose

There is no form on this site, so the only way to reach me is to call, text, or email using the contact information on the Contact section of the home page. When you do:

Email. I receive your email address, your name if you include it, and whatever you write. Email is stored in my email system.
Phone and text. My office line, (517) 787-2196, is a Google Voice number. Calls and text messages to that number, including voicemail and text history, are handled through Google Voice and stored in that account.

I use that information for one purpose: to respond to you and, if you decide to hire me, to represent you. I do not add you to a mailing list, and I do not sell or rent contact information to anyone.

Please remember the warning above. Until I have agreed to represent you, treat anything you send as not confidential.

How I share information

I do not sell your personal information, and I never have.

I share information only in these limited situations:

Service providers. Wix hosts this website. Google provides analytics, search reporting, email, and my office phone line. These companies handle data on my behalf under their own privacy policies and security terms. They are not permitted to use it for their own unrelated purposes.
When the law requires it. If I receive a valid subpoena, court order, or other legal demand, I may have to produce information. Where the information belongs to a client, I will assert the attorney-client privilege and any other applicable protection before producing anything.
To protect the site. If someone attacks or attempts to abuse this website, I may share technical log data as needed to investigate and stop it.

How long I keep information

Website analytics data is retained according to Google's standard retention settings for Google Analytics, currently a maximum of fourteen months for the detailed data. Emails, text messages, and voicemails from people who do not become clients are kept only as long as I have a reason to keep them, and are then deleted. Client files are retained under my professional record retention obligations, which are separate from this policy and are covered by the fee agreement you sign when you hire me.

Security

I take reasonable steps to protect the information in my possession, including encryption, current software and security patches, strong access credentials, and encrypted backups. That said, no method of transmitting information over the internet is completely secure. Unencrypted email in particular is not a secure channel. If you need to send me something sensitive, call me first and I will tell you the best way to get it to me safely.

Children

This website is intended for adults. I do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of thirteen. If you believe a child has sent me personal information, contact me and I will delete it.

Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control

Some browsers and browser extensions can send a "Do Not Track" signal or a Global Privacy Control signal. Both are ways of telling a website that you do not want your personal information sold, or shared with advertisers to target ads at you across other websites.

There is nothing here for those signals to turn off. I do not sell your personal information, I do not share it with advertisers, and there is no advertising or cross-site tracking on this website. That is true whether or not your browser sends a signal, and it is true for every visitor.

If what you want is to keep this site's analytics from counting your visit at all, the signal is not the tool for that. Use one of the options in the analytics section above: the Google Analytics opt-out add-on, your browser's cookie settings, or private browsing mode.

Your choices and requests

Whether or not the law in your state requires it, you are welcome to contact me and ask what information I have about you, ask me to correct it, or ask me to delete it. I will do my best to honor reasonable requests. Two limits apply. First, most of what this site collects is anonymous traffic data that I cannot connect to you personally, so there may be nothing to look up. Second, if you are or were a client, I may be required by my professional obligations or by court rules to retain parts of your file.

Visitors from outside Michigan

I primarily serve clients in southern Michigan. This website is intended for people located in the United States. If you visit from another state or another country, be aware that any information collected is processed on servers in the United States, where privacy laws may differ from those where you live.

Links to other websites

This site may link to other websites, such as court websites or government resources. I do not control those sites and I am not responsible for their privacy practices. Read their policies before giving them information.

Changes to this policy

I may update this policy as the website changes or as the law changes. When I do, I will change the effective date at the top. If a change is significant, such as adding advertising tracking or a contact form, I will note it clearly. Please check back occasionally.

How to reach me