Data Protection Policy

INTRODUCTION

In the course of its operations, DEWIT LAW OFFICE manages a range of data, including both commercial and personal information. This policy concerns the processing of personal data by DEWIT LAW OFFICE.

DEWIT LAW OFFICE understands the importance of protecting personal data and the concerns of its members (lawyers and employees), clients, suppliers and other individuals with whom it has contact regarding the processing of their personal data.

Various individuals, in the course of their duties within DEWIT LAW OFFICE, may have access to the personal data of its members (lawyers and employees), including service providers and independent consultants, temporary staff such as temporary workers, interns, students, volunteers, former members and other individuals (clients and suppliers). Each of these individuals within DEWIT LAW OFFICE is bound by this personal data protection policy.

The applicable data protection regulation imposes obligations on DEWIT LAW OFFICE regarding how it must process the data. Furthermore, the regulation provides rights for individuals whose data is being processed.

 

1. I. CONTACT POINT FOR THE PROTECTION OF PERSONAL DATA
    

DEWIT LAW OFFICE has appointed a person responsible for ensuring the implementation and compliance with data protection legislation and this policy.
The data protection contact person can be reached by email gdpr@dewitlawoffice.be or by phone at +32 2 343 13 60. For the exercise of your rights, please refer to Article VIII and Article IX of this policy.

 

1. II. PRINCIPLES APPLICABLE TO THE COLLECTION AND PROCESSING OF PERSONAL DATA
    

Data protection legislation sets out several basic principles that every data controller must adhere to in order to comply with this legislation. If you have any doubts about the application of these principles in a specific case, do not hesitate to contact gdpr@dewitlawoffice.be.

Data must be processed in compliance with the various fundamental principles and the resulting conditions: lawfulness, fairness, transparency, confidentiality and integrity.

Dewit Law Office also commits to collecting only the information strictly necessary to process your request.

 

1. III. PURPOSES AND LEGAL BASIS FOR THE PROCESSING OF PERSONAL DATA

 

DEWIT LAW OFFICE only processes the data you provide via its website to apply for a job, collaboration or internship, to request newsletters, to register for an event or to ask questions. This processing is based on your consent (Article 6 (a) of the GDPR). Your personal data will only be used for the purposes for which you provided it (job, collaboration or internship application; event registration; questions).

For more information about the data, their purposes, legal bases and types, please contact gdpr@dewitlawoffice.be.

 

1. IV. TRANSFER OF PERSONAL DATA

In certain cases, DEWIT LAW OFFICE may transfer your personal data to third-party recipients, both within and outside of DEWIT LAW OFFICE. In all cases, personal data is exclusively transferred to these recipients, who process the data for specific purposes. During the transfer, DEWIT LAW OFFICE systematically adopts the necessary security measures, particularly with respect to the recipients, to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of personal data.

 

• TRANSFER TO COLLABORATORS

DEWIT LAW OFFICE may ask a third party, a subcontractor, to process personal data exclusively on behalf of DEWIT LAW OFFICE and under its instructions. The subcontractor may not process this data for its own purposes, independent of the purposes for which DEWIT LAW OFFICE has engaged the subcontractor.

DEWIT LAW OFFICE may engage subcontractors and only provide them with personal data through the conclusion of a contract or subcontracting agreement and/or an annex ensuring that personal data is processed in accordance with the law.

DEWIT LAW OFFICE will take the necessary measures if it finds that its collaborators are not complying with the obligations assigned to them under the contract.

 

• TRANSFER TO EXTERNAL RECIPIENTS

Access to the data may, in certain cases, be granted to certain categories of external recipients, such as:

• External third-party service providers such as insurance companies, experts, IT system service providers, support, hosting, printing service providers and other similar third-party vendors and subcontracted service providers who assist us in carrying out our activities.
• Government authorities and third parties involved in legal proceedings or under a legal obligation.
• Other third parties with whom DEWIT LAW OFFICE may share personal data as part of a reorganisation, merger, sale, joint venture, transfer or other transaction related to all or part of our activities.

The communication of this information to the aforementioned parties will, in all circumstances, be limited to what is strictly necessary or required by the applicable regulations.

When DEWIT LAW OFFICE provides personal data to a service provider, the provider will be carefully selected and must use appropriate measures to ensure the confidentiality and security of the personal data.

 

• TRANSFER TO THIRD COUNTRIES - OUTSIDE OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA

Transfers of data to a country outside of the European Union or the European Economic Area will only be permitted if and only if:

• The European Commission has made a decision establishing that this country provides an adequate level of data protection, equivalent to that provided by European legislation. Personal data will be transferred on this basis.
• The transfer is covered by an appropriate safeguard providing a level of data protection equivalent to that required by European legislation, such as the Commission's standard contractual clauses, a code of conduct, certification, binding corporate rules or consent.

In the absence of an adequacy decision or appropriate safeguards, a transfer or series of transfers of personal data to a third country may still be possible if the transfer is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.

The detailed list of third parties (data recipients) can be provided on request by sending an email to gdpr@dewitlawoffice.be.

 

1. V. RETENTION PERIOD FOR PERSONAL DATA

DEWIT LAW OFFICE will not retain your personal data longer than necessary for the specific purpose for which it was collected. At the end of the retention period, DEWIT LAW OFFICE will delete or anonymise the personal data. DEWIT LAW OFFICE will anonymise the data if it wishes to use it for statistical purposes. DEWIT LAW OFFICE may retain personal data for a longer period for the purposes of managing disputes, study or archiving.

The table of retention periods is available on request at the address: gdpr@dewitlawoffice.be

 

1. VI. DATA SUBJECTS’ RIGHTS

Data protection legislation provides individuals with various rights related to the processing of personal data, so that individuals can continue to exercise sufficient control over the processing of their personal data.

 

• RIGHT OF ACCESS

The data subject has the right to obtain confirmation from DEWIT LAW OFFICE that their personal data is being processed. If this is the case, the data subject may request access to their data.

DEWIT LAW OFFICE also provides a copy of the personal data processed at the request of the person and free of charge. If the data subject wishes for additional copies, DEWIT LAW OFFICE may request the reimbursement of reasonable costs.

 

• RIGHT TO OBJECT

When personal data is processed for direct marketing purposes (including profiling), the data subject can always object to the processing.

The data subject can also object to the processing of a specific situation concerning them. DEWIT LAW OFFICE will then cease the processing unless it demonstrates that there are legitimate and compelling reasons for the processing that override the interests of the data subject, or that relate to the exercise or establishment of legal claims.

• RIGHT OF RECTIFICATION
• RIGHT TO BE FORGOTTEN
• RIGHT TO RESTRICT PROCESSING
• RIGHT TO PORTABILITY
• RIGHT TO WITHDRAW CONSENT

The data subject can exercise their rights by sending an email to gdpr@dewitlawoffice.be. DEWIT LAW OFFICE may ask the individual to identify themselves in order to ensure that the exercise of rights is requested by the data subject.

In principle, DEWIT LAW OFFICE will respond to the request of the individual within one month. Otherwise, DEWIT LAW OFFICE will inform the data subject of the reasons for their inaction or the delay in following up on the request. DEWIT LAW OFFICE makes the necessary efforts to inform the recipients of the personal data of the data subject that they are exercising their right to rectification, erasure or restriction of processing.

 

1. VII. COMPLAINTS

 

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Authority (https://www.autoriteprotectiondonnees.be/citoyen):

• Via the online form: https://www.autoriteprotectiondonnees.be/citoyen/agir/introduire-une-plainte
• By post to the address: rue de la presse 35, 1000 Brussels.

 

1. VIII. SECURITY MEASURES

 

DEWIT LAW OFFICE has implemented technically and organisationally appropriate security measures to prevent destruction, loss, falsification, alteration, unauthorised access by third parties or misleading third parties of the personal data collected, as well as any unauthorised processing of such data.

With our IT partner, various technical measures have been taken at the level of our organisation and the infrastructure of our systems.

 

1. IX. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE DATA SUBJECT

 

DEWIT LAW OFFICE expects its members to adhere to this policy and to ensure that it is followed by those they are responsible for.

 

1. X. COOKIES

 

The DEWIT LAW OFFICE website only uses strictly necessary cookies. Cookies are small files that are placed on the user's computer, mobile phone or tablet when visiting the website.

These cookies are:

• Strictly necessary cookies

Necessary cookies help make a website usable by enabling basic functions such as page navigation and access to secure areas of the website. The website cannot function properly without these cookies.

Name	Type	Objective	Expires
XSRF-TOKEN	Functional	Necessary for the security of the website. It does not collect data.	After 2 hours
Dewit_law_office_session	Functional	Used to identify a session instance for a user. It does not collect data.	After 2 hours

 

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