TERMS OF USE & LEGAL DISCLAIMER
Effective Date: September 11, 2026
Welcome to Returning the Advocate (“RTA,” “we,” “us,” or “our”). These Terms of Use govern your access to and use of the RTA website, including any articles, resources, newsletters, downloads, educational materials, programs, workshops, events, and other content made available through the website (collectively, the “Website”).
RTA is operated by Returning the Advocate, Inc., a Canadian corporation.
By accessing or using this Website, you agree to these Terms of Use. If you do not agree, please do not use the Website.
1. About Returning the Advocate
Returning the Advocate is an education, coaching, professional development, and thought-leadership company serving lawyers and other professionals.
RTA provides programs and resources designed to support professional reflection, sustainable practice, career development, leadership, wellbeing, and related educational objectives.
Specific paid programs or services may also be governed by a separate client agreement, registration agreement, program terms, or other written contract. If there is a conflict between these Terms of Use and a separate written agreement governing a purchased service, the separate agreement will govern with respect to that service.
2. No Legal Advice or Solicitor-Client Relationship
Although RTA may be founded, owned, operated, or supported by legally trained professionals, RTA is not providing legal services through this Website unless expressly agreed otherwise in a separate written retainer with an appropriately authorized legal service provider.
Information provided through the Website, newsletters, educational materials, programs, presentations, social media, or other RTA content is provided for general educational and informational purposes only.
Nothing on this Website:
constitutes legal advice;
creates a solicitor-client relationship;
constitutes a legal opinion;
should be relied upon as a substitute for advice from a lawyer retained to advise you regarding your particular circumstances; or
should be interpreted as creating duties associated with a solicitor-client relationship.
Sending RTA information through a contact form, email, survey, registration form, or other communication does not create a solicitor-client relationship.
You should obtain independent legal advice where appropriate.
3. Coaching and Educational Services Are Not Therapy or Health Care
RTA's coaching, educational, professional-development, and wellbeing-related content is not psychotherapy, psychological treatment, psychiatric care, medical care, diagnosis, or other regulated health care.
RTA does not diagnose or treat mental illness or medical conditions through its coaching or educational services.
Information concerning burnout, workplace experiences, stress, wellbeing, professional identity, career challenges, or similar subjects is educational in nature and is not a substitute for individualized care from a qualified physician, psychologist, psychotherapist, counsellor, or other regulated health professional.
If you require medical or mental-health care, you should seek assistance from an appropriately qualified professional.
RTA is not an emergency or crisis service. If you believe you or another person is in immediate danger or requires urgent medical or mental-health assistance, contact emergency services or an appropriate crisis service in your location.
4. Professional and Employment Decisions
RTA may discuss careers, professional identity, workplace experiences, leadership, professional transitions, entrepreneurship, return to work, and related matters.
You remain responsible for your own professional, employment, financial, business, regulatory, and personal decisions.
Where your circumstances involve employment rights, disability accommodation, professional regulation, insurance, taxation, financial planning, or other legal or regulated matters, you should obtain advice from the appropriate qualified professional.
5. No Guarantee of Results
Individual circumstances vary.
RTA does not guarantee any particular professional, financial, business, health, career, employment, relationship, or personal outcome from using the Website or participating in an RTA program.
Testimonials, examples, case studies, or descriptions of past experiences do not represent a promise that another person will obtain the same or similar results.
Your results may depend on factors outside RTA's control, including your circumstances, decisions, participation, professional environment, and implementation of the information provided.
6. Intellectual Property
Unless otherwise stated, the Website and its original content are owned by or licensed to RTA and are protected by applicable intellectual property laws.
This includes, without limitation:
written content;
program frameworks;
course materials;
worksheets;
exercises;
graphics;
branding;
logos;
presentations;
videos;
audio;
downloads;
program names;
methodologies; and
proprietary models, including any RTA-developed methodology or framework.
You may access Website content for your own personal and lawful professional use.
Unless RTA gives you prior written permission, you may not reproduce, publish, distribute, sell, license, modify, create derivative commercial materials from, upload, teach, transmit, or otherwise commercially exploit RTA content.
Purchasing or participating in an RTA program does not transfer ownership of RTA's intellectual property to you.
Nothing in these Terms prevents you from using general knowledge, skills, insights, or learning acquired through an RTA program in your own life or professional practice, provided you do not reproduce or hold out RTA's proprietary materials or methodology as your own.
7. Acceptable Use
You agree not to use the Website:
for an unlawful, fraudulent, abusive, or harmful purpose;
to interfere with the operation or security of the Website;
to attempt unauthorized access to any system or account;
to transmit malware or malicious code;
to scrape, harvest, or systematically extract Website content or personal information without authorization;
to impersonate another person or entity;
to infringe intellectual property, privacy, confidentiality, or other rights; or
in a way that could reasonably damage RTA, its users, or its service providers.
RTA may restrict or terminate access where necessary to protect the Website, RTA, its participants, or third parties.
8. Third-Party Services and Links
The Website may use or link to third-party services such as website hosting, payment processing, scheduling, videoconferencing, email, social media, analytics, or other platforms.
Those third parties operate independently and may have their own terms and privacy practices.
RTA does not control third-party websites and is not responsible for their content, availability, security, or privacy practices.
A link to a third-party site does not necessarily constitute an endorsement.
9. Payments and Third-Party Payment Processors
Payments for RTA programs or services may be processed by a third-party payment processor such as Stripe.
Payment transactions may therefore be subject to the payment processor's own terms and privacy policy.
RTA does not ordinarily need to receive or store your complete payment-card information when transactions are processed directly by a third-party payment processor.
Pricing, payment schedules, cancellation terms, refund rules, transfer rules, and other purchase-specific conditions will be communicated at the point of purchase or in the applicable program agreement.
10. Website Availability and Accuracy
RTA makes reasonable efforts to provide useful and accurate information. However, professional standards, laws, regulations, technologies, resources, and other circumstances change.
Website content may therefore become outdated or incomplete.
RTA may change, update, suspend, remove, or discontinue any part of the Website or its content without notice.
The Website is provided on an “as available” basis to the extent permitted by law.
11. Limitation of Liability
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, RTA and its directors, officers, employees, contractors, facilitators, and representatives will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages arising from or relating to your access to or use of the Website.
Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.
Nothing in these Terms limits any non-waivable rights you may have under applicable consumer protection or other legislation.
12. Privacy
Your use of the Website is also subject to RTA's Privacy Policy.
Please review the Privacy Policy to understand how RTA collects, uses, discloses, protects, and retains personal information.
13. Governing Law
These Terms are governed by the laws of the Northwest Territories and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.
Nothing in this section limits any mandatory rights or protections that apply to you under the laws of another Canadian jurisdiction and that cannot lawfully be waived by agreement.
14. Changes to These Terms
RTA may update these Terms periodically to reflect changes to its services, technology, business practices, or legal obligations.
The effective date at the top of this page will identify the latest version.
Your continued use of the Website after updated Terms are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms to the extent permitted by law.
15. Contact
Questions about these Terms may be directed to:
Returning the Advocate
Returning the Advocate, Inc.
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada
Email:returningtheadvocate@gmail.com
© 2026 Returning the Advocate. All rights reserved.
PRIVACY POLICY
Effective Date: September 11, 2026
Returning the Advocate (“RTA,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) respects your privacy and is committed to handling personal information responsibly.
This Privacy Policy explains how RTA collects, uses, discloses, retains, and protects personal information when you visit our website, communicate with us, subscribe to communications, complete a form or survey, register for an event, purchase a program or service, or otherwise interact with RTA.
RTA is operated by Returning the Advocate, Inc., a Canadian corporation.
1. Our Privacy Commitment
RTA seeks to manage personal information in accordance with applicable Canadian privacy law, including the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) where applicable, as well as applicable provincial or territorial privacy legislation.
Our practices are guided by principles of:
accountability;
identifying the purposes for collecting personal information;
meaningful consent;
limiting collection;
limiting use, disclosure, and retention;
accuracy;
appropriate safeguards;
openness;
individual access; and
the ability to challenge our compliance with applicable privacy obligations.
2. What Is Personal Information?
“Personal information” generally means information about an identifiable individual.
Depending on how you interact with RTA, this may include information such as your name, email address, telephone number, professional information, transaction history, correspondence with us, registration information, survey responses, or other information that can reasonably be associated with you.
3. Information We May Collect
Information You Provide Directly
We may collect information that you voluntarily provide, including:
your name;
email address;
telephone number;
city, province, territory, or country;
professional title, occupation, employer, or practice information;
information submitted through contact forms;
newsletter subscription information;
event or program registration information;
survey, questionnaire, assessment, or feedback responses;
communications you send to RTA;
information you provide when participating in an RTA program;
testimonials or reviews where you choose to provide them; and
information reasonably necessary to administer a purchase or provide a requested service.
Because some RTA programs concern professional wellbeing, career experiences, workplace experiences, or professional development, you may voluntarily provide information that is sensitive or personal in nature.
We encourage you to provide only information that is reasonably necessary for the service or interaction.
Transaction Information
If you purchase a program or service, we may collect information about the transaction, such as:
the product or service purchased;
transaction amount;
transaction date;
billing-related information; and
payment status.
Payments may be processed through a third-party payment processor such as Stripe.
RTA does not ordinarily receive or store complete payment-card numbers when payment details are entered directly into a third-party processor's secure payment environment.
Website and Technical Information
When you use our Website, certain information may be collected automatically by us or our service providers, such as:
Internet Protocol (IP) address;
browser type;
device type;
operating system;
pages visited;
referring website;
approximate geographic information derived from an IP address;
timestamps;
interactions with Website features; and
cookie or similar technology identifiers.
4. Why We Collect and Use Personal Information
RTA may collect and use personal information for purposes including:
responding to inquiries;
providing requested programs, resources, or services;
registering participants for programs, workshops, webinars, or events;
administering customer and participant relationships;
processing and documenting purchases;
communicating about a program in which you are participating;
delivering newsletters or marketing communications where permitted;
maintaining business and transaction records;
administering surveys, feedback, or program evaluation;
improving our programs, services, content, and Website;
understanding Website usage and performance;
protecting the security and integrity of our systems;
detecting or preventing fraud or misuse;
fulfilling legal, regulatory, accounting, insurance, or contractual obligations;
responding to legal processes or lawful requests; and
other purposes that are identified when the information is collected or to which you otherwise consent.
We seek to collect only the personal information reasonably necessary for the identified purpose.
5. Consent
Where consent is required, we seek consent in a manner appropriate to the circumstances and sensitivity of the information.
Consent may be express or, where permitted by law and appropriate in the circumstances, implied.
You may withdraw consent to certain uses of your personal information, subject to legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice.
Withdrawal of consent may affect our ability to provide a particular service where the information is reasonably necessary to provide that service.
6. Email and Marketing Communications
If you subscribe to an RTA newsletter or otherwise consent to receive promotional or commercial electronic communications, we may use your contact information to send those communications.
We may also send communications where otherwise permitted by applicable law.
Our commercial electronic messages will include an unsubscribe mechanism where required.
You may unsubscribe from marketing communications at any time by using the unsubscribe link included in the communication or by contacting us at returningtheadvocate@gmail.com.
We will process unsubscribe requests in accordance with applicable Canadian anti-spam legislation.
Unsubscribing from marketing communications does not prevent us from sending non-promotional communications that are reasonably necessary to administer an existing transaction, program, or contractual relationship.
7. Cookies and Similar Technologies
Our Website and service providers may use cookies and similar technologies to:
enable Website functionality;
remember preferences;
maintain security;
understand Website traffic and usage;
diagnose technical issues; and
measure or improve Website performance.
Some cookies may be necessary for the Website to function.
Other cookies, including analytics or advertising technologies if implemented, may be optional depending on applicable law and the technologies used on the Website.
You may be able to control cookies through your browser settings or any cookie-management tools made available on the Website.
Disabling certain cookies may affect Website functionality.
8. When We May Disclose Personal Information
RTA does not sell personal information.
We may disclose personal information where reasonably necessary to service providers that support our operations, including providers of:
website hosting and website management;
payment processing;
email and newsletter delivery;
scheduling;
videoconferencing;
cloud storage;
analytics;
customer relationship management;
professional advisory services;
accounting or bookkeeping; and
information technology and security.
These providers may process information on our behalf or under their own applicable privacy terms, depending on the service.
We may also disclose information:
with your consent;
where required or permitted by law;
to comply with a court order, subpoena, regulatory process, or other lawful requirement;
where reasonably necessary to investigate fraud, security incidents, or misuse;
to protect our legal rights or the safety or rights of another person;
in connection with a proposed or completed corporate reorganization, financing, sale, merger, or transfer of all or part of the business, subject to applicable legal requirements; or
for another purpose permitted under applicable privacy law.
9. Service Providers and Processing Outside Your Province or Canada
RTA may use technology and service providers whose systems or personnel are located outside your province or territory and, in some cases, outside Canada.
As a result, personal information may be processed or stored in another jurisdiction and may be accessible to courts, governments, law-enforcement authorities, or regulatory bodies in that jurisdiction in accordance with its laws.
RTA takes reasonable steps appropriate to the circumstances to select and manage service providers and to protect personal information entrusted to them.
10. Retention
RTA retains personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to:
provide services;
maintain appropriate business records;
complete transactions;
comply with legal, taxation, accounting, insurance, or regulatory obligations;
resolve disputes; and
enforce agreements.
Retention periods may vary according to the nature of the information and the reason it was collected.
When personal information is no longer reasonably required, we will take reasonable steps to securely delete, destroy, anonymize, or otherwise dispose of it, subject to applicable legal requirements and technical limitations.
11. Security
RTA uses administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards that are reasonable in light of the sensitivity and volume of the personal information in our custody or control.
No method of transmitting or storing information electronically is completely secure. We therefore cannot guarantee absolute security.
If RTA becomes aware of a privacy or security incident involving personal information, we will assess and respond to the incident and make notifications or reports where required by applicable law.
12. Access and Correction
Subject to applicable law and certain exceptions, you may request access to personal information about you that is held by RTA.
You may also ask us to correct personal information that you believe is inaccurate or incomplete.
We may need to verify your identity before responding to a request.
Requests should be made in writing to:
Privacy Officer
Returning the Advocate
Email: returningtheadvocate@gmail.com
We will respond in accordance with applicable privacy law.
13. Withdrawal of Consent
Where RTA relies on your consent to collect, use, or disclose personal information, you may withdraw that consent subject to legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice.
To withdraw consent, contact returningtheadvocate@gmail.com.
We will explain any reasonably foreseeable consequences of withdrawing consent where appropriate.
14. Privacy Questions and Complaints
RTA has designated responsibility for privacy compliance to its Privacy Officer.
Questions, concerns, access requests, correction requests, or complaints regarding RTA's handling of personal information may be directed to:
Privacy Officer
Returning the Advocate
Returning the Advocate, Inc.
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada
Email:returningtheadvocate@gmail.com
We will review privacy concerns and seek to respond appropriately.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may have the right to make a complaint to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada or another applicable provincial or territorial privacy regulator.
15. Children's Privacy
RTA's Website and professional services are primarily intended for adults and professionals.
We do not knowingly seek to collect personal information from children through our professional programs.
If we become aware that personal information about a child has been collected in circumstances requiring parental or guardian consent and appropriate consent has not been obtained, we will take reasonable steps to address the situation.
16. Third-Party Websites
Our Website may contain links to third-party websites or services.
RTA is not responsible for the privacy practices of third parties. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any external website or service you use.
17. Changes to This Privacy Policy
RTA may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes to our services, technologies, business practices, or legal obligations.
The effective date shown at the top of the policy identifies the latest version.
Where a change is material, we will provide notice where required or appropriate.
18. Contact Us
For questions about this Privacy Policy or RTA's privacy practices, contact:
Privacy Officer
Returning the Advocate
Returning the Advocate, Inc.
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada
Email: returningtheadvocate@gmail.com
© 2026 Returning the Advocate. All rights reserved.