Privacy statement

  1. In general

This privacy statement (the “Statement”) explains in detail how Marlex cvba (hereinafter referred to as Marlex) processes your personal data in its capacity as data controller. By using our website and providing your personal data, you explicitly agree with the way in which Marlex collects and processes your personal data, as described in this Statement. 

All words starting with a capital letter and not defined in this Statement have the meaning defined in Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (the “General Data Protection Regulation” or “GDPR”). 

  1. Identity and contact details of the data controller

Your personal data will be processed by:

Marlex cvba
Dirk Martensstraat 23
8200 Brugge
Company number: 0834.199.604
“Marlex”, “we” or “us”

Marlex has designated an internal data controller, whom you can contact at any time for questions relating to your privacy and the processing of your Personal Data. You can contact the internal data controller at advocatenkantoor@marlex.be.

  1. What are the personal data that are processed?

Marlex processes your personal data. This implies that we use information on the basis of which you are or may be identified.

The personal data we process vary depending on the actual situation. These personal data may include your personal identification and contact details, your financial situation, your family situation, your criminal or judicial record, your companies and your professional activities. The term “processing” is to be interpreted in a very broad sense and may relate to collecting, recording, managing, structuring, saving, editing or changing, retrieving, consulting, using,… your personal information.

  1. Retention of personal data.

Your personal data are only kept as long as necessary to achieve the purposes for which they are used. These are a few examples of retention periods: 

  • Client information is only kept as long as necessary, taking into account the client’s specific situation and the files managed by Marlex on his/her behalf, or as long as required pursuant to our legal and deontological obligations.
  • If you have only subscribed for our newsletters, we will keep your personal data for as long as you do not unsubscribe.

 

  1. Purpose and legal basis for the processing of personal data

The processing of your personal data a legitimate purpose and a legal basis. The purposes for which your personal data are processed include: 

  • Legal assistance; 
  • Implementation of our advice;
  • Legal assistance/defence; 
  • General and financial administration; 
  • General client and supplier management, including invoicing; and
  • Sending our newsletters (direct marketing). 

Our newsletters are sent via MailChimp. MailChimp will never use your name and email address for their own purposes. Each email message sent on an automated basis via our website includes a link to unsubscribe. If you click this link, you will no longer receive our newsletter. MailChimp makes use of cookies and other internet technologies which reveal whether email messages are opened and read. MailChimp reserves the right to use your data for the improvement of their services and to share information with third parties in this respect. 

Your personal data are processed by us for the following legitimate reasons: 

  • You call upon our services pursuant to an agreement (legal assistance); 
  • We collect your data in order to meet our legal obligations within the context of the anti-money laundering legislation; 
  • Data of (potential) clients are collected on the basis of the legitimate interest (direct marketing) to permanently inform them (new legislation, seminars, new team members…). If desired, clients can unsubscribe via the unsubscribe link. 
  • For some data that do not fall within the scope of the above reasons, we can ask your explicit consent.

 

  1. What are my rights?

If and to the extent that it is provided in the applicable Belgian and European regulations, you have the right: 

  • To access your personal data that are processed by us; 
  • To have incorrect or incomplete personal data rectified; 
  • To request us to erase your personal data for the processing of which there is no longer a legitimate reason.  However, this is not an absolute right; 
  • To withdraw your consent for the processing of your personal data, if the processing of these data is based on your consent.  However, this withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of the processing of your personal data before the withdrawal; 
  • To obtain a restriction of the processing of your personal data in specific cases as far as possible; 
  • To have your personal data sent to you in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format; 
  • To object to the processing of your personal data and to the use of your personal data for direct marketing purposes; and 
  • Not to be subject to automated decision-making. 

You can exercise the above-mentioned rights by mailing your request, with a copy of your identity card, to advocatenkantoor@marlex.be.  

  1. Sharing of and access to the personal data

Your personal data will mainly be used by the associate lawyers of Marlex or by Marlex employees, with the purpose of defending your interests. Within the context of your case, we will sometimes be compelled to share your personal data with third parties (e.g. court, auditor, notary public,…). In addition, we are sometimes compelled to provide personal data to third parties in order to meet our deontological or legal obligations or to protect our legitimate interests.

We use MailChimp to send our newsletters. If you have subscribed to our newsletters, we forward your email address via Mailchimp to the United States in accordance with the conditions of the General Data Protection Regulation. In no case do we forward your personal data to parties established in countries outside the European Economic Area.

  1. How are your personal data protected?

Marlex has developed appropriate technical and organisational measures, protection measures and guarantees to process your personal data in accordance with the applicable Belgian and European regulations and in particular, without limitation, to protect your personal data against loss, misuse or unauthorised changes.

  1. Changes to this Statement

Marlex is entitled to make changes to this Statement at any time. The date of the latest revised version is indicated at the top right of the Statement. Any changes to the Statement are published on our website, so that you will remain informed at all times of the personal data processed by Marlex. Revised versions of this Statement take effect ten (10) days after its publication on our website.

  1. Cookies

Marlex uses cookies in order to facilitate your future visits to the website. Cookies are small text files that are stored on the user’s computer. No personal data are stored in the cookies. 

  1. Complaints

This English version is for information purposes only. The original Dutch version of the privacy statement will supersede this translation in case of any discrepancies between the two versions.

If you have any complaints, you can always contact us at the email address advocatenkantoor@marlex.be or you can contact the national supervisory authority. 

The latter’s contact details are the following: 

Gegevensbeschermingsautoriteit
Drukpersstraat 35, 1000 Brussel
+32 (0)2 274 48 00
+32 (0)2 274 48 35
commission@privacycommission.be.