Privacy Policy

I. Introduction

Velchev & Co. Law Office (hereinafter Velchev & Co. or the Company) respects privacy and guarantees the protection of personal data to the fullest extent possible. This Personal Data Privacy Policy (hereinafter referred to as the “Privacy Policy”) has been prepared and is based on the current Bulgarian and European data protection legislation.

This Privacy Policy is also applicable tothe processing of personal data of users on our website: http://vlaw.bg/ (the “Site”).

Personal data means any information related to an identified or identifiable individual. This may be information such as your name, phone number, email address and other personal information.

This Privacy Policy sets out the general rules that Velchev & Co. will abide by when processing personal data that we collect. Specific rules apply when providing personal information with a view to employment or establishing business relationships with partners and suppliers.

This Privacy Policy does not affect, restrict, or revoke your rights under the Personal Data Protection Act (“PDPA”), Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (General Data Protection regulation) or other relevant legislation.

Please read this Policy carefully before using the Site or submitting your personal data, whether electronically, via the Site or on paper, as by submitting your personal data, you agree to its terms and it is applicable to received personal data. If you do not wish to process your personal data in the manner described in this Privacy Policy, please do not provide it to us. The provision of personal data by you is voluntary. Please note that in certain cases, your consent to the processing of personal data may not be necessary as the Company has an appropriate legal basis, such as the fulfillment of statutory obligations under applicable law.

Velchev & Co. is committed to high standards of information security, confidentiality and transparency and will comply with all applicable legislation requirements.

This Privacy Policy provides you with information about how Velchev & Co. processes personal information. This includes personal information that we will collect for you when you use the Site or when you use or receive our services, as well as information we receive from other sources.

When you use our services, we will provide additional information as needed on how personal information received will be used. This Privacy Policy must be read in conjunction with any other processing notice or additional information we provide to you.

This Privacy Policy is divided into sections so you can click on the specific areas below.

II. Information about the administrator of personal data

Velchev & Co. is a law firm with UIC 176030680, with its registered office: Sofia, Vitosha blvd. No. 3, 6th floor which collects, processes and stores your personal information under the terms of this Privacy Policy . The Company is an administrator of personal data within the meaning of the PDPA.

You can contact us at the following coordinates:

Address: Sofia, Vitosha blvd. No. 3, 6th floor

mail: office@vlaw.bg

 

III. Data processing approach

We have numerous data policies, procedures and processes in place to comply with current legislation. These internal policies concern information security and data protection, all of which have been reviewed and updated in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of individuals with regard to processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, repealing Directive 95/46 / EC (the General Data Protection Regulation).

Velchev & Co. works with experts in the field, thanks to which proper procedures have been implemented. The Company has management responsible for providing business support with respect to confidentiality, compliance with data protection legislation, information management and records management.

We strive to protect all of our clients’ personal data, as well as all other information we store, to be trusted by our clients and regulators when we implement and use the information we hold. We maintain high standards to maintain the security and confidentiality of our services.

Our attorneys and staff are aware that the security and confidentiality requirements of our services are of paramount importance. For this purpose we conduct regular trainings.

We have in place internal data storage policies that cover the requirements for data retention and safe disposal of information waste in accordance with the legal and regulatory obligations of the Company.

Velchev & Co. applies organizational, physical, information technology and other necessary measures to ensure the security and protection of your personal data and the monitoring of personal data processing. Among other measures, the Company has established the requirements for the processing, registration and storage of personal data by internal procedures according to which:

• Compliance is monitored on an ongoing basis;

• Access to personal data of the attorneys and the employees of the Company and permission to process personal data is restricted, depending on their duties and the level of access specified;

• Velchev & Co. established confidentiality obligations for each team member;

• Access to Velchev & Co office equipment and the computers of each attorney and employee is restricted;

• All necessary organizational and technical measures provided for in the legislation, as well as best practices from international standards, are applied;

• For maximum security in the processing, transmission and storage of your data, we use additional security mechanisms such as encryption, pseudonymisation, etc.;

• Data is destroyed immediately after the cause for their use is gone, and this is subject to regular monitoring.

The security measures we apply are subject to continuous improvement and adaptation to the latest technologies.

IV. Personal data categories

Velchev & Co. processes various types of personal data. This includes the information you provide to us and the information we create when we provide services to you or to other clients. For more details on the personal data we process and how that data is collected or received, see the table below.

Personal Data Category	Description	Source
Identification and contact date	This includes your name and other identification and contact information such as email address and telephone numbers. If you work for one of our business clients, we will record your business name, your business position and business address, email address and telephone numbers.	This information is provided by you or your employer when you use the Site or when you contact us directly or when you use or receive the Company’s services. You will also provide information when filling out one of our forms, or applying for a service from us online, or submitting a complaint / request / request. We also receive some of this information when scanning mail on our network.Alternatively, we may receive personal information from third parties. For example, when we obtain information from our clients regarding the provision of legal services and advice.
Financial Data	Records of your payments and payment information	You provide this information on your own when you make a payment.
Contact history	These are details related to any inquiry, complaint or claim you have made to us and may include copies of correspondence and call records.	You will provide us with this information when you contact us to make a request. We will also create records related to this contact.
Records of you	Images captured through CCTV and other equipment used to protect our clients, attorneys and employees, property and security.	We will capture your images if you visit our office, which is subject to video surveillance.
Photos	Photos of people	Velchev & Co. may receive photos and images of individuals when provided by you or a third party. For example, if you attach a photo to your CV when applying for a job.

 

V. Legal basis and purposes for the use of personal data

Velchev & Co. processes your personal data only when there is a legal basis for it in accordance with the Regulation and the PDPA, namely:

• consent: you expressly and informedly consent to the processing of your data for a specific purpose.

• contract: processing is necessary to conclude a contract with you and its execution.

• Legal obligation: processing is required to comply with a legal obligation.

• Legitimate interests: processing is necessary in view of the legitimate interests of the Company or another person.

Velchev & Co. processes personal data for the following purposes:

• Provision of legal services;

• Identifying a person when making a request by meeting live, in writing or by email;

• Staff recruitment;

• Identify a contact person for an opinion through a live, written or e-mail meeting.

The purposes for which we process personal data and the legal basis for this in each case can be checked in the following table:

Purpose	Legal basis
Providing services under a contract.	Contract – We need to process your information in order to provide you the services in accordance with the contract.
Provision of legal services when the data is provided by our client or third party	Legitimate interests – We must process your data in order to provide the legal services to which we are engaged, subject to applicable law.
Staff recruitment	Consent, provided by the applicant during staff recruitment process.
Customer service – dealing with inquiries, complaints or claims related to our services.	Legitimate interests – We may need to process your information in order to be able to resolve any inquiry, complaint or claim raised by you or another person.
Improve the experience of our customers from our services and the Site. For example, we use information about your visits to the Site to evaluate and understand how different people navigate the Site and how much time they spend on certain pages.	Legitimate interests and consent – sometimes we need to process personal data to understand how you use our services to improve them. In some cases, we may also provide surveys to fill in if desired.
Security, fraud and money laundering prevention and action against fraudsters or criminals.	Legitimate interests – Sometimes we have to process personal data to protect our rights, property and personal safety.
Preventing and detecting violations and crimes – including the use of a video surveillance system to protect our customers, employees and property.	Legitimate interests – Sometimes we have to process personal data to protect the rights, property and personal safety of our lawyers, employees and clients.

 

VI.Categories of third parties who access and process your personal information

1.    Persons related to Velchev & Co.

The respective members of the management, attorneys and employees of Velchev & Co., with appropriate rights, have access to your information for the purposes stated above. For example, if you contact us to ask a question or make a request, your information will be viewed by the appropriate staff in our customer service team and forwarded to a competent attorney.

2.    Clients

We share personal information with clients of the Company in order to provide services to them. For example, this includes providing evidence of the provision of the relevant legal service, consultation, performance of specific tasks, etc.

3.    Competent authorities

Velchev & Co. may share personal data with public authorities and institutions, including the courts, in the performance of duties, such as for correspondence with police, customs, and others where necessary or appropriate for the performance of legal services, for the prevention or detection of crime or for the protection of the rights, property or safety of any person.

VII. Storage period

The storage period depends on the processing purposes for which it was collected. The Company policy is to retain information only for as long as is necessary for the purpose or purposes for which it is processed. The storage period is determined by the following criteria:

• How long the information is needed for the purpose / purposes for which it is processed – the information is stored until the execution of the relevant service and the expiry of the limitation period for making claims related to the service;

·     In cases where personal data are provided in relation to correspondence for job application – until the selection is made, unless the candidate has explicitly agreed for a longer period of time (upon expiry of such period);

• Presence of legal and regulatory requirements for the storage of the information – until the expiry of the scheduled storage period;

• In the case of information collected and processed with the consent of the data subject, the information is processed until the consent is withdrawn.

When the legal ground for which the personal data has been collected and processed has expired, the personal data shall be immediately deleted, unless there is another valid legal ground for their storage and processing.

VIII. Your Rights in relation to the processing of your Personal Data

1.    The right to be informed

Velchev & Co. will provide you with processing information when we collect personal information from you (such as when applying for a job), as well as through privacy notices such as this.

2.    Right of access

You have the right to access your personal data and details of how we handle it. You can request details of your personal information that we process by contacting us at office@vlaw.bg.

Proof of identification is needed to protect your information. We also ask applicants to indicate which information and processing activities relate to their request, as well as likely processing dates. A fill out form may be provided to help us verify your identity and find the information you are looking for.

3.    Correction right

You have the right to correct your personal data if it is inaccurate or incomplete.

Velchev & Co. makes every effort to keep the personal data processed accurate and up-to-date. However, we rely on our customers to make sure that some of their related information is accurate and up-to-date. We encourage you to keep us informed of any changes to their information (for example, by updating your contact data.

4.    Right to object

You have the right to object to certain uses of personal data.

 

5.    Right to be forgotten

You have the right to request that we delete or remove personal data from our records when there is no legitimate interest or legal basis to continue processing them. Where personal data are still required for legitimate purposes, it will not be possible to delete such data, and therefore certain requests may be rejected.

6.    Right to restrict processing

You have the right to “block” the processing of personal data in limited circumstances. This right may be exercised:

• If the accuracy of your personal data is contested and needs to be verified,

• If the processing is improper but you do not want the personal data to be deleted; or

• If personal data are no longer required by Velchev & Co., but you want the data to be retained for legal purposes.

7.    Right of data portability

This right applies only to personal data that you have provided to us in a structured, widely used and machine-readable format that we process based on your consent or contract with you.

The right of data portability allows individuals to re-use their personal data in different services; allowing them to move or copy data from one organization to another if they choose.

8.    The right to withdraw your consent

When we process personal data on the basis of your consent, the consent should be freely expressed, specific, informed and unambiguous, given through a statement or clearly affirmative action. Such consent shall be deemed the consent given through the notification on the Company website.

You have the right to withdraw your consent to the processing of your personal data at any time by a separate request made to the Company at processing based on that consent.

 

 

 

 

9.    Complaints to the supervisory authority

You have the right to file a complaint directly with the supervisory authority – Commission for personal data protection.

IX. Special cases of data processing

1.    Processing of anonymized data

For the purposes of statistics, analysis or regulatory compliance, we may use anonymized data – personal data processed in such a way that the data subject can no longer be identified. Anonymized data are not considered personal data, and therefore the processing requirements do not apply.

Please note that Velchev & Co. does not process your personal data for the purposes of automated decision making, including profiling.

2.    Personal data of childrens

When providing our services, we do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information about the age of persons and persons under the age of 16, except as exceptionally and with the consent of the parent. If we learn that we have collected personally identifiable information from a person under the age of 16, we will take steps to obtain consent from the parent or delete the information as soon as possible.

X. Cookies policy

1. What are the so called “cookies”

Cookies are small files, which are saved on the hard disk of Your computer/device by your web browser upon website visit. Cookies allow the computer/device to store information, received from a webpage so that you are provided personalized experience by the website owner with statistic data regarding the website usage in order of its improvement. Cookies cannot be virus carrier, and we cannot receive access to Your hard disk through cookies.

2. Cookies usage on the Site

Our Site does not use cookies. Please have in mind that depending on used by You  web browser, it is possible that cookies are stored on Your hard disk. In order to ensure if and what type of cookies are stored, please check the setup of Your web browser (methods may vary depending on the used browser and version).

 

XI. Security and fraud prevention

If false or inaccurate information is provided and fraud is reported, the data can be sent to the competent authorities.

Law enforcement can access and use this information. The Company and others may also have access to and use this information to prevent fraud and money laundering, for example when:

• Data on payment transactions of unknown origin are verified;

• Data related to received complaints, alerts or inquiries are checked.

XII. Link to other sites

Sometimes the Site may contain links / hyperlinks to other sites. We do not operate the linked sites and do not approve the content, services and products of those sites. We recommend that you use the linked sites carefully and with due care for their content and terms of use. Velchev & Co. is not responsible for the privacy policies or content of such sites, and we encourage you to review their privacy policies. However, as soon as we receive information about illegal activities or illegal information on such websites, we will take immediate steps to remove the hyperlinks to them.

XIII. Competent authority for the protection of personal data

Commission for personal data protection, Sofia, 1592, 2 Tzvetan Lazarov Blvd., phone: + 3592 / 91-53-518, E-Mail: kzld@cpdp.bg

Should you wish to exercise any of these rights, please contact us through the contacts provided in Section II of this Privacy Policy.

XIV. Changes to the Privacy Policy

We may periodically update this Privacy Policy. When modified, a notice will be posted on our Site as well as the full text of the updated Privacy Policy. Any changes and additions to the Privacy Policy will only be enforced upon publication of its up-to-date content available through our Site.

If you have any questions or comments about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at office@vlaw.bg

The current version of the Privacy Policy is effective since 25^th May, 2018.