Van Doorne‘s multi-faceted privacy and data protection practice manages high-profile investigations, regulatory enforcement matters, and multi-party litigation, including class actions and administrative proceedings. The team provides guidance on international data transfers, emerging technologies, IT contracts, compliance programs, and data governance frameworks. The practice group is co-led by experienced partner Elisabeth Thole, who oversees both regulatory compliance and contentious privacy matters, and Özer Zivali, who possesses significant knowledge regarding contentious data protection matters, data breaches, and enforcement.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Super team, with a great reputation Europe-wide. Great knowledge of the market and technology.'
- ‘Elisabeth Thole is one of the leading figures in data protection, while Özer Zivali is very capable. They form a superb team.’
- ‘We highly recommend Van Doorne for its deep expertise and client-focused mindset. The team has a clear understanding of the ever-evolving regulatory landscape, including GDPR and broader privacy frameworks.'
Key clients
- GGD GHOR Nederland
- Green Tomato Holding/ New York Pizza
- Havenbedrijf Rotterdam (Port of Rotterdam)
- Achmea
- IDEXX
- Dutch National Police
- TU Eindhoven
- Vereniging Publieke Gezondheid en Veiligheid Nederland
- Vue Cinemas
Work highlights
Successfully acted for GGD GHOR Nederland, the branch organisation of the 25 regional Dutch Municipal Health Services, in relation to the Dutch DPA’s investigation into a widely reported data breach in the Netherlands related to systems used for Covid-19 testing, source-and-contact tracing, and vaccination; and in relation to a related €3.5bn class action claim, which was ultimately dismissed by The District Court of Amsterdam.
Assisted the Dutch National Police in court proceedings appealing against a fine imposed by the Dutch Data Protection Authority. The District Court reduced the fine that was imposed by the Authority in relation to the deployment of camera cars in the city of Rotterdam during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Assisted Vue Cinemas with various data protection-related matters, resulting in the Dutch Data Protection Authority categorising its data breach notification messages to the data subjects as ‘best in class’, in addition to ongoing advice to the company with its GDPR obligations, and preventing enforcement actions by the Dutch Data Protection Authority and claims from the data subjects.
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Practice head
Elisabeth Thole; Özer Zivali