Data privacy declaration

Data collection on our website

Scope and purpose of the processing of personal data

When this website is accessed, the Internet browser used by the visitor automatically sends data to the server of this website and stores it for a limited period in a log file. Until the automatic deletion, the following data will be stored without further input by the visitor:

• IP address of the visitor's terminal,
• The date and time of access by the visitor,
• Name and URL of the page accessed by the visitor,
• Website from which the visitor arrives at the law firm's website (so-called referrer URL), and
• Browser and operating system of the visitor's terminal device as well as the name of the access provider used by the visitor.

The processing of this personal data is justified in accordance with Art. 6 (1) sentence 1 (f) GDPR. The law firm has a legitimate interest in data processing for the purpose of:

• Quickly establishing the connection to the law firm's website,
• Enabling a user-friendly use of the website,
• Identifying and ensuring the security and stability of the systems, and
• Facilitating and improving the administration of the website.

The processing is expressly not carried out for the purpose of gaining knowledge about the person of the visitor to the website.

Disclosure of data

Personal data will be transferred to third parties if:

• Pursuant to Art. 6 (1) sentence 1 (a) GDPR, the data subject has expressly consented to this,
• The disclosure pursuant to Art. 6 (1) sentence 1 letter f) GDPR is necessary for the assertion, exercise or defence of legal claims and there is no reason to assume that the data subject has an overriding interest worthy of protection in the non-disclosure of his or her data,
• There is a legal obligation for the data transfer pursuant to Art. 6 (1) sentence 1 (c) GDPR, or
• It is necessary for the performance of a contractual relationship with the data subject pursuant to Art. 6 (1) sentence 1 (b) GDPR.

In other cases, personal data will not be shared with third parties.

Cookies

So-called cookies are used on the website. These are data packets that are exchanged between the server of the law firm's website and the visitor's browser. These are stored by the devices used (PC, notebook, tablet, smartphone, etc.) when visiting the website. In this respect, cookies cannot cause any damage to the devices used. They do not contain viruses or other malware. The cookies store information that results in connection with the specific device used. Under no circumstances can the law firm obtain direct knowledge of the identity of the visitor to the website.

Cookies are mostly accepted according to the basic settings of the browsers. The browser settings can be set in such a way that either cookies are not accepted on the devices used or that a special notice is given before a new cookie is created. However, it should be noted that disabling cookies may mean that not all the website's functions can be used in the best possible way.

The use of cookies serves to make the use of the law firm's website more convenient. For example, session cookies can be used to track whether the visitor has already visited individual pages of the website. After leaving the website, these session cookies are automatically deleted.

Temporary cookies are used to improve the user experience. They are stored on the visitor's device for a temporary period. When the website is visited again, it is automatically recognized that the visitor has already called up the page at an earlier time and which entries and settings were made in order not to have to repeat them.

Cookies are also used to analyse the visits to the website for statistical purposes and for the purpose of improving the offer. These cookies make it possible to automatically recognize that the website has already been accessed by the visitor on a return visit. Here, the cookies are automatically deleted after a specified period.

The data processed by cookies are justified for the above-mentioned purposes to safeguard the legitimate interests of the law firm in accordance with Article 6 (1) sentence 1 (f) GDPR.

Your rights as a data subject

Insofar as your personal data is processed on the occasion of your visit to our website, you as a "data subject" within the meaning of the GDPR have the following rights:

Information
You can request information from us as to whether your personal data is processed by us. There is no right to information if the provision of the requested information would violate our professional duty of confidentiality or if the information must be kept secret for other reasons, in particular because of an overriding legitimate interest of a third party. By way of derogation from this, there may be an obligation to provide the information if, in particular considering imminent damage, your interests outweigh the interest in secrecy. The right to information is also excluded if the data is stored only because it may not be deleted due to statutory or statutory retention periods or serves exclusively the purposes of data backup or data protection control, provided that the provision of information would require a disproportionately high level of effort and processing for other purposes is excluded by suitable technical and organizational measures. Provided that the right of access is not excluded in your case and your personal data is processed by us, you can request information from us about the following information:

• • Purposes of the processing,
  • Categories of personal data processed,
  • Recipients or categories of recipients to whom your personal data will be disclosed, in particular recipients in third countries,
  • If possible, the planned period for which your personal data will be stored or, if this is not possible, the criteria for determining the storage period,
  • The existence of a right to rectification or erasure or restriction of the processing of personal data concerning you or a right to object to such processing,
  • The existence of a right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority for data protection,
  • If the personal data has not been collected from you as a data subject, the available information about the origin of the data,
  • Where applicable, the existence of automated decision-making, including profiling, and meaningful information about the logic involved as well as the scope and intended effects of automated decision-making,
  • In the case of transfer to recipients in third countries, unless there has been a decision by the EU Commission on the adequacy of the level of protection pursuant to Art. 45 (3) GDPR, information on which appropriate safeguards are provided for the protection of personal data in accordance with Art. 46 (2) GDPR.

Rectification and completion

If you discover that we have incorrect personal data about you, you can demand that we correct this incorrect data immediately. In the case of incomplete personal data concerning you, you can request that it be completed.

Erasure

You have a right to erasure ("right to be forgotten"), provided that the processing is not necessary for the exercise of the right to freedom of expression, the right to information or to comply with a legal obligation or to perform a task carried out in the public interest and one of the following grounds applies:

• • The personal data are no longer necessary for the purposes for which they were processed,
  • The justification basis for the processing was exclusively your consent, which you have withdrawn,
  • You have objected to the processing of your personal data that we have made public,
  • You have objected to the processing of personal data that we have not made public and there are no overriding legitimate grounds for the processing,
  • Your personal data has been unlawfully processed, or
  • The deletion of the personal data is necessary to comply with a legal obligation to which we are subject.

There is no claim to erasure if deletion is not possible or only possible with disproportionately high effort in the case of lawful, non-automated data processing due to the special nature of storage and your interest in deletion is low. In this case, the restriction of processing takes the place of deletion.

Restriction of processing

You can ask us to restrict processing if one of the following grounds applies:

• • You contest the accuracy of the personal data. In this case, the restriction may be requested for the duration that allows us to verify the accuracy of the data,
  • The processing is unlawful, and you request the restriction of the use of your personal data instead of erasure,
  • Your personal data is no longer required by us for the purposes of the processing, but you need it to establish, exercise or defend legal claims, or
  • You have filed an objection pursuant to Art. 21 (1) GDPR. The restriction of processing can be demanded as long as it has not yet been determined whether our legitimate reasons outweigh your reasons.

Restriction of processing means that the personal data will only be processed with your consent or for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims, or for the protection of the rights of another natural or legal person, or for reasons of important public interest. Before we lift the restriction, we have the duty to inform you about it.

Data portability

You have a right to data portability if the processing is based on your consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 letter a) or Art. 9 para. 2 lit. a) GDPR) or on a contract to which you are a party, and the processing is carried out using automated processes. The right to data portability in this case includes the following rights, provided that this does not adversely affect the rights and freedoms of other persons: You can ask us to receive the personal data you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format. You have the right to transmit this data to another controller without hindrance on our part. To the extent technically feasible, you can request that we transfer your personal data directly to another controller.

Right to object

If the processing is based on Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 letter e) GDPR (performance of a task in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority) or Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 letter f) GDPR (legitimate interest of the controller or a third party), you have the right to object for reasons arising from your particular situation at any time to the processing of personal data concerning you. This also applies to profiling based on Art. 6 (1) sentence 1 (e) or (f) GDPR. After exercising the right to object, we will no longer process your personal data unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds for the processing that outweigh your interests, rights and freedoms, or the processing serves to assert, exercise, or defend legal claims.

You can object at any time to the processing of personal data concerning you for direct marketing purposes. This also applies to profiling that is associated with such direct advertising. Once you have exercised this right to object, we will no longer use the personal data in question for direct marketing purposes.

You have the option of informally notifying our law firm of your objection by telephone, e-mail, by fax or to our postal address listed at the beginning of this data protection declaration.

Withdrawal of consent

You have the right to revoke your consent at any time with effect for the future. The revocation of consent can be communicated informally by telephone, e-mail, by fax or to our postal address. The revocation does not affect the lawfulness of the data processing that was carried out based on the consent until the receipt of the revocation. After receipt of the revocation, the data processing that was based exclusively on your consent will be discontinued.

Complaint

If you believe that the processing of personal data concerning you is unlawful, you may lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority that has jurisdiction over the place of your stay or place of work, or the place of the alleged infringement.

Status and update of this data protection declaration

This data protection declaration is as of 16 August 2024. We reserve the right to update it from time to time to improve data protection and/or adapt it to changed official practice or case law.

In the event of a discrepancy between the language versions of this website, the German version shall prevail.