Privacy Policy

Our Commitment to Your Privacy

AccessLex Institute (“AccessLex” or the “Company”) is a non-profit member organization fostering broad-based access to quality US-based legal education and working to maximize the value and affordability of a US-based law degree through policy advocacy, research, and student-focused initiatives.   We value your privacy and are committed to maintaining the security and confidentiality of your information.  For example, we do not sell your personal information to unrelated third parties or advertisers.  Additionally, any marketing initiatives that we may conduct occasionally, either by ourselves or in concert with our affiliates or business partners, are solely to promote and facilitate the Company’s mission.

Information That We Collect – Information You Provide

AccessLex collects personal information from or about you, and information about your use of the accesslex.org website, related web pages and Hosted Websites (defined below) (collectively, the “Site”).  In particular, we collect personal information from you when you provide it through the Site, including, without limitation, completing online forms or fields and/or contacting us by e-mail, telephone, or any other means.  Such information includes, but may not be limited to, your name and contact information, and the name of the educational institution you attend or aspire to attend, if any. 

Website Usage Information – IP Addresses and Cookies

As with many other websites, the web servers used to operate the Site may collect certain data pertaining to you and the equipment and communications methods that you use to access the internet and the Site. We may collect general Site usage information, including, but not limited to IP addresses of the devices used to access the Site.  We may also collect geotracking information about your location.

AccessLex may use “cookies” or other similar technologies when you visit the Site.  Cookies are data files stored on your computer or device for a variety of reasons, including to track information about you, such as when you are logged on to the Site and to identify your preferences.  By using the Site, you consent to the use of cookies and similar tracking methods.  Please note that you can generally remove, block or disable cookies by adjusting the settings in your browser, but doing so may limit your ability to fully use the Site.

In addition, we may retain the content of, and the metadata regarding, any correspondence you may exchange with us, regardless of the mode of communication by which such correspondence was made. This information helps us to improve the Site and the online media, content, materials, opportunities, and services that we feature or describe on the Site, and to more effectively and efficiently respond to both current and future inquiries.

Do Not Track Requests

At this time, the Site does not recognize automated browser signals regarding tracking mechanisms, which may include "do not track" instructions.

How We Use Your Information

We, along with our business partners and/or affiliates, may use your information to engage in a variety of lawful business activities, including, without limitation:

• Operating the Site, improving Site content and features from time-to-time, and conducting general day-to-day business activities;
• Communicating with you about your account or any services we may be providing to you, or to fulfill your requests;
• Contacting you to respond to your inquiries (e.g., notifying you when you may have won a contest);
• Contacting you to provide you with information about the Company or about our business partners, affiliates, or initiatives designed to further the Company’s mission;
• Communicating with you about products, programs or services that we believe may be of interest to you;
• Sending communications to your designated recipients upon your request;
• Monitoring compliance with and enforcing the Terms of Use for the Site/protecting the safety of Site users;
• Preventing fraud or potentially illegal activities (including, without limitation, copyright infringement);
• Providing Site technical support or similar assistance; and
• Aggregating information about you, and others like you, to utilize for analysis/research and similar purposes, consistent with our mission.

By providing your personal information to us through the Site, you authorize the Company and its business partners and affiliates to contact you, including through the use of automated technology.  If we receive a Court Order or a subpoena for your personal information, we will disclose it as required by law.  We may disclose your personal information as otherwise required by law, or for the prevention or detection of a crime. We also may share your information with third parties that you have specifically designated as authorized to receive information from us. Additionally, we may anonymize your information for research and analytical purposes, in which case the information will cease to be personal.  We may share anonymized information with third parties.

We do not disclose your personal information for profit to anyone.  Similarly, we do not host third party advertising on the Site.  You have the right, at any time, to opt-out of receiving marketing communications from the Company and its business partners and affiliates.  Specifically, if you receive a marketing email from the Company or its affiliate or business partner, follow the "unsubscribe" instructions provided in the e-mail.  If you sign up to receive text messages from the Company but no longer wish to receive them, follow the unsubscribe instructions in the text messages, or text “STOP” in response to such texts.

If you do not want your information to be used as described herein, you should not use this Site. Additionally, in light of the US-based focus of our mission, if you are a resident of the European Union outlined above, you should not provide any personal information through this Site.

Third Party Links

The Site may contain links to third party websites as a convenience, or to provide you with additional information and functionality.  By offering hyperlinks to third party websites, the Company does not represent or imply that there is any relationship between them and any third party, or that the Company is endorsing these third parties or their products or services.  The Company makes no representations about and is not responsible for the privacy policies, if any, of any such third parties. Finally, the Company does not represent or promise that third party sites accessed through hyperlinks on this Site are free of viruses, worms, Trojan Horses or other code with destructive properties.

Additional Important Privacy Rights - Hosted Websites

The Company offers certain programs and services through third party website or app providers (“Hosts”) that host the Company’s content (“Hosted Websites”). In the event that any such Host collects and/or uses your personal information for its own ends and purposes, the Host’s privacy policy will be posted on the Hosted Website and will apply, in addition to this Privacy Policy. Your continued access to and use of any such Hosted Websites represents your consent to the provisions of this Privacy Policy, and to the provisions of the privacy policies of each respective Host posting its own privacy policy on such Hosted Websites.

If, however, the only privacy policy posted on a Hosted Website is AccessLex’s privacy policy (or the privacy policy of an AccessLex affiliate or business partner), the Host is acting solely in a service-provider capacity and is collecting and/or using your information only at the direction of the Company and pursuant solely to this Privacy Policy or an alternate privacy policy published by the Company directly on the Hosted Website at issue. The only portion of the Host Privacy Policy that applies in such a case is the portion pertaining to website usage information (e.g., without limitation, cookies, IP address tracking, etc.).

Currently, the Company offers programs or services through the following Hosted Websites, which are subject to this Privacy Policy and the privacy policy of each respective Host – either in its entirely or with respect to website usage information only, as provided herein.

Security Disclaimer

Although the Company uses security measures that comply with federal and other laws to protect your personal information from unauthorized access and use, no method of electronic transmission or storage is one hundred percent secure.  Therefore, your use of the Site, including providing any personal information, is at your own risk and we cannot guarantee that your information will always remain private.  You agree that in the event of an unauthorized third-party compromise of our security measures, the Company will not be responsible for any ensuing damages, whether actual or hypothetical or consequential, as may result from or relate to such unauthorized access.

How You Can Access or Correct Information/How to Contact Us

Access to certain personal information that is collected from this Site and that we maintain may be available to you. For example, if you created a password-protected account using the Site, you can access that account to review, change, delete or update the information that you provided previously.

You may also send an e-mail or letter to the following e-mail or street address requesting access to or correction of your personal information. Please include your registration information with your request, such as your first name, last name and email address. We may ask that you provide additional information for identity verification purposes, or to verify that you are in possession of the applicable email account.

AccessLex Institute
Attn: Marketing – Site Services
10 North High Street
Suite 400
West Chester, PA 19380
Email: general@accesslex.org

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, you may contact us as noted above.  We may ask you to provide additional information for identity verification purposes, or to verify that you are in possession of, or that you control, the applicable email account.

If you prefer not to receive marketing information as noted in this Privacy Policy, follow the "unsubscribe" instructions provided on any marketing e-mail you receive.  If you have signed up to receive text messages from us and no longer wish to receive such messages, you may follow the instructions to stop the delivery of such messages, which may include by replying "STOP" to the received text message.

A Special Note About Children’s Privacy

You must be at least 18 years old to use this Site.  The Company does not knowingly collect, use or disclose any information about visitors under the age of 13.  If you are a parent or a guardian of a child under the age of 13 and believe that the child has disclosed personally identifiable information through this Site, please contact us at general@accesslex.org.

Updates and Effective Date

This Privacy Policy may be modified from time to time.  We will notify you of any material changes to this Privacy Policy by sending you an email address that you provided to us most recently, or by posting a notice on our website. We encourage you to check back periodically and review this Privacy Policy to keep current about what information we collect, how we use it, and with whom we share it.

This Privacy Policy was updated on September, 2021.

Acknowledgement

BY ACCESSING OR USING THE SITE, YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ, UNDERSTAND, AND CONSENT TO THE PRIVACY PRACTICES, AND TO THE USES AND DISCLOSURES OF INFORMATION THAT WE COLLECT ABOUT YOU, THAT ARE DESCRIBED IN THIS PRIVACY POLICY, AND YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY OUR TERMS OF USE.

*Prior to 2010, the Company, formerly known as Access Group, Inc., operated educational loan programs for students pursuing postsecondary education, primarily students pursuing graduate or professional degrees (the “Access Group Loan Programs”).   Although the Company has exited the loan origination and servicing business, the Company retains a legacy loan portfolio.  If you are an Access Group borrower, please click here to review the Company’s Privacy Policy as it relates to your loans.