Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

Family Court Navigator is a document preparation and coaching service operating in Washington State. We are not a law firm, and we are not attorneys. We help self-represented parents prepare court documents and understand family court processes.

This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, and protect information you provide when you use our website at wafamilycourtnavigator.com, use our client portal, or engage our services.

By using our website or services, you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

2. Information we collect

Information you give us directly

When you contact us, complete our case assessment, or become a client, we collect:

• Contact information: your name, email address, phone number, and county.
• Case information: court case number, county, judge's name, trial or hearing dates, filing deadlines, and other details specific to your family court case.
• Family information: the names and dates of birth of children involved in your case, and information about the other party in your case, as needed to prepare your documents.
• Facts and circumstances: information about your situation that you provide to help us draft your documents - including your parenting history, evidence, witnesses, and goals.
• Payment information: billing details processed through Stripe, our payment processor. We do not store your card number on our servers.
• Communications: messages you send us through the portal, email, or any other channel.

Information collected automatically

When you visit our website, we automatically collect certain technical information including your IP address, browser type, pages visited, and time spent on the site. This information is collected through standard web analytics tools and is used to improve our website. It is not linked to your identity or your case.

3. How we use your information

We use the information you provide for the following purposes:

• To prepare court documents and coaching materials based on your instructions and the facts you provide.
• To communicate with you about your case, answer your questions, and provide updates on document status.
• To process payments for our services.
• To send you important notifications about your case, including document delivery and deadline reminders.
• To improve our services and the content of our website.
• To comply with applicable laws and legal obligations.

If you give us permission to use your experience as a testimonial, we will only use the information you specifically approve, and you may withdraw that permission at any time.

4. How we share your information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information or case details to any third party. We share your information only in the following limited circumstances:

Service providers

We use a small number of trusted third-party services to operate our business. These include our client portal platform (HoneyBook or Dubsado), payment processing (Stripe), calendar and scheduling tools, and email delivery. These providers receive only the information necessary to perform their specific function and are prohibited from using your information for any other purpose.

Legal requirements

We may disclose your information if we are required to do so by law, court order, or lawful request from a government authority. We will notify you of any such request to the extent permitted by law, unless we are legally prohibited from doing so.

Business transfers

In the event that Family Court Navigator is sold, merged, or transferred, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. You will be notified of any such change and given the opportunity to request deletion of your information.

5. Case confidentiality

We take the confidentiality of your case information seriously. All staff and contractors who access client case information are required to maintain confidentiality as a condition of working with us.

Your case details, including the facts you share with us, the documents we prepare, and the communications in your portal, are accessible only to you and to the navigator(s) working on your case. We do not share case-specific information internally beyond what is necessary to prepare your documents.

We retain your case information for a period of three years after your case is closed, after which it is securely deleted. You may request earlier deletion at any time.

6. Data security

We use industry-standard security measures to protect your information, including encrypted data transmission (SSL/TLS), secure cloud storage, password-protected portal access, and limited internal access to case files.

No method of electronic storage or transmission is 100% secure. While we take every reasonable precaution to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security. In the event of a data breach that affects your information, we will notify you as required by applicable law.

You are responsible for maintaining the security of your client portal login credentials. If you believe your account has been compromised, please contact us immediately.

7. Cookies and website tracking

Our website uses cookies - small text files stored on your device - to improve your experience. We use cookies for the following purposes:

• Essential cookies: Required for the website and portal to function. These cannot be disabled.
• Analytics cookies: Help us understand how visitors use our website (e.g., which pages are most visited). We use this to improve our content.

We do not use advertising cookies or sell cookie data to advertisers. You can disable non-essential cookies in your browser settings, though this may affect some website functionality.

8. Your rights and choices

You have the following rights with respect to your personal information:

• Access: You may request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Correction: You may request that we correct inaccurate information.
• Deletion: You may request that we delete your personal information. Note that we may need to retain certain information to fulfill legal obligations or resolve disputes.
• Portability: You may request your information in a portable format.
• Opt-out of communications: You may opt out of non-essential email communications at any time by using the unsubscribe link in any email we send, or by contacting us directly.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information at the end of this policy. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

9. Children's privacy

Our services are intended for adults (18 and older) who are involved in family court proceedings. We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children under 13.

In the course of preparing your documents, we may record information about the children involved in your case (such as their names and dates of birth) as necessary to prepare accurate court documents. This information is used solely for that purpose and is handled with the same confidentiality protections as all other case information.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law. When we make material changes, we will notify active clients by email and update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.

Your continued use of our services after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy. If you do not agree with any changes, you may request deletion of your account and information.

11. Contact us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests related to this Privacy Policy or the way we handle your information, please contact us: