PRIVACY STATEMENT – GDPR

Through this Privacy Statement, we wish to inform every stakeholder as well as possible about how we collect and process your personal data. This Privacy Statement applies to all relationships between us on the one hand and the clients, suppliers, partners, prospects and counterparties on the other hand.
The Office takes the protection of your data seriously and takes appropriate measures to prevent misuse, loss, unauthorized access, unwanted disclosure and unauthorized modification.

In addition, both the deontology of each lawyer and the legally established professional secrecy of each lawyer also include obligations regarding the protection of personal data.
The lawyer who manages your file is the data controller of your data.

What personal data do we process and why?

As lawyers, we hold various categories of personal data because you use the services of the Firm and/or because you (have) provided them to us yourself, such as identification and contact data, financial data, family data, data about your criminal and judicial history, data about your professional career, etc., among others.
This data can relate to either your relationship with the Firm as a client, supplier, partner or even you as a business relationship with one of the clients.
Below is a non-exhaustive list of the personal data processed by us. However, an exhaustive list is not possible as this can always change from situation to situation, file to file.
A non-exhaustive and illustrative list is provided below:
– General personal data: first and last name, gender, date of birth, place of birth, address details, phone number, email address, Whatsapp number, other personal data you actively provide and you provide us with in order to substantiate your case, bank account number – etc.
– Special personal data : criminal records, facts or convictions, data of persons under 16 years of age, personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, or trade union membership, and processing of genetic data, biometric data for the purpose of uniquely identifying a person, or data concerning health, or data relating to a person’s sexual behavior or sexual orientation.
We do not use automated data processing (cfr. profiling).
Your personal data is processed by the Firm for various purposes, including general and financial administration, management of our client and supplier database, provision of proper services and proper performance of contracts, and direct marketing activities.

On what legal grounds do we process your personal data?

The obligation on the Firm regarding the processing of your personal data is contained in the General Data Protection Regulation.
Article 6.1 of that Regulation indicates the legal grounds on which your personal data may be processed. Below is a non-exhaustive overview of the (legal) grounds on which the Firm relies for processing your personal data:
– your consent: by using the Firm’s services, you have given your express and specific consent. You can withdraw your consent at any time (see infra);
– based on legal and deontological obligations with which the Firm is required to comply: as a law firm, we are required to keep your personal data under various legal obligations. This is the case for example for: the money laundering law , social and tax legislation, etc.;
– based on the agreement the Firm has with you: in order to provide adequate services, we need to collect and process your personal data. Of course, we limit ourselves to the necessary data;
– the interest of both you and other interested parties: the Firm processes your personal data because it is necessary for the interests of the Firm, and those of its clients in order to defend you (in court). However, other legitimate interests of the Firm, clients, suppliers or other third parties with whom the Firm works also have an interest in processing your personal data. This is also in the interest of exercising the fundamental right to freedom of expression or information.

Who has access to your personal data?

All persons who work for the Firm have access to your personal data and do so as part of their assignment within the Firm.
To ensure the protection of your personal data, they are subject to deontological and/or contractual obligations (including a confidentiality agreement).
As for the third party service providers, they only have access to your personal data to the extent and which they need for the purposes set by us. They have also been asked to provide sufficient safeguards to respect and ensure the confidentiality of your personal data.
Finally, we do not make your personal data available to third parties for commercial and/or promotional purposes.

How long do we keep your personal data?

The Firm keeps your personal data for as long as necessary according to legal and deontological obligations so that the Firm can provide the services correctly or because the Firm has a legitimate interest to keep such data longer (e.g., in the context of any civil liability).
Also in the professional practice of the Firm, we reserve the right to keep track of court judgments and process them as precedents before a judicial body or as publications. Of course, these court decisions are always anonymized.

What rights do you have regarding the processing of your personal data?

You have the right to see, correct or delete your personal data. In addition, you have the right to withdraw your possible consent to data processing or object to the processing of your personal data by the Office and you have the right to data portability.
You may send a request to access, correct, delete, transfer your personal data or request the revocation of your consent or objection to the processing of your personal data to info@troch-goossens.com .
To ensure that the request for access is made by you, we ask that you send a copy of your proof of identity with the request.
The Firm agrees to respond as soon as possible, but within one (1) month. Depending on the complexity of the request(s) and the number of requests, that deadline may be extended for an additional two (2) months if necessary . This response should state in a reasoned manner why the Firm is (not) responding to the client’s requested request(s).
If necessary, the lawyer reserves the right to charge a reasonable fee in light of the administrative costs involved in granting the request(s).
If you do not agree about our privacy policy, you may file a complaint with the supervisory authority, i.e. the Commission for the Protection of Privacy, Rue du Printing Press 35, 1000 Brussels, tel. +32 (0)2 274 48 00, fax. +32 (0)2 274 48 35, e-mail: commission@privacycommission.be, website: https://www.privacycommission.be.