SMS Terms & Conditions

Effective Date: September 25, 2026

These SMS Terms & Conditions (“SMS Terms”) govern text messages sent by or on behalf of Westlake Law Group APC (“Westlake Law Group,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) to individuals who provide us with a mobile telephone number and consent to receive text messages as applicable.

These SMS Terms supplement our Privacy Policy and any other terms or agreements applicable to your relationship with Westlake Law Group APC.

Consent to Receive Text Messages

When you provide Westlake Law Group APC with your mobile telephone number in connection with an inquiry, advertisement response, lead submission, consultation request, intake, existing legal matter, or other communication with our firm, and consent to receive text messages as applicable, you authorize Westlake Law Group APC to use that telephone number to communicate with you by SMS or similar text-messaging technology regarding your inquiry or relationship with the firm.

This authorization includes the right to send an initial text message and to reply by text to communications or inquiries you initiate or submit to Westlake Law Group APC.

Consent may be provided, as applicable, through any of the following means:

• Checking an SMS consent box on a website or electronic form

• Submitting a contact, consultation, intake, or lead form containing your mobile telephone number

• Submitting your telephone number through an online advertisement or lead-generation platform

• Requesting information or contacting Westlake Law Group APC through Google Local Services Ads (Google LSA), Google Ads, or similar advertising platforms

• Providing your telephone number through a third-party advertising, referral, directory, lead-generation, or appointment-request service through which you have requested contact from our firm

• Calling, texting, or otherwise initiating communications with our office

• Signing a written or electronic consent

• Providing consent verbally to a member of our office

• Filling out a paper intake or consent form

• Otherwise affirmatively requesting or agreeing to communicate with Westlake Law Group APC

When you voluntarily provide your mobile telephone number to Westlake Law Group APC through an advertisement, lead form, referral platform, contact request, consultation request, or similar method for the purpose of being contacted by our firm, you authorize Westlake Law Group APC to use that number to respond to your inquiry and to communicate with you by telephone and text message regarding that inquiry.

Providing a telephone number does not, by itself, constitute consent to receive unrelated marketing or promotional text messages where separate or additional consent is required by law.

Consent to receive text messages is not a condition of hiring Westlake Law Group APC, obtaining legal services, scheduling a consultation, or purchasing any service.

Types of Text Messages You May Receive

Depending on your relationship with Westlake Law Group APC, text messages may include communications concerning:

• Responses to inquiries generated through Google Local Services Ads, Google Ads, online directories, referral sources, or other advertising

• Consultation requests and scheduling

• Appointment confirmations and reminders

• Responses to inquiries submitted to our office

• Follow-up communications regarding your inquiry

• Requests for information or documents

• Notifications that documents are available for review or signature

• Case or matter status updates

• Court dates, deadlines, hearings, depositions, mediations, meetings, or other events

• Communications concerning trust, estate, probate, conservatorship, litigation, or estate-planning matters

• Client intake and onboarding

• Requests to contact our office

• Billing, invoices, balances, payments, retainers, or other administrative matters

• Office closures or scheduling changes

• Client-service communications

• Security or account-related notifications

• Other communications reasonably related to your inquiry, consultation, potential representation, representation, or relationship with Westlake Law Group APC

Westlake Law Group APC does not send promotional or marketing text messages requiring separate consent unless the recipient has provided the consent required by applicable law.

Message Frequency

Message frequency varies based on your interaction with our office and the nature and status of your inquiry or legal matter.

You may receive multiple messages concerning a new inquiry, follow-up request, time-sensitive matter, upcoming appointment, document request, deadline, or other issue requiring communication.

There is no fixed number of messages that every recipient will receive.

Message and Data Rates

Message and data rates may apply.

Westlake Law Group APC does not charge a separate fee for receiving text messages from our firm. Your wireless carrier may impose message, data, roaming, or other charges under your wireless service plan.

You are responsible for any charges imposed by your wireless carrier.

Opting Out of Text Messages

You may withdraw your consent to receive text messages at any time.

The easiest way to opt out is to reply STOP to a text message from Westlake Law Group APC.

You may also use other commonly recognized opt-out words, including:

• STOP

• QUIT

• END

• REVOKE

• OPT OUT

• CANCEL

• UNSUBSCRIBE

We will also honor other clear requests to discontinue text messaging when required by applicable law.

After an opt-out request is received, you may receive a one-time confirmation message acknowledging your request. We will thereafter discontinue text messages covered by your opt-out request as required by applicable law.

Opting out of text messages does not prevent Westlake Law Group APC from contacting you through other lawful means, including telephone calls, email, postal mail, or communications through a client portal.

If you are an existing client, opting out of text messaging does not eliminate your responsibility to remain informed about your matter, respond to communications, provide requested information, or comply with applicable deadlines.

Opting Back In

If you previously opted out and later wish to resume receiving text messages, you may contact our office and request to opt back in.

Where supported, you may also reply START to the number from which you previously received messages.

Help and Customer Support

For assistance with text messaging, reply HELP to a text message from Westlake Law Group APC.

You may also contact us directly:

Westlake Law Group APC
Phone: (818) 444-2022
Website: https://www.californiatrustattorney.com/

Privacy and Use of Your Mobile Number

Westlake Law Group APC respects the privacy of mobile telephone information provided to us.

Mobile telephone numbers and SMS consent information are not sold or shared with third parties for their own marketing or promotional purposes.

We may receive your telephone number and related inquiry information from advertising or lead-generation services through which you contacted or requested information from Westlake Law Group APC, including Google Local Services Ads, Google Ads, online directories, referral services, and similar platforms.

We may also disclose or make information available to service providers that assist us in operating our law practice and providing communications, including telecommunications, text-messaging, practice-management, information-technology, cloud-service, or similar vendors, when reasonably necessary to provide those services.

Such service providers may process information on our behalf subject to applicable contractual, confidentiality, privacy, and legal requirements.

Our collection and use of personal information is also governed by our Privacy Policy.

Confidentiality and Sensitive Information

Text messaging is convenient but is not necessarily a secure form of communication.

Although Westlake Law Group APC takes reasonable measures to protect confidential information, ordinary SMS messages may travel through telecommunications networks and third-party systems outside of our control.

You should therefore avoid sending highly sensitive personal information by text message, including, when possible:

• Social Security numbers

• Complete financial account numbers

• Credit or debit card information

• Passwords or authentication credentials

• Medical records

• Tax identification numbers

• Other highly confidential information

Our office may request that sensitive documents or information be transmitted through a more secure method.

Attorney-Client Relationship

Receiving or responding to a text message from Westlake Law Group APC does not, by itself, create an attorney-client relationship.

An attorney-client relationship is established only when Westlake Law Group APC expressly agrees to undertake representation, including completion of any engagement procedures required by the firm.

Submission of an inquiry, telephone number, or information through an advertisement, online lead form, website, text message, or other communication channel does not guarantee that Westlake Law Group APC will represent you.

Do Not Use Text Messaging for Emergencies or Critical Deadlines

Do not rely upon SMS communications for emergencies, urgent legal matters, or time-sensitive communications requiring immediate attention.

Text messages may be delayed, blocked, filtered, misdirected, or not received.

If you have an urgent matter involving an imminent hearing, filing deadline, court appearance, emergency, or other time-sensitive issue, contact our office directly at (818) 444-2022.

Westlake Law Group APC does not guarantee that a text message will be reviewed immediately.

Delivery of Text Messages

Delivery of SMS messages depends on your wireless carrier and telecommunications providers and therefore cannot be guaranteed.

Westlake Law Group APC is not responsible for delayed, undelivered, misdirected, filtered, blocked, or otherwise unsuccessful text messages resulting from circumstances outside our reasonable control.

Wireless carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.

Supported Carriers and Devices

SMS availability may depend upon your wireless carrier, mobile device, service plan, geographic location, and other technical factors.

Not all carriers, devices, or telephone numbers may support every messaging feature.

Changes to Your Mobile Number

You are responsible for notifying Westlake Law Group APC if you change, deactivate, transfer, or relinquish a telephone number that you previously provided to us.

You should not assume that changing your telephone number automatically updates our records.

If your number changes, please contact our office so that we can update your contact information.

Telephone Number Ownership and Authorization

By providing a telephone number to Westlake Law Group APC for purposes of receiving a response or further communication, you represent that you are the subscriber, customary user, or otherwise authorized to receive communications at that number.

This representation applies whether the number is provided directly to Westlake Law Group APC or through a website, advertisement, Google Local Services Ads, Google Ads, lead-generation service, referral service, directory, appointment platform, or other third-party service through which you have requested contact from our firm.

If you provide a telephone number belonging to another person, you should not authorize communications to that number unless you have authority to do so.

Automated Messaging Technology

Some messages may be transmitted using automated or semi-automated technology or through third-party communications platforms used by Westlake Law Group APC.

Your consent to receive SMS communications, where consent is required, includes receiving messages through such technology.

Consent to receive automated text messages is not a condition of obtaining legal services from Westlake Law Group APC.

No Guarantee of Response by Text

Westlake Law Group APC may determine that a particular communication should be handled by telephone, email, secure electronic transmission, videoconference, in-person communication, or another method rather than by text message.

Sending us a text message does not guarantee that we will respond by text.

Records of Communications

Text messages sent to or from Westlake Law Group APC may be retained as part of our business records or, when appropriate, the client or matter file.

Communications may also be stored or processed through telecommunications providers, practice-management systems, cloud-service providers, advertising platforms, lead-generation services, or other technology providers used by the firm.

No Waiver of Attorney-Client Privilege or Confidentiality

For existing clients, Westlake Law Group APC will treat text communications in accordance with its professional obligations concerning confidentiality.

However, clients should exercise caution when communicating from:

• Employer-owned devices

• Shared family devices

• Shared telephone accounts

• Devices accessible by third parties

• Telephone numbers monitored or controlled by another person

Your use of a device or account accessible by others could affect the confidentiality of communications.

Changes to These SMS Terms

Westlake Law Group APC may revise these SMS Terms from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, services, or applicable law.

The revised version will be posted at:

https://www.californiatrustattorney.com/

with an updated effective date.

Your continued participation in our SMS program following any required notice of a change will be governed by the terms then in effect, subject to applicable law.

Relationship to Privacy Policy

These SMS Terms should be read together with Westlake Law Group APC's Privacy Policy, which provides additional information concerning the collection, use, disclosure, and protection of personal information.

If there is a conflict between these SMS Terms and applicable law, applicable law will control.

Contact Us

Questions concerning these SMS Terms or our text-messaging practices may be directed to:

Westlake Law Group APC
Phone: (818) 444-2022
Website: https://www.californiatrustattorney.com/

SMS Disclosure

By providing your mobile telephone number to Westlake Law Group APC through our website, an online advertisement, Google Local Services Ads, Google Ads, a lead form, referral source, directory, consultation request, intake process, or other method through which you request contact from our firm, you authorize Westlake Law Group APC to respond to your inquiry and communicate with you by telephone and text message. Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency varies. Reply STOP to opt out of SMS messages. Reply HELP for assistance. Consent to receive text messages is not a condition of obtaining legal services. Mobile information and SMS consent will not be sold or shared with third parties for their own marketing or promotional purposes. For more information, visit https://www.californiatrustattorney.com/.