Privacy notice

At Goemans, De Scheemaecker & De Wit (hereafter ‘GDS Advocaten’ or ‘we’), we value your privacy.  Below, we explain what personal data we collect, how we collect and process personal data, as well as what your rights are in regard to this data.

1. Who is responsible for your personal data? 

GDS Advocaten  is a cooperation of lawyers (see legal notice) based at Antwerp and Brussels. Your data will be controlled by the lawyer that you have instructed or that is providing services to you. We invite you to contact him or her directly through the contact details provided https https://gdsadvocaten.be/

Alternatively, you are free to contact us regarding any privacy question by e-mail at office@GDSadvocaten.be or by mail at Goemans, De Scheemaecker & De Wit, Ellermanstraat 46, 2060 Antwerp, Belgium.

2. Types of personal data we collect

We may collect the following types of personal data:

  • Identity and contact data: including but not limited to your name, company, address, email address, telephone number and job title and function.
  • Legal data: meaning any personal data that is relevant for the legal services that we provide, such as information related to a dispute or court case.
  • Financial and payment data: including but not limited to your bank account and billing information, and any other data required for the purposes of processing payments, accountancy, and preventing fraud.
  • Professional and educational data: such as academic qualifications, work experience, and any other data relevant in a recruitment process.
  • Any other personal data you provide to us.


3. How do we collect personal data?

  • Through you, when you engage with us via our website, via email, via the telephone or otherwise, for example to seek legal advice or to apply for a job;
  • Through a third party, for example when you are the subject of or otherwise implicated in legal advice we provide to such a third party;
  • Through publicly available sources, for example to ensure that the contact details we hold are up to date.

4. Why do we use your personal data?

  • To prepare our contract with you or to perform our contractual obligations,  for example to provide legal services or to process payments;
  • To pursue our legitimate interests, for example  to manage our relationship with you, to perform accounting and auditing tasks, to carry out background checks, to exercise and defend our legal rights, or to communicate you and keep you up-to-date on the latest information about our services;
  • For the purposes required by law, for example maintaining archives and records.

5. Whom do we share your personal data with?

We may share your personal data with the following categories of recipients:

  • With certain third parties, in connection with the legal services we provide, such as law firms, consultants, experts and other legal specialists, for example to obtain foreign legal advice or for translation services;
  • With courts, law enforcement authorities, regulators, government officials or attorneys or other parties where it is reasonably necessary or useful in the context of a dispute or court case;
  • With our client, where we have obtained your personal data in the course of providing legal services to this client;
  • With our accountants;
  • With IT service providers.

GDS Advocaten does not sell or otherwise make personal data commercially available to any third party.

6. Data transfers

Where it is required or useful in the light of the services we provide, we may transfer your personal data to locations outside of your country of residence.

In the case where we transfer your data from within the European Economic Area (EEA) to a location outside of the EEA, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your personal data in line with applicable data protection regulations.

7. Data retention

The period for which your personal data will be retained varies according to the types of data. These periods depend on the purposes for which the data is collected and used, taking into legal and regulatory requirements, limitation periods for legal action, good practice, and our business purposes.

8. Your rights

You, as a data subject, enjoy certain rights under the General Data Protection Regulation. To exercise any of the rights listed below, please contact the lawyer you have instructed or that is providing services to you. We invite you to contact him or her directly through the contact details provided on our https://gdsadvocaten.be/, or to office@GDSadvocaten.be or by mail at Goemans, De Scheemaecker & De Wit, Ellermanstraat 46, 2060 Antwerp, Belgium.

  • Access: You have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
  • Erasure: You have the right to request the erasure of your personal data
  • Rectification: We aim to keep your personal data accurate, current and complete. When you believe the personal data we hold about you is not correct, you have the right to demand rectification of such data.
  • Objection: In certain circumstances you have the right to object to our processing of your personal data.
  • Withdrawal of consent: Where we process your personal data on the basis of your consent, you may at all times withdraw such consent.
  • Data portability: You have the right to obtain your personal data, or to demand that your personal data is transferred to another controller, in a commonly used, machine-readable format.
  • Complaints: If you believe that your data protection rights have been breached, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority.