The Firm desires to maintain a healthy and pleasant working relationship among all employees. Consequently, you are encouraged to discuss any problems or relay any suggestions which relate to your work or to the office in general to your supervisor, Human Resources, the Director of Finance and Administration or Managing Partner.

The Firm realizes that on occasion work-related problems may arise that an employee is not able to resolve. Most incidents resolve themselves naturally; however, if a situation persists that you believe is detrimental to you or the Firm, you should follow the procedure described below for bringing your complaint to management's attention.

Step 1. You are encouraged to speak to your immediate supervisor and attempt to resolve the problem or the issue within the unit. If you do not believe that a discussion with your supervisor is appropriate, you may continue to Step 2.

Step 2. If your problem is not resolved after discussion with your supervisor or if you feel discussion with your supervisor is inappropriate, you are encouraged to speak to Human Resources, the Director of Finance and Administration, or the Managing Partner explaining fully the problem or issue, and indicating steps that have already been taken and why they were unsatisfactory. The matter will be fully evaluated, and if needed, investigated, speaking in person with appropriate individuals. A determination will be made and a response will be communicated to you as promptly as possible.

The Firm does not tolerate any form of retaliation against employees availing themselves of this procedure. This procedure should not be construed, however, as preventing, limiting, or delaying the Firm from taking disciplinary action against any individual, up to and including termination, in circumstances (such as those involving problems of overall performance, conduct, or demeanor) where the Firm deems disciplinary action appropriate.

It is policy of The Firm to ensure that privileged, confidential, proprietary, personal and sensitive information concerning the Firm and its clients, which most information to which employees may be exposed by virtue of one's employment by the Firm ("Information"), be protected from unnecessary or inadvertent disclosure to the greatest possible extent. This acknowledgement and the employee handbook, all work product (including templates), all communications between clients and the Firm, any and all information on the Firm's Intranet and other like information provided by the Firm, are considered to be within the definition of "Information."  This is particularly important, because LDLK&M practices in the intellectual property field and are constantly exposed to new inventions and trade secret information belonging to our clients, as well as to opponents in litigation. We are also exposed to confidential business and financial information of our clients, their competitors and others, with regard to, for example, corporate plans, acquisitions, and the like. Such information is often highly sensitive and extremely valuable. In some instances, if this type of information is improperly disclosed to unauthorized persons, our clients could suffer serious legal and business consequences.

Employees, as well as independent contractors, subcontractors, and vendors, (collectively, "Persons") must keep Information in strict confidence, should use and share Information within the firm and with clients only when required to do so in the normal course of performing one's responsibilities, and should, in addition, exercise any precautions prescribed by the Firm to preserve the security of all Information that they handle. Nothing contained in this policy is intended to prohibit the disclosure of information about the Firm that is routinely communicated to the public, such as the nature of the Firm's services.

"Personal Information" includes Information capable of being associated with a particular individual through one or more identifiers, including a Social Security Number, a driver's license number, a state identification card number, a passport number, an alien registration card number, a bank account number, a credit card number, or a health insurance identification number. The Firm requires that Persons who come into contact with, have access to, or use Personal Information must take the utmost care to protect the privacy of those numbers.

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Employees (and all Persons) are expected to use discretion and good judgment, and to follow ethical standards, when using or transmitting Information. Employees must, to the extent practicable, ensure that the confidentiality of Information is maintained, to limit the use and dissemination of Information, and take precautions to protect Information from misuse. The obligation to secure the confidentiality of Information includes without limitation adhering to the following guidelines:

1. Adherence to all Firm policies regarding the confidentiality, appropriate disclosure and/or security of Information and personal Information including without limitation the following:
2. HIPAA privacy and security Program;
3. Information Technology general security policies practices;
4. Policies for external communications; and
5. Firm protocol for information storage and management.
6. Compliance with all applicable local, state, federal, and international laws relating to the access and use of Information. The Firm will cooperate fully with appropriate authorities concerning any actual or suspected activity not consistent with the law.
7. Information is to be kept confidential and not disclosed to individuals, including other Firm employees, without a need to know. Information is to be used for job-related purposes only. The use of Information for private purposes is prohibited.
8. Employees (and other Persons) who are not attorneys may not take documents containing Information, whether hard copy or electronic versions, from Firm premises without permission from a Partner of the Firm.
9. Information should never be discussed in public places (e.g., when riding in an elevator or other public conveyance), and care should be used when discussing information by phone.
10. Information should not be accessed, discussed, or left visible in the presence of outsiders, both outside of the office and inside of the office (as third parties are often present in the office). Use of attorney offices by Firm visitors, except as part of a formal meeting, is strongly discouraged. Persons should not offer the use of an attorney's office without a Partner's permission.
11. Exercise extreme care in transmitting Information. This includes, without limitation:
12. Ensuring that distribution of Information is limited to intended recipients.
13. Bearing in mind that transmissions by voice, email, or facsimile are easily forwarded by recipients to individuals whom the original transmitter may not have intended or contemplated as a recipient.
14. Whenever possible, transmitting Firm business-related emails only through the Firm's email system.
15. Never emailing Information from a Firm email account to a personal email account, or vice versa.
16. Transmitting Information by facsimile only with a fax cover sheet, which alerts the recipient that the facsimile contains privileged and/or confidential information.
17. Leaving voice messages containing Information on internal and external systems only if the Employee is certain that the "voice mail box" belongs to the intended recipient, recognizing that internal voice messages now arrive as emails for the intended recipient and anyone (e.g., assistants) having access to the intended recipient's email.
18. Before sharing Information with an outside vendor, e.g., document reproduction service, confirm and ensure (to the extent practicable) that the vendor has signed an appropriate confidentiality agreement with the Firm.
19. Care should be taken that documents and files containing Information are not left in plain view on a desk or table within the office when it is possible that an outsider would have the opportunity to examine the materials. This includes any copier in the office to which you can print from your desktop, particularly the copier in the conference area and to which non-employees have access.
20. Care should be exercised with regard to information in the LDLK&M computer system, which includes closing out any document when you will be away from your desk for an extended period of time, and logging off the system when you are finished for the day.
21. Sensitive materials must be shredded rather than simply placed in the trash. Shredder receptacles are located throughout LDLK&M's premises. If you are uncertain whether a document should be shredded, err on the side of shredding.
22. Whenever contacted by the media or any outside publication or organization for information regarding the Firm, Employees must forward all such communications to the Managing Partner or the Director of Finance and Administration.

Violations

Employees who violate this policy will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment. Additionally, violations of this policy may subject employees to criminal charges or civil liability.

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The firm tries to have LD Socials once a month for all employees to socialize during a luncheon or afternoon break.  Group outings for different departments for team building and socialization.