1. Introduction

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Vanhoucke Law BV attaches great importance to the safe, transparent, and confidential collection and processing of your personal data. In particular, we aim to protect the data of our clients, suppliers, employees, and other contacts against loss, leaks, errors, unauthorized access, or unlawful processing.

This Privacy Policy informs you about the collection and processing of your personal data. We ask you to read it carefully, as it contains essential information about how your personal data are processed and for what purposes.

By providing your personal data, you explicitly acknowledge having read this Privacy Policy and you expressly agree with its content and with the processing itself.

2. Scope

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This Privacy Policy applies to all services provided by (or to) us and, more generally, to all activities we perform.

3. Data Controller

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Vanhoucke Law BV, with registered office at 2018 Antwerp, Anselmostraat 2 and company number 0759.760.220, is the data controller of your personal data.

When collecting and processing your personal data, we comply with Belgian data protection legislation and the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) effective as of 25 May 2018.

4. Personal Data

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Depending on your activities and relationship with our firm, we may process the following categories of personal data: personal identification data; file number; national registry number where necessary for handling your case; identification data under the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 18 September 2017; solvency data; insurance details; financial transactions; company registration number; professional activities; contracts and settlements; permits; personal details; immigration status; mandates held; complaints, incidents, or accidents; family composition, marital or cohabitation status; memberships in associations or professional organizations; judicial data relating to suspicions, convictions, penalties, judicial measures, or administrative sanctions; current employment; salary data where necessary; image and audio material needed for case handling or in the context of training or events; and staff data as detailed in our separate Employee Privacy Policy.

You are responsible for the accuracy of the data you provide to us, and we rely on its correctness. If your data are no longer up to date, please notify us promptly.

You are not obliged to share your personal data with us, but you understand that certain services or collaborations may become impossible if you do not consent to their collection and processing.

5. Purposes and Legal Basis of Processing

5.1 Client Data

In the context of our services and activities, we collect and process personal data of our clients and principals, their staff, employees, agents, and other useful contacts. We process the following categories of personal data: personal identification data; file number; national registry number where necessary for the handling of your case; financial identification data; solvency and insurance data; financial transactions; professional activities; contracts and settlements; permits; personal details; immigration status; mandates held; complaints, incidents, or accidents; family composition, marital or cohabitation status; memberships of associations, organizations, groups, or professional bodies; judicial data relating to suspicions, convictions, penalties, judicial measures, or administrative sanctions; current employment; salary data where necessary for case handling; image and audio material necessary for case handling or in the context of training or events.

The purposes of this processing are the performance of agreements with our clients, client management, accounting, and direct marketing activities such as sending promotional or commercial information or using social media. The legal grounds are the performance of the agreement, compliance with legal and regulatory obligations, and/or our legitimate interest. For direct marketing activities by e-mail (such as newsletters or event invitations), consent will always be requested, and this may be withdrawn at any time.

5.2 Supplier Data

We collect and process personal data of our lawyers and independent associates, as well as our other suppliers, their staff, employees, agents, and other useful contacts. We process the following categories of personal data: personal identification data, financial identification data, solvency, financial transactions, professional activities, contracts and settlements, company registration number. For our lawyers/associates we also process image or audio material for our website, social media, or for marketing purposes.

The purposes of this processing are the performance of the agreement, supplier management, accounting, and direct marketing activities such as sending promotional or commercial information. The legal grounds are the performance of the agreement, compliance with legal and regulatory obligations, and/or our legitimate interest. For direct marketing activities by e-mail (such as newsletters or event invitations), consent will always be requested and may be withdrawn at any time.

5.3 Employee Data

We process the personal data of our employees in the context of HR management and payroll administration. Given the specific nature of such processing, this is further detailed in a separate Employee Privacy Policy.

5.4 Data Processed in Case Handling

In the context of case handling, we process personal identification data of opposing parties and their lawyers, trade unions or representatives, as well as all other possible stakeholders such as bailiffs, notaries, experts, civil parties, trustees, etc. The legal grounds are compliance with legal and regulatory obligations and/or our legitimate interest, or in some cases, the performance of a contract.

5.5 Other Data

In addition to the categories above, we also process personal data of others, such as prospective clients, peers, useful contacts in our sector, network contacts, former lawyers/employees, or job applicants. The purposes of this processing are business development, direct marketing, and public relations. The legal ground is our legitimate interest or, in some cases, the performance of a contract.

6. Retention Period

Personal data are retained and processed for the period necessary for the purposes of processing and in relation to the (contractual or non-contractual) relationship we have with you.

In any case, your data will be deleted from our systems ten years after the end of the agreement, the file, the collaboration, or the project, except for personal data we must retain longer under specific legislation, or in the event of ongoing litigation where the data remain necessary. Identification data of our former lawyers/employees may be kept beyond this period for networking or marketing purposes, such as invitations to office or alumni events, and this until the lawyer/employee’s death, unless they indicate they no longer wish to receive such invitations.

7. Rights

In accordance with Belgian privacy law and the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation, you have the following rights:

• Right of access and inspection: you have the right to access the data we hold about you and to know the purposes of its use.
• Right of rectification: you have the right to obtain correction of inaccurate personal data, as well as to have incomplete personal data completed.
• Right to erasure or restriction: you have the right to request the erasure or restriction of your personal data in the circumstances and under the conditions set by the GDPR. We may refuse erasure or restriction of data that are necessary for us to comply with a legal obligation, perform the agreement, or serve our legitimate interest, as long as the data remain necessary for the purposes for which they were collected.
• Right to data portability: you have the right to obtain the personal data you have provided to us, in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format, and to transfer these to another controller.
• Right to object: you have the right to object to the processing of your personal data for serious and legitimate reasons. Please note, however, that you cannot oppose the processing of personal data necessary for us to comply with a legal obligation, perform the agreement, or serve our legitimate interest, as long as the data remain necessary for the purposes for which they were collected.
• Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on your prior consent, you have the right to withdraw such consent at any time. The data will then only be processed if another legal ground applies.
• Automated decisions and profiling: we confirm that the processing of personal data does not involve profiling and that you are not subject to fully automated decisions.

You may exercise the above rights by contacting secretariaat@vanhoucke-law.be.

We make every effort to handle your personal data carefully and legitimately in accordance with applicable law. If you nevertheless believe that your rights have been infringed and your concerns have not been addressed within our firm, you are free to file a complaint with:

Data Protection Authority
Drukpersstraat 35, 1000 Brussels
Tel. +32 (0)2 274 48 00
E-mail: contact@apd-gba.be

You may also bring proceedings before a court if you believe you have suffered harm as a result of the processing of your personal data.

8. Transfer to Third Parties

Certain personal data we collect may be transferred to and processed by our lawyers (and their respective management companies, where applicable), courts, other public authorities, or third-party service providers such as our IT provider, accountant, auditor, social secretariat, insurers, etc. Under anti-money laundering legislation, client, agent, and beneficial owner data may, in certain circumstances, also be forwarded to the President of the Bar.

Some of these third parties may be located outside the European Economic Area (“EEA”). However, data will only be transferred to third countries with an adequate level of protection.

Employees, managers, and/or representatives of these service providers or institutions, and the specialized service providers appointed by them, must respect the confidential nature of your personal data and may only use it for the purposes for which it was provided.

Where necessary, your personal data may be transferred to other third parties, for example in the event of a full or partial reorganization, transfer of activities, or bankruptcy. Data may also be disclosed pursuant to a court order or to comply with a legal obligation. In such cases, we will use reasonable efforts to inform you beforehand. However, you acknowledge that this may not always be technically or commercially feasible, or that legal restrictions may apply.

We will never sell your personal data or make them commercially available to direct marketing agencies or similar service providers, unless with your prior consent.

9. Technical and Organizational Measures

We take the necessary technical and organizational measures to process your personal data at an appropriate level of security and to protect it against destruction, loss, falsification, alteration, unauthorized access, or accidental disclosure to third parties, as well as against any other unauthorized processing.

Under no circumstances can Vanhoucke Law BV be held liable for any direct or indirect damage resulting from wrongful or unlawful use of your personal data by a third party.

10. Access by Third Parties

For the purposes of processing your personal data, we grant access to our employees, lawyers, associates, and agents. We guarantee a similar level of protection by imposing contractual obligations on these employees, associates, and agents, consistent with this Privacy Policy.

11. Questions?

If, after reading this Privacy Policy, you have further questions or comments regarding the collection and processing of your personal data, you may contact us at secretariaat@vanhoucke-law.be.

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Cookie Statement

Article 9 – Cookies

9.1. What are cookies?
A “cookie” is a small text file placed by our website’s server on your computer or mobile device. Cookies contain information that allows us to recognize you during a later visit and that facilitates use of the website.

9.2. Why do we use cookies?
Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to:

• ensure website functionality and security,
• remember your user preferences (e.g., language),
• collect statistics on website use to improve performance.

Non-essential cookies (analytics or marketing) are only used with your prior consent.

9.3. Types of cookies

• Essential cookies: necessary for the functioning of the website (language preferences, session management). Placed without consent.
• Analytical cookies: collect usage data (visitor numbers, pages viewed) to improve performance. Placed only with consent.‍
• Marketing cookies: track visitors across websites to tailor content and advertising. Placed only with consent.

Note: Google Analytics may transfer data to the United States. We rely on EU standard contractual clauses, but U.S. authorities may still access data.

9.5. Your consent
At your first visit, you are asked which cookies to accept. Essential cookies are always placed. Analytical and marketing cookies require active consent, which you can withdraw at any time.

9.6. Managing cookies
You can delete or block cookies in your browser settings, which may affect site functionality. More information is available on:

• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox
• Safari
• Microsoft Edge

Additional resources: www.allaboutcookies.org, www.youronlinechoices.eu.