The laws governing data protection cut across all types of law in the German legal system, from public law to civil law. They originate in the transition process our society is experiencing, from an industrial to an information society.

This means that the protection of the individual's rights of informational selfdetermination influences all levels of corporate activities. The legal assessment and design of processes that are subject to data protection is not only an important issue for those companies that process data for third-party business purposes (information services for economic enterprises, for example). Data processing that serves as a tool for internal business purposes (employee data) is likewise affected by such protection.

Our focus in the area of data protection laws is on

• Represent our clients vis-á-vis the supervisory authorities for data protection
• Assist in the appointment of company data protection officers
• Design reporting requirements and obligations to provide information
• Prepare schemes for electronic order processing
• Consult in issues of cross-border data processing
• Advise regarding the exchange of employee data within a corporation