1. Name and contact information of the data controller and the company data protection officer

This privacy notice applies to data processing by:

The attorneys at the Salmen Würzberg von Below law firm, Schadowplatz 11, 40212 Düsseldorf,
Email: info [at] swb-rechtsanwaelte.de, Phone: 0211-9990850, Fax: 0211-9990855

Attorney Thomas Salmen

Attorney Annette Würzberg

Attorney Sven von Below

2. Collection and storage of personal data, as well as the nature and purpose of its use

a) When visiting the website

When you visit our website www.swb-rechtsanwaelte.de, the browser on your device automatically sends information to our website’s server. This information is temporarily stored in a so-called log file. The following information is collected without any action on your part and stored until it is automatically deleted:

• IP address of the requesting computer,
• Date and time of access,
• Name and URL of the file accessed,
• Website from which the access originated (referrer URL),
• Browser used and, if applicable, your computer’s operating system, as well as the name of your internet service provider.

We process the aforementioned data for the following purposes:

• Ensuring a smooth connection to the website,
• Ensuring a user-friendly experience on our website,
• Evaluating system security and stability, and
• For other administrative purposes.

The legal basis for data processing is Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR. Our legitimate interest arises from the purposes listed above for data collection. Under no circumstances do we use the collected data for the purpose of drawing conclusions about your identity.

In addition, we use cookies and analytics services when you visit our website. You can find further details on this in Sections 4 and 5 of this Privacy Policy.

b) When using our contact form

If you have any questions, we offer you the option of contacting us via a form provided on the website. You must provide a valid email address so that we know who sent the inquiry and can respond to it. Additional information may be provided voluntarily.

Data processing for the purpose of contacting us is carried out in accordance with Article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR based on your voluntary consent.

The personal data we collect when you use the contact form will be automatically deleted once your inquiry has been processed.

3. Disclosure of Data

Your personal data will not be disclosed to third parties for any purposes other than those listed below.

We will only disclose your personal data to third parties if:

• you have given your explicit consent pursuant to Article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR,
• the disclosure is necessary pursuant to Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR for the establishment, exercise, or defense of legal claims, and there is no reason to assume that you have an overriding legitimate interest in the non-disclosure of your data,
• there is a legal obligation to disclose the data pursuant to Article 6(1)(c) of the GDPR, and
• this is permitted by law and necessary for the performance of contractual relationships with you pursuant to Article 6(1)(b) of the GDPR.

4. Cookies

We use cookies on our website. These are small files that your browser automatically creates and that are stored on your device (laptop, tablet, smartphone, etc.) when you visit our website. Cookies do not cause any damage to your device and do not contain viruses, Trojans, or other malware.
The cookie stores information that is specific to the device you are using. However, this does not mean that we thereby gain direct knowledge of your identity.
The use of cookies serves, on the one hand, to make your experience of our website more pleasant. For example, we use so-called session cookies to recognize that you have already visited individual pages of our website. These are automatically deleted when you leave our site.
In addition, we also use temporary cookies to optimize user-friendliness; these are stored on your device for a specific, predetermined period of time. If you visit our site again to use our services, the system automatically recognizes that you have previously visited us and recalls the information and settings you entered, so you do not have to re-enter them.
We also use cookies to collect statistical data on the use of our website and to evaluate this data for the purpose of optimizing our offerings for you (see Section 5). These cookies allow us to automatically recognize that you have already visited our site when you return. These cookies are automatically deleted after a defined period of time.
The data processed by cookies is necessary for the purposes stated to safeguard our legitimate interests and those of third parties in accordance with Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR.
Most browsers automatically accept cookies. However, you can configure your browser so that no cookies are stored on your computer or so that a notification always appears before a new cookie is created. However, completely disabling cookies may prevent you from using all the features of our website.

5. Analysis Tools

a) Tracking Tools
The tracking measures listed below and used by us are carried out on the basis of Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR. We use these tracking measures to ensure that our website is designed to meet your needs and to continuously optimize it. Additionally, we use these tracking measures to statistically record the use of our website and to evaluate it for the purpose of optimizing our offering for you. These interests are to be regarded as legitimate within the meaning of the aforementioned provision.
The respective data processing purposes and data categories can be found in the corresponding tracking tools.

i) Google Analytics1
To ensure that our website is tailored to your needs and to continuously optimize it, we use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google Inc. (https://www.google.de/intl/de/about/) (1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA; hereinafter “Google”). In this context, pseudonymized user profiles are created and cookies (see Section 4) are used. The information generated by the cookie regarding your use of this website, such as

• browser type/version,
• operating system used,
• referrer URL (the previously visited page),
• hostname of the accessing computer (IP address),
• time of the server request,

are transmitted to a Google server in the United States and stored there. The information is used to evaluate the use of the website, to compile reports on website activity, and to provide other services related to website and internet usage for the purposes of market research and to tailor the design of these web pages to user needs. This information may also be transferred to third parties where required by law or where such third parties process the data on our behalf. Under no circumstances will your IP address be merged with other data held by Google. IP addresses are anonymized so that they cannot be linked to you (IP masking).

You can prevent the installation of cookies by adjusting your browser settings accordingly; however, we would like to point out that in this case, you may not be able to use all functions of this website to their full extent.

You can also prevent the collection of data generated by the cookie and related to your use of the website (including your IP address), as well as the processing of this data by Google, by downloading and installing a browser add-on (https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de).
As an alternative to the browser add-on, particularly for browsers on mobile devices, you can also prevent data collection by Google Analytics by clicking this link. An opt-out cookie will be set to prevent future collection of your data when you visit this website. The opt-out cookie applies only to this browser and only to our website and is stored on your device. If you delete the cookies in this browser, you must set the opt-out cookie again.

For more information on data protection in connection with Google Analytics, please refer to the Google Analytics Help Center (https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6004245?hl=de).

ii) Google AdWords Conversion Tracking
We also use Google Conversion Tracking to collect statistical data on the use of our website and to analyze this data for the purpose of optimizing our website for you. In this process, Google AdWords places a cookie (see Section 4) on your computer if you have arrived at our website via a Google ad.
These cookies expire after 30 days and are not used for personal identification. If the user visits certain pages of the AdWords customer’s website and the cookie has not yet expired, Google and the customer can recognize that the user clicked on the ad and was redirected to that page.

Each AdWords customer receives a different cookie. Cookies cannot therefore be tracked across the websites of AdWords customers. The information collected using the conversion cookie is used to generate conversion statistics for AdWords customers who have opted for conversion tracking. AdWords customers learn the total number of users who clicked on their ad and were redirected to a page tagged with a conversion tracking tag. However, they do not receive any information that can be used to personally identify users.
If you do not wish to participate in the tracking process, you can also refuse the placement of the cookie required for this purpose—for example, by adjusting your browser settings to generally disable the automatic placement of cookies. You can also disable cookies for conversion tracking by configuring your browser to block cookies from the domain “www.googleadservices.com”. Google’s privacy policy regarding conversion tracking can be found here (https://services.google.com/sitestats/de.html).

iii) Matomo
We use the open-source software Matomo to analyze and statistically evaluate website usage. Cookies are used for this purpose (see Section 4). The information generated by the cookie regarding website usage is transmitted to our servers and aggregated into pseudonymous usage profiles. This information is used to evaluate website usage and to enable us to design our website in a way that meets user needs. The information is not shared with third parties.
Under no circumstances is the IP address linked to other data relating to the user. IP addresses are anonymized so that they cannot be traced back to an individual (IP masking).
Your visit to this website is currently being tracked by Matomo web analytics. Click here (https://matamo.org/docs/privacy/) to opt out of tracking.

6. Data Subject Rights

You have the right to:

• pursuant to Article 15 of the GDPR, to request information about your personal data that we process. In particular, you may request information regarding the purposes of processing, the categories of personal data, the categories of recipients to whom your data has been or will be disclosed, the planned retention period, the existence of a right to rectification, erasure, restriction of processing, or objection, the existence of a right to lodge a complaint, the origin of your data if it was not collected by us, as well as information regarding the existence of automated decision-making, including profiling, and, where applicable, meaningful information regarding its details;
• to request, pursuant to Article 16 of the GDPR, the immediate rectification of inaccurate personal data or the completion of your personal data stored by us;
• pursuant to Article 17 of the GDPR, to request the erasure of your personal data stored by us, unless processing is necessary for the exercise of the right to freedom of expression and information, for compliance with a legal obligation, for reasons of public interest, or for the establishment, exercise, or defense of legal claims;
• to request the restriction of the processing of your personal data pursuant to Article 18 of the GDPR, provided that you contest the accuracy of the data, the processing is unlawful but you oppose its erasure and we no longer need the data, but you require it to assert, exercise, or defend legal claims, or you have objected to the processing pursuant to Article 21 of the GDPR;
• pursuant to Article 20 of the GDPR, to receive the personal data you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format, or to request the transmission of such data to another controller;
• pursuant to Article 7(3) of the GDPR, to withdraw your consent at any time. As a result, we may no longer continue the data processing that was based on this consent in the future; and
• pursuant to Article 77 of the GDPR, to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. As a rule, you may contact the supervisory authority of your usual place of residence or workplace, or of our law firm’s registered office.

7. Right to Object

If your personal data is processed on the basis of legitimate interests pursuant to Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR, you have the right, pursuant to Article 21 of the GDPR, to object to the processing of your personal data, provided there are grounds for doing so that arise from your particular situation or the objection is directed against direct marketing. In the latter case, you have a general right to object, which we will honor without requiring you to specify a particular situation.
If you wish to exercise your right of withdrawal or objection, simply send an email to info [at] swb-rechtsanwaelte.de

8. Data security

During your visit to our website, we use the widely adopted SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) protocol in conjunction with the highest encryption level supported by your browser. This is typically 256-bit encryption. If your browser does not support 256-bit encryption, we use 128-bit v3 technology instead. You can tell whether a specific page on our website is being transmitted securely by the closed key or lock icon displayed in the status bar at the bottom of your browser.
We also employ appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your data against accidental or intentional manipulation, partial or complete loss, destruction, or unauthorized access by third parties. Our security measures are continuously improved in line with technological developments.

9. Updates and Changes to This Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy is currently in effect and was last updated in June 2018.
Due to ongoing developments to our website and the services offered through it, or due to changes in legal or regulatory requirements, it may become necessary to amend this Privacy Policy. You can view the most current version of the Privacy Policy at any time on our website at www.swb-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/data-protection.