Privacy policy

The law firm DS Avocats ensures, in any case, that it only collects personal data that is appropriate, relevant and necessary for processing purposes (minimisation principle) and takes appropriate security and confidentiality measures to ensure its protection, including dealing with data protection issues from the outset and by default.

DS Avocats undertakes to comply with the provisions of applicable regulations, in particular those of European Regulation 2016/679 on the protection of personal data, which entered into force on 25 May 2018 (hereinafter, the “GDPR”), as well as those of the Informatique et Libertés (French Data Processing and Civil Liberties) act of 6 January 1978 and of any law or regulation that may supplement or replace it.

The aim of this privacy policy is to inform you in a clear and transparent manner about the personal data that we process and how we process it.

1. The data collected and collection procedures

Any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person constitutes personal data.

In the course of its activities and the operation of its website, DS Avocats may process a certain amount of personal data. In general, DS Avocats takes care to collect and process only the data that is strictly necessary to the purpose for which it is processed.

Data that DS Avocats collects directly from you:

When registering for events or the DS Avocats newsletter: contact information and communication preferences;
When using the contact form: identity and contact information;
When applying to DS Avocats, including through the application form: identity and contact details, professional life (CV);
When using DS Avocats’ services: any information necessary for the fulfillment of our mandate. This includes: identity and contact information, financial and billing information.

Data that DS Avocats collects from third parties:

DS Avocats may sometimes receive personal data from third parties, in particular in the context of its legal obligations or in the exercise of its mandate, in particular from:

DS Avocats offices abroad;
Administrative and control authorities;
Jurisdictions;
Clients, as part of the mandates they entrust to us;
Partners.

Data that DS Avocats collects automatically:

When browsing the DS Avocats website: connection and browsing data, in particular the user’s region of origin;

In addition, our website contains Google Analytics cookies, which are used to generate reports on user interactions with our website. The information stored does not allow personal identification of Internet users and is directly transferred to Google without DS Avocats being aware of it. To learn more about these cookies, you can read Google Analytics' data protection policy at https://www.google.com/analytics/learn/privacy.html?hl=fr.

DS Avocats does not collect any sensitive data, except if doing so is required by legal or regulatory provisions, or for the exercise of the mandate you entrusted to us.

Sensitive data is defined as any information concerning a person's racial or ethnic origin, political, philosophical or religious opinions, trade union membership and health or sexual orientation.

2. Legal basis for processing

DS Avocats will only process your data in the cases provided for by applicable regulations, and in particular:

With your voluntary, specific, informed and unequivocal consent (e.g. for subscriptions to events and newsletters or contact requests);
When the processing is necessary for the performance of a contract or pre-contractual measures taken at your request (for example, applications or taking charge of a case);
For compliance with DS Avocats' legal or regulatory obligations (for example, the fight against fraud);
When the processing is justified by DS Avocats’ legitimate interest (compilation of statistics, IT security measures, sales prospecting).

2. Purpose of processing

DS Avocats collects your personal data for specific, explicit and legitimate purposes, for example to:

Follow-up and manage the cases that you have entrusted to us;
Manage your relationship with us;
Manage subscriptions and the sending of themed information, news and events we host;
Process contact requests;
Manage recruitment.

DS Avocats may use your personal information for administrative purposes or in order to fulfill its legal and regulatory obligations.

3. Duration of data retention

DS Avocats will retain your personal data only for the time strictly necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected and subject to its legal obligations to retain some information or to the legal provisions concerning archiving and anonymisation.

For more information on how long we keep your personal data for a specific purpose, please contact us: dsdpo@dsavocats.com.

4. Transfer of personal data

Your personal data is stored on DS Avocats' servers, which are located in Canada, a country recognised as providing adequate protection by the European Commission.

Transfers of personal data are likely to take place:

With the various DS Avocats offices and partners for the purposes of processing your file;
With national administrative and judicial authorities.

DS Avocats ensures that any transfer of personal data outside Europe is supervised in order to guarantee the security of your data:

By ensuring that the country is recognised as providing an adequate level of protection according to the European Commission (or, for the United States that the recipient company has adhered to the Privacy Shield mechanism);
By entering into agreements ensuring this security with the recipient; or
With your consent.

To learn more about how we share and transfer your personal data, contact us at: dsdpo@dsavocats.com.

5. Your rights and how you can exercise them

Within the limits provided by the regulations in force, you have the following rights:

Right to access personal data	You may access your personal data processed by DS Avocats and receive an electronic copy.
Right to rectification	This right allows you to correct inaccurate data about you (incorrect age or address) or to complete data (e.g. address without the apartment number) relative to the purpose for the processing.
Right to erasure	You have the right to request that DS Avocats erase your personal data under certain conditions and subject to exceptions provided by applicable law (DS Avocats’ legal obligations in particular). See: https://www.cnil.fr/fr/le-droit-leffacement-supprimer-vos-donnees-en-ligne.
Right to restrict data processing	You may request that the processing of your data be restricted if you dispute its accuracy or object to its processing. In this case, DS Avocats will need to examine your request, during which time you can request that DS Avocats freeze of the processing of your data.You may also request that the restriction of the processing of some personal data where DS Avocats wants to delete it. Doing so will allow you to keep this data, for example in order to exercise a right.
Right to data portability	Where the processing is based on your consent or a contract, you may receive the personal data you provided to DS Avocats in a structured and commonly used format in order to transmit such data to another controller. When technically possible, you may request that DS Avocats transmit this data directly to this other controller.
Right to object to data processing	You may object to your data being used by DS Avocats for a specific purpose by indicating the reasons relating to your particular situation (except in the case of commercial prospecting, where objection does not need to be justified).

You may withdraw your consent to the processing of your personal data at any time. Doing so will not call into question the lawfulness of any processing carried out prior to your withdrawal.

You also have the option to organise the storage, deletion and communication of your personal data after your death through the adoption of general or specific directives, which can be registered with a digital trusted third party certified by the CNIL.

Finally, you may exercise your rights and send any request for information concerning your personal data electronically or by post to:

- dsdpo@dsavocats.com

- Gestion des données personnelles - DS Avocats - 6 rue Duret 75116 Paris.

This correspondence must be accompanied by a copy of your identity document and any necessary proof. DS Avocats will respond to your request promptly, and in any event within one month of receiving your request. This period may be extended by two months in view of the complexity of your request and the number of requests that are addressed to DS Avocats. If this situation were to arise, DS Avocats will inform you of such an extension before the initial time limit of one month expires.

If DS Avocats does not respond to your request, the firm will inform you of the reasons for its refusal or inaction.

You may also lodge a complaint with the relevant supervisory authority (in France, the CNIL : www.cnil.fr).

Information on the contact form

The information provided on this form is mandatory, otherwise we will not be able to process your request. DS Avocats processes the information electronically in order to respond to and ensure the follow-up your request.

Your personal data will be retained for the time necessary to follow up on your request and, if necessary, to manage your relationship with DS Avocats.

In accordance with data-processing regulations and civil liberties, you have rights of access, rectification, portability and erasure of your personal data and the right to restrict its processing. To exercise these rights, please contact us at: dsdpo@dsavocats.com.

You may lodge a complaint with the relevant supervisory authority.

Information on the application form

The information provided on this form is mandatory, otherwise we will not be able to process your application. DS Avocats processes the information electronically in order to respond to and ensure the follow-up your application.

Your personal data will be retained for the time necessary to follow up on your request and in any case not more than two years from the date of our last contact with you, unless you give your express consent.

You may lodge a complaint with the relevant supervisory authority.

Information on the newsletter registration form

The information provided on this form is mandatory, otherwise we will not be able to send you news, invitations to our events or other newsletters. DS Avocats processes the information electronically in order to send newsletters to your registered email address.

Your personal data will be retained until you unsubscribe or otherwise withdraw your consent.

You may lodge a complaint with the relevant supervisory authority.