Van Doorne‘s privacy and data team is led by data protection expert Elisabeth Thole who is praised as a ’leading figure in the data protection scene’. The team advises clients on a wide range of issues including data compliance, data-related regulatory proceedings, mass claims and recourse claims as well as data breaches. Thole sits in Amsterdam and has longstanding expertise in privacy, handling both contentious and non-contentious privacy issues. She works closely together with Özer Zivali who handles a mix of data protection and cybersecurity matters. Zivali excels in contentious data protection issues, advising on mass claims, cross-border data breaches and enforcement matters.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

‘One of the leading data protection teams in the Netherlands which also has quite a reputation Europe wide.’
‘Elisabeth Thole is a leading figure in the data protection scene. Very capable and skilled. She is very active on international level. Özer Zivali has learnt a lot from Elisabeth and developed his own profile, being an expert in his doings.’
‘Leaders in their field, unmatched expertise and experience, while also being very approachable and pleasant to work with.’
‘Elizabeth Thole is not only the best privacy expert I have been able to work with, she is overall a highly professional, smart and very experienced individual. She is very easy to collaborate with.’
‘The talented team, headed by Elisabeth Thole has relentlessly showed excellent legal capabilities, as well strategic and tactical insights in this broad and complex case. In particular, Özer Zivali has showed an in-depth knowledge and understanding of this complex case in all aspects, always keeping an overview and a strong focus on priorities as well as the many stakeholders in the field.’
‘The GDPR and privacy expert team at Van Doorne possesses extensive expertise and, notably, substantial experience. This results in swift, thorough, and practical advice.’
‘Elisabeth Thole, who heads the team, demonstrates exceptional strategic acumen and leadership capabilities. Özer Zivali brings a pragmatic approach to his work, consistently translating complex theoretical concepts into actionable, practical advice for clients.’
‘Özer Zivali is a legal powerhouse especially when it comes to IT knowledge.’

Key clients

GGD GHOR Nederland
Green Tomato Holding/ New York Pizza
Havenbedrijf Rotterdam
Achmea
IDEXX
Dutch National Police
TU Eindhoven
Vereniging Publiek Gezondheid en Veiligheid Nederland

Work highlights

Represented GGD GHOR Nederland in relation to the investigation of the Dutch DPA into a widely reported data breach in the Netherlands related to systems used for covid-19 testing.
Assisted Green Tomato Holding with its GDPR notification duties towards the Dutch DPA and the affected data subjects after it fell victim to a ransomware attack.
Assisted TU Eindhoven with administrative appeal proceedings at the highest administrative court, on the right of inspection started by a data subject, under both the former data protection regime and GDPR.

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