Privacy Policy

Personal data we process:
Rasschaert Advocaten* processes your personal data because of our legally defined powers and obligations, because you utilize our services and/or because you provide(d) them to us. These data may be collected and used whenever you communicate with us in any form or via any channel (including social media) or when you enter into a contract with us.

More specifically:
If you are a client (or contact person at a client), supplier (or contact person at a supplier), or if you work with us as a lawyer, we process:
– the basic identity information you provide to us, such as your surname and name, e-mail address, postal address, telephone number, the company you work for, your function, Mr/Mrs (gender).
– the content of your communication and the technical details of the communication itself (with whom you correspond at our end, date and time, etc.). 
– bank details (data required for correct invoicing or to transfer money to you)
– any other personal data you choose to provide to us.

Providing legal services may entail processing of personal data of other individuals (case related). Such data are included in the files in our document management system. As we are bound by professional secrecy as lawyers, we are exempt from informing these data subjects.

If you send us your CV to apply for a vacancy, we process:
– the basic identity information you provide us with, such as your first and last name, e-mail address, postal address, telephone number, Mr/Mrs (gender).
– the content of your communication and the technical details of the communication itself (with whom you correspond at our end, date and time, etc.). 
– any other personal data you choose to provide to us.

Special categories of sensitive personal data we process:
Rasschaert Advocaten processes (only when necessary for the performance of our services) the following special categories of sensitive personal data:
– criminal records, offences or convictions
– data revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, or trade union membership, data concerning health or data concerning a natural person's sex life or sexual orientation.

For what purposes and relying on which legal grounds do we process your personal data:
Rasschaert Advocaten processes personal data for the following purposes:
– entering into or performing the agreement on legal services with the clients;
– entering into or performing the agreement with our suppliers;
– entering into or performing the agreement with staff or lawyers;
– statutory purposes, specifically in relation to our legal, accounting, tax or deontological obligations. The legal basis then lies in the corresponding legislation or deontological obligations,
– normal business administration (e.g. invoicing and relationship management), for which our legal basis is our legitimate interest to conduct a professional business;
– defending ourselves in any legal proceedings, when it is our legitimate interest to use your personal data in these proceedings;
– assessing your application for a vacancy, for which we rely on the necessity of processing your personal data in order to come to a potential agreement with you

For clients that are legal entities:
If you are the contact person at the client, your personal data are processed because that is necessary for the purpose of the legitimate interest that we and your company pursue to organise our services. In our view, given the very limited use of your contact details, your interest or fundamental privacy rights do not outweigh the aforementioned interest. Should you consider otherwise, please let us know.

For suppliers that are legal entities:
The processing of personal data is necessary for the performance of our agreement with you. If the supplier is a legal entity and you are the contact person at the suppliers, the legal basis for the processing of your personal data is the legitimate interest that we and your company pursue to organise the execution of the agreement and to interact with each other in that regard. Given the very limited use of your contact details, your interest or fundamental privacy rights do not outweigh the aforementioned interest. Should you consider otherwise, please let us know.

Automated decision-making:
Rasschaert Advocaten will not make decisions based solely on automated processing which produces (considerable) effects concerning persons.

How long do we keep your personal data: Rasschaert Advocaten will keep your personal data no longer than necessary for the purposes for which the personal data are collected. Personal data will be retained at least for as long as we handle cases for you or have an agreement with you as a supplier/lawyer and also
– for as long as necessary to realise the purposes (services) specified in the engagement letter with the client c.q. the contract with the supplier/lawyer
– for the period required to fulfil our statutory and deontological obligations (clients/lawyers)
– for the duration of any applicable statute of limitations for personal and business claims.

Sharing of personal data with third parties:
Rasschaert Advocaten does not sell your personal data to third parties and will only disclose your personal data when necessary to comply with our legal obligations and powers or to perform the agreement(s) with you. We will not transfer your personal data to third parties, nor to third parties in countries outside the EU, unless you specifically instruct us to do so. However, for the purpose of our own internal organisation, we work with several processors who act on our behalf and thus may come into contact with personal data. More specifically, this concerns associate lawyers working for our firm, who have accepted our internal privacy policy, as well as external IT and hosting service providers, with whom we enter into an appropriate processing agreement.

What are your data processing rights? Access, rectification or erasure of data
In principle, you have the right to obtain information about your personal data, to correct/rectify them or to havethem erased or the processing restricted.
Furthermore, you have the right to withdraw your possible consent to our processing of your personal data or to object to the processing of your personal data by Rasschaert Advocaten, and you have the right to data portability. Data portability means that you can submit a request to us to transfer the personal data that we hold about you in a computer file, directly to you or to another organisation appointed by you.
To the extent that our data processing is based on the legal basis of a legitimate interest, you have the right to oppose to the processing.

You can submit a request to access, rectification, erasure, data portability of your personal data or a request to withdraw your consent or object to the processing of your personal data to karinrasschaert[at]rasschaert-advocaten.com.

When exercising your rights please clearly state and specify which right you wish to exercise. To ensure that the request has been made by you, we request you to send us a copy of your ID, together with the request, with your passport photo, MRZ (machine readable zone, the strip with numbers at the bottom of your passport), passport number and national registration number in black to protect your privacy.

Rasschaert Advocaten will respond to your request within 30 days after your request. We reserve the right, if necessary, to charge a reasonable fee for the administrative costs associated with the acceptance of the request(s). If we cannot comply with your request, we will explain why.

Rasschaert Advocaten will, in some cases, not be obliged to comply with your request to access, rectification, erasure or data portability because of our legal obligations, reasons of general interest (storage, statistical analysis, scientific or historical research), for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims or
proceedings or for the legitimate exercise of the right to freedom of expression and/or information.

Furthermore, Rasschaert Advocaten points out the possibility for you to lodge a complaint with the national supervisory authority if you find the processing of your personal data not compliant with the relevant legal provisions. This can be done using the details below:
Data Protection Authority (‘GBA’/’APD’)
Drukpersstraat 35, B-1000 Brussel
+32 (0)2 274 48 00
+32 (0)2 274 48 35
contact(at)apd-gba.be

*Rasschaert Advocaten means Karin Rasschaert BV, which is the controller, the legal entity that is responsible for the processing of your personal data as explained in this policy. Karin Rasschaert bv is a legal entity with registered seat B-1980 Zemst, Hoogstraat 239 and registered in the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises under number 0877.878.110 (RPR Brussels). The law firm Karin Rasschaert BV is responsible for collecting and using your personal data as explained in this privacy policy.