Effective Date: March 5, 2026  |  Last Updated: March 5, 2026

Shawna L. Stevens PLLC (“the Firm,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is a family law practice located in Fredericksburg, Virginia. We are committed to protecting the privacy of individuals who visit our website at shawnalstevenspllc.com (the “Website”) and those who contact us or use our legal services.

This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, with whom we may share it, and the choices you have regarding your information. By using our Website or contacting us, you acknowledge that you have read and understand this Privacy Policy.

This Privacy Policy does not govern the attorney-client relationship or any confidential communications protected by the attorney-client privilege. If you become a client of the Firm, your confidential information is separately protected by applicable rules of professional conduct, including the Virginia Rules of Professional Conduct.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect the following categories of information:

A. Information You Provide Directly

When you contact us through our Website contact form, by email, or by telephone, you may provide:

• Your name, phone number, email address, and mailing address
• A description of your legal matter or inquiry
• Any other information you voluntarily choose to share

B. Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our Website, we or our service providers may automatically collect certain technical information, including:

• IP address and general geographic location
• Browser type, version, and operating system
• Pages visited, time spent on pages, and referring URLs
• Date and time of your visit
• Device type and identifiers

This information is collected through standard web server logs, cookies, and similar technologies as described in Section 5 below.

C. Information from Third Parties

We may receive limited information about you from third-party services, including Google Business Profile, legal directory listings (such as Justia and Avvo), or social media platforms, if you interact with our profiles on those platforms.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use information we collect for the following purposes:

• To respond to your inquiries and evaluate whether we can assist with your legal matter
• To schedule and conduct initial consultations
• To communicate with you about our legal services
• To operate, maintain, and improve our Website
• To comply with applicable legal and ethical obligations, including the Virginia Rules of Professional Conduct
• To protect the rights, property, and safety of the Firm, our clients, and others
• To analyze Website usage and improve the visitor experience

We do not use information submitted through our Website contact form for marketing purposes without your express consent. Submitting an inquiry through our Website does not create an attorney-client relationship.

3. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal information on the following legal bases: (a) your consent, where applicable; (b) our legitimate interests in operating a law practice and maintaining a functional website; (c) compliance with our legal and professional obligations; and (d) the performance of a contract or pre-contractual steps at your request.

4. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties. We may share your information in the following limited circumstances:

A. Service Providers

We work with third-party vendors who provide website hosting, email, practice management software, and other operational services. These vendors are contractually obligated to use your information only to provide services to us and may not use it for their own purposes.

B. Legal and Professional Obligations

We may disclose information when required by law, court order, or other legal process, or when necessary to comply with our professional obligations under the Virginia Rules of Professional Conduct.

C. Protection of Rights

We may disclose information when we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of the Firm, our clients, or the public.

D. Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, dissolution, or transfer of all or a portion of the Firm’s practice, personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to applicable professional conduct rules governing client files and confidential information.

5. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our Website may use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience and collect usage data. Cookies are small text files stored on your device. We may use:

• Session cookies that expire when you close your browser
• Persistent cookies that remain on your device for a set period
• Analytics cookies (such as those provided by Google Analytics) to understand Website traffic and usage patterns

You may configure your browser to refuse cookies or to alert you when cookies are being sent. Please note that some features of our Website may not function properly if cookies are disabled. We do not currently respond to Do Not Track signals.

We do not use cookies or tracking technologies to build advertising profiles or sell your browsing data to third parties.

6. Third-Party Links and Services

Our Website may contain links to third-party websites, including legal directories such as Justia and Avvo, Google Maps, and social media platforms. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those third-party sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party websites you visit.

7. Data Retention

We retain information submitted through our Website for as long as necessary to respond to your inquiry, establish or maintain an attorney-client relationship, or fulfill our legal and professional obligations. Website analytics data is typically retained in accordance with our analytics provider’s standard retention periods.

Client files and confidential communications are retained in accordance with Virginia State Bar guidelines and applicable law governing the retention of client records.

8. Data Security

We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include secure email practices, access controls on our practice management systems, and use of reputable hosting and technology providers.

However, no method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of information transmitted through the internet. If you have sensitive information to communicate, we encourage you to contact us by telephone at (540) 310-4088.

9. Children’s Privacy

Our Website is not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a child under 13, please contact us immediately using the contact information in Section 12 and we will take prompt steps to delete that information.

10. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on applicable law, you may have the following rights with respect to your personal information:

• Access: The right to request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Correction: The right to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
• Deletion: The right to request deletion of your personal information, subject to our legal and professional retention obligations
• Objection: The right to object to certain processing of your information
• Portability: The right to receive your information in a structured, machine-readable format where technically feasible

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information in Section 12. We will respond to your request within a reasonable time and in accordance with applicable law. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

Please note that certain information may be exempt from these rights where it is subject to attorney-client privilege, legal hold obligations, or other applicable legal protections.

11. Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA)

Virginia residents may have additional rights under the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (Va. Code § 59.1-571 et seq.), which took effect January 1, 2023. To the extent the VCDPA applies to our processing activities, Virginia residents have the right to:

• Confirm whether we are processing their personal data
• Access their personal data
• Correct inaccuracies in their personal data
• Delete personal data provided by or obtained about them
• Obtain a portable copy of their personal data
• Opt out of the sale of personal data, targeted advertising, or profiling

We do not sell personal data or use personal data for targeted advertising or profiling for decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects. To submit a request under the VCDPA, please contact us at [email protected]. You may appeal our decision regarding a VCDPA request by contacting us within 30 days of receiving our response.

12. Contact Us

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

Please do not submit confidential or sensitive legal information through our general contact email. If you have a time-sensitive matter or wish to discuss confidential details, please call us directly.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to update or modify this Privacy Policy at any time. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this policy and post the revised version on our Website. Your continued use of our Website following any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information.

14. Governing Law

This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, without regard to its conflict of laws principles. Any disputes arising under this Privacy Policy shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in Fredericksburg, Virginia.