Privacy Policy

Last Updated on January 4, 2024

Welcome to the Cornerstone Research website operated by Cornerstone Research, Inc. on behalf of it and its affiliates including Cornerstone Research UK Ltd and Cornerstone Research Belgium SRL (together, “Cornerstone Research,” “Cornerstone,” “we,” “us,” or “our”). This Privacy Policy (“Policy”) and our Conditions and Terms of Use apply to your use of www.cornerstone.com (the “website”) and other services offered through the website.

This Privacy Policy does not apply to information we collect through other means—for example, e-mail messages and associated information that you send to addresses published on this website—or to information collected on any other sites that may link to or be accessible from the website.

Personally Identifiable Information Collected or Received from You

We collect personally identifiable information (sometimes referred to as “personal data” or “personal information”) about you through this website.

In general, we will use the personal information we collect for online recruiting purposes, subscriptions to publications, event registration, to provide you with a range of services (including to match testifying experts to law firms), to update or enhance our client records, and for account administration.

Personal information we collect may include your name, address, e-mail address (both personal and/or work e-mail address), telephone or fax number, IP address, or any content you post in your resume or CV.

Legal Basis

Our legal basis for collecting and using the personal information described above depends on the personal information concerned, but will either be:

  1. to meet contractual obligations (e.g., you enter into a contract with Cornerstone Research to receive services);
  2. to comply with a legal obligation (e.g., anti-money laundering and fraud checks)—if you do not provide the information, we cannot provide services to you; or
  3. for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by Cornerstone Research (e.g., to help us match testifying experts to law firms).
Use and Disclosure of Information

If you provide personal information to us through this website, we will use that information for the purpose for which it was collected and for other reasonably related purposes which are not incompatible with those allowed under applicable data protection laws.

Information Shared with Our Service Providers: We may provide your information to third parties for the processing of that information solely for our benefit, but we will not provide your information to any third party for marketing purposes, except in connection with information requests that you make that involve third parties or in connection with events that involve presentations or sponsorships by third parties. We do not provide your personal information to any third party for its own marketing purposes.

We use iCIMS, a third-party software provider, to run our recruitment platform. This software allows you to search for open job positions, apply for jobs online, send job listings via e-mail to others, and create an account so that you can keep up to date with all of our recruitment activities and keep track of your applications. For more information about iCIMS, please see its privacy notice: https://www.icims.com/legal/privacy-policy-website

We may use third-party web analytics services on the site, such as those of Google Analytics.  We may also disclose certain information about you and the device you use to access the services in order to deliver tailored advertising. These service providers use the technology described in the Cookie Statement to help us analyze how users use the site. The information collected by the technology (including your IP address) will be disclosed to or collected directly by these services providers, who use the information to evaluate your use of the site. You can read more about how Google uses your information via Google Analytics here:  www.google.com/policies/privacy/partners/Learn about opting out of Google Analytics.

Information Disclosed for Our Protection or the Protection of Others: Cornerstone Research will disclose your personal information, without notice, if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to: (a) conform to the edicts of the law or comply with legal process served on Cornerstone Research; (b) protect and defend the rights or property of Cornerstone Research; or (c) act under urgent circumstances to protect the personal safety of users of the website or the public.

Information Disclosed in Connection with Business Transactions: Cornerstone Research may also disclose your personal information to a successor in title of our business.

Data Retention and International Transfer: Your information will be stored in the USA. Where personal information is transferred outside of the EU or the UK, we have taken appropriate safeguards to require that your personal information will remain protected in accordance with applicable data protection laws and this Policy. You can obtain a copy of such safeguards by contacting us as indicated in the “Your Rights” section herein.

We retain personal information we collect from you for as long as necessary to administer any services you have requested from us or to comply with our legal obligations

We have not sold and will not sell your personal information.

Security

This website is not designed to store sensitive personal information such as financial, health, or educational records, and you should not use this website for such purposes. This website uses reasonable technical and organizational procedures and practices that Cornerstone believes are appropriate to secure the personal information we collect, but we cannot and do not assure you that these measures will be sufficient to protect against all efforts to gain unauthorized access to the information.

Do Not Track

Cornerstone Research does not respond to a browser’s do-not-track signal regarding the collection of information about online activities over time and across third-party online services.

Opt Out and Unsubscribe

We allow you to opt out of future electronic marketing communications at any time by e-mailing us at privacy@cornerstone.com and writing “remove” in the subject line, or by clicking the “unsubscribe” link found at the bottom of our e-mails and newsletters.

Changes to This Policy

This Policy is effective as of the date above. Any material changes to this Policy will be published on this website. By your continued use of the website, you consent to the terms of the revised Policy.

Links to Other Websites

This website may link to websites maintained by third parties, including our clients. If you use these links, you will leave our website. This Policy does not apply to third-party websites. Cornerstone Research is not responsible for the content or policies maintained by these websites. If you decide to visit a third-party website, you do so at your own risk.

Your Rights

If you are an individual, you have the following rights in relation to your personal information: (i) to access, correct, update, or request changes to or deletion of it; (ii) to object to processing of your personal information; (iii) to ask us to restrict processing of it; (iv) to request portability of it; and, as indicated in the “Opt Out and Unsubscribe” section above, (v) to opt out of marketing communications and of profiling to the extent that it is related to such communications. You can exercise these rights by calling us at 888-223-2536 or by e-mailing us at privacy@cornerstone.com.

You have the right to complain to a data protection authority about our collection and use of your personal information. For more information, please contact the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office. The data controller of your personal information is Cornerstone Research UK Ltd.

California Consumer Privacy Act Compliance

Because we value your privacy, we have taken steps to comply with the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (collectively, the “CCPA”).

This Policy describes the personal information we collect or process about California residents in connection with the website, how we use, disclose, and protect that personal information, and what your rights are concerning personal information that we collect or process.

In this Policy, “personal information” has the same meaning as under the CCPA California Civil Code Section 1798.83: information that identifies, relates to, describes, is reasonably capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with a particular consumer or household. Personal information does not include information that has been de-identified or aggregated.

Personal Information We Collect and Share, and For What Purpose

In the past 12 months, we have collected and disclosed personal information from visitors in the following circumstances when they interact with our website, as described in detail above:

  • Contact information
  • Information collected using cookies and web technologies
  • Information related to use of the website
  • Information disclosed to our service providers
  • Information disclosed in connection with business transactions
  • Information disclosed for our protection and the protection of others

As described in detail above, we use your personal information for a variety of purposes to operate, assess activity on, and improve the performance of our website, including the following:

  • To administer and provide the website
  • For research and development
  • To communicate with you about our website
  • To market, promote, and drive engagement with our website
  • For customer support
  • For safety and security
  • To protect our legitimate business interests and legal rights

In the past 12 months, we have disclosed the following personal information for a business purpose:

Category of personal information disclosed Category of third party to whom personal information was disclosed Business Purpose for Disclosure
Name Service Providers To administer and provide the website; for research and development; for customer support
Email address Service Providers To administer and provide the website; for research and development; for customer support
Phone Number Service Providers To administer and provide the website; for research and development; for customer support
IP Address Service Providers To administer and provide the website; for customer support

Except as described in detail above, we will not disclose your personal information with third parties without your consent.

Additionally, while certain information associated with your IP address (geolocation information) may constitute sensitive personal information for the purposes of the CCPA, we do not use such information for purposes other than those set forth in Cal. Code Regs. tit. 11 §7027(m).

Your Rights as a California Resident

Under California law, users who are California residents have specific rights regarding their personal information. These rights are subject to certain exceptions described below. When required, we will respond to most requests within 45 days unless it is reasonably necessary to extend the response time.

Right to Disclosure of Information

You have the right to request that we disclose certain information regarding our practices with respect to personal information. If you submit a valid and verifiable request and we confirm your identity and/or authority to make the request, we will disclose to you any of the following at your direction:

  • The categories of personal information we have collected about you in the last 12 months.
  • The categories of sources for the personal information we have collected about you in the last 12 months.
  • Our business or commercial purpose for collecting that personal information.
  • The categories of third parties to whom we disclose that personal information.
  • The specific pieces of personal information we collected about you.
  • If we disclosed your personal information to a third party for a business purpose, a list of the personal information types that each category of recipient received.

Right to Correct

You have the right to request that we correct any inaccurate personal information that we maintain about you. To do so, please submit a valid and verifiable request to enable us to confirm your identity and/or authority to make the request.

Right to Delete Personal Information

You have the right to request that we delete any of your personal information collected from you and retained, subject to certain exceptions. Upon receiving a verified request to delete your personal information, we will do so unless otherwise authorized by law.

How to Exercise these Rights

To submit a verifiable consumer request to us for disclosure or deletion of personal information by please call us at 888-223-2536, privacy@cornerstone.com, or visit our webform at https://www.cornerstone.com/privacy-policy-cookies/privacy-information-request/.

We will respond to verifiable requests for disclosure or deletion of personal information free of charge, within 10 days of receipt.

In order to protect your privacy and the security of your information, we verify consumer requests by matching personal information that you provide with information in our possession, in order to confirm your identity. Any additional information you provide will be used only to verify your identity and not for any other purpose.

You may designate an authorized agent to make requests on your behalf. You must provide an authorized agent written permission to submit a request on your behalf, and we may require that you verify your identity directly with us. Alternatively, an authorized agent that has been provided power of attorney under Probate Code sections 4000-4465 may submit a request on your behalf.

Right to Opt Out of Sales of Your Personal Information

We do not sell or share personal information as such terms are defined in the CCPA and we therefore do not provide any mechanism for you to exercise the right to opt out.

Right to Non-Discrimination

You have the right not to be discriminated against for the exercise of your California privacy rights described above including, but not limited to, by:

  1. denying you goods or services;
  2. charging you different prices or rates for goods or services, including through the use of discounts or other benefits or imposing penalties;
  3. providing you with a different level or quality of goods or services; or
  4. suggesting that you will receive a different price or rate for goods or services or a different level or quality of goods or services.
Access

If you have questions or wish to access your information, please call us at 888-223-2536 or e-mail us at privacy@cornerstone.com.

Our Policy Regarding Children
We do not direct our website or services toward children under the age of 16. As such we neither sell nor share information belonging to children under 16. In particular, if we learn that we have collected the personal information of children under the age of 13, we will take immediate steps to delete such information.
Global Privacy Controls
We treat Global Privacy Control signals as opt-out of sale and sharing of your Personal Information as required under CCPA. If your browser or browser extension has GPC enabled, our websites will automatically recognize that signal and opt you out of the sale or sharing of the personal information we collect via our websites.

Cookie Statement

Last Updated on March 4, 2024

This Cookie Statement explains how Cornerstone Research, Inc. on behalf of it and its affiliates including Cornerstone Research UK Ltd. (together, “Cornerstone Research,” “Cornerstone,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) use cookies and similar technologies to recognize you when you visit our website at www.cornerstone.com (“website”). It explains what these technologies are and why we use them, as well as your rights to control our use of them.

What are cookies?

Cookies are small data files that are placed on your computer or mobile device when you visit a website. Cookies are widely used by website owners in order to make their websites work, or to work more efficiently, as well as to provide reporting information.

Cookies set by Cornerstone Research are called “first-party cookies.” Cookies set by parties other than the website owner are called “third-party cookies.” Third-party cookies enable third-party features or functionality to be provided on or through the website (e.g., like advertising, interactive content, and analytics). The parties that set these third-party cookies can recognize your computer both when it visits the website in question and also when it visits certain other websites.

Why do we use cookies?

We use first-party and third-party cookies for several reasons. Some cookies are required for technical reasons in order for our website to operate, and we refer to these as “essential” or “strictly necessary” cookies. Other cookies also enable us to track and target the interests of our users to enhance the experience on our website. Third parties serve cookies through our website for advertising, analytics, and other purposes. This is described in more detail below.

How can I control cookies?

You have the right to decide whether to accept or reject cookies. You can exercise your cookie preferences by clicking on the appropriate opt-out links provided in this page.

You can set or amend your web browser controls to accept or refuse cookies. If you choose to reject cookies, you may still use our website though your access to some functionality and areas of our website may be restricted. As the means by which you can refuse cookies through your web browser controls vary from browser to browser, you should visit your browser’s help menu for more information.

In addition, most advertising networks offer you a way to opt out of targeted advertising. If you would like to find out more information, please visit https://www.aboutads.info/choices/ or https://www.youronlinechoices.com.

How often will you update this Cookie Statement?

We may update this Cookie Statement from time to time in order to reflect, for example, changes to the cookies we use or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. Please therefore re-visit this Cookie Statement regularly to stay informed about our use of cookies and related technologies. The date at the top of this Cookie Statement indicates when it was last updated.

Where can I get further information?

If you have any questions about our use of cookies or other technologies, please e-mail us at privacy@cornerstone.com.

The specific types of first- and third-party cookies served through our website and the purposes they perform are described herein.

Essential website cookies

These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features, such as access to secure areas.

Amazon Web Services (First Party)

AWSELB: Associated with Amazon Web Services and created by Elastic Load Balancing, AWSELB cookie is used to manage sticky sessions across production servers.

Cloudflare (First Party)

__cf_bm: This cookie, set by Cloudflare, is used to support Cloudflare Bot Management.

CookieYes (First Party)

viewed_cookie_policy: The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether the user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Performance and functionality cookies

These cookies are used to enhance the performance and functionality of our website but are non-essential to its use. However, without these cookies, certain functionality may become unavailable.

Amazon Web Services (First Party)

AWSELBCORS: This cookie is used by Elastic Load Balancing from Amazon Web Services to effectively balance load on the servers.

CookieYes (First Party)

cf_clearance: This cookie improves user experience by identifying legitimate users and avoiding unnecessary challenges.

cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary: This cookie stores user consent for essential cookies, helping with user preferences and compliance.

cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional: This cookie stores user consent for functional cookies, allowing you to understand user preferences and tailor features accordingly.

cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance: This cookie stores user consent for performance cookies, providing insights into website usage and helping improve performance.

Analytics Cookies

Google Analytics (Third Party)

_ga: The _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data, and also keeps track of site usage for the site’s analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors.

_gid: Installed by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website’s performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously.

_gat_UA-12672498-1: A variation of the _gat cookie set by Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager to allow website owners to track visitor behavior and measure site performance. The pattern element in the name contains the unique identity number of the account or website it relates to.

You may restrict the collection of Google Analytics using a web browser plug-in described in the “Use and Disclosure of Information” section above.

You may also exercise rights of privacy for analytics gathering detailed in the “Your Rights” section above.

Podbean (Third Party)

PBSECURESUSID: This cookie is set by the provider Podbean. This is a session cookie used to verify that the users are on secure sessions. It helps in implementing audio files on the website.

Vimeo (Third Party)

vuid: Vimeo installs this cookie to collect tracking information by setting a unique ID to embed videos to the website.