TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1.              These general terms and conditions (hereinafter the   « General Terms and Conditions ») apply to all agreements concluded between the law firm HR LEGAL BV (with offices at 2018 Antwerp, Clementinastraat 60, CBE n° 0833.464.877, hereinafter referred to as the « Firm ») and its clients (hereinafter referred to as the « Client ») in connection with the services provided or to be provided by the Firm to the Client (hereinafter the « Assignment ») and to all legal relationships arising in this regard between the Firm and the Client.

2.              These General Terms and Conditions are deemed to have been accepted by the Client by signing an order confirmation or by lack of objection expressed by the Client within 14 calendar days of receipt of the General Terms and Conditions (e.g. after receipt of a provision statement or an invoice).

3.              The Assignment shall be executed against the fee agreed between the Firm and the Client in the order confirmation or, in the absence of an order confirmation, against the hourly rate of the Firm, considering the nature and the extent of the case. In case the Firm, whether at the Client’s request, provides an estimation of the fees due for the Assignment, this estimation shall at all-time be non-binding, unless expressly indicated to the contrary. The Firm shall have the right to require, prior to the commencement of any work and/or during the performance of any work, the Client to pay a retainer covering its fees or expenses and shall have the right not to commence any work before and to suspend any work unless such retainer is paid.

4.              The Firm shall invoice the amounts due by the Client, where applicable increased with VAT, and, where applicable, according to the agreed frequency. All invoices of the Firm must be paid within thirty (30) days from the date of the invoice. Failing timely payment, the Firm shall be entitled, by force of law and without prior notice, to payment of interest at a yearly rate of ten (10) % and of a lump-sum compensation equal to ten (10) % of the invoiced amount (with a minimum of 100,00 EUR), without prejudice to the Firm’s right to seek compensation for the effectively suffered damage and incurred costs.

5.              The Firm shall as soon as possible inform the Client about the monies it receives on behalf of the Client and transfer these amounts to the Client, notwithstanding the right of the Firm, provided it informs the Client beforehand in writing, to deduct these monies from the amounts payable by Client to the Firm in settlement of such amounts.

6.       Should the Client fail to make timely payment of any amount due to the Firm, the Firm reserves the right, upon notification to the Client, to suspend its services with regard to the concerned Assignment or any other Assignment with immediate effect until the moment that all amounts payable are paid in full, or to terminate the services to the Client, in whole or in part, without the Client having right to any compensation for any consequence resulting from the aforementioned suspension or termination. In the event of termination of the Assignment by the Firm for reason of Client’s shortcoming, or in the event of termination of theAssignment by the Client for any other reason than the Firm’s gross negligence, all invoices already issued by the Firm shall become immediately payable and all late invoices shall be payable in cash.

7.              The Client shall be responsible for the accuracy, completeness and reliability of the provided information. In case the Client fails to provide the necessary cooperation, the Firm shall have the right to suspend the performance of any work for the Client and/or to terminate any Assignment (as the case may be, by desisting itself of a case). The Firm shall not be liable for any damage that may result from inaccurate, incomplete or unreliable information provided by the Client.

8.              The professional liability of the Firm is limited to the conditions and amounts that are insured under the professional liability insurance organized by the Flemish Bar Association. If, for whatever reason, no payment can be made under the professional liability insurance, then the liability of the Firm is limited in principal, interests and charges to the amount of the fees paid by the Client for the services provided by the Firm that have given rise to the liability.

9.              If the Firm is brought to use third party services in connection to the performance of an Assignment (such as specialized lawyers, bailiffs, translators, notaries, accountants, etc.), the Firm shall exercise due care in selecting such third parties and, where and to the extent appropriate, consult with the Client in advance. The remuneration for the services rendered by third parties shall be charged to the Client directly by the third party or recharged indirectly by the Firm. The Firm shall in no event be liable for the performance by such third parties of their services nor for any faults or defaults which such third parties may commit in the performance of their services. The Firm shall be entitled to accept on behalf of the Client any limitation of liability stipulated by any such third party.

10.            In the framework of the Assignment, the Client will comply with the relevant legal provisions on the protection of privacy, such as the Law of 8 December 1992 (on the protection of the privacy with regard to automatic processing of personal data) and the Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC), in particular for the data provided by the Client to the Firm.

11.            These General Terms and Conditions exclusively apply to the Assignments. The applicability of all other conditions, including the Client’s terms and conditions, whether they are contradictory to the General Terms and Conditions or not, is excluded. If one or more provisions of the General Terms and Conditions is void, invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue to be valid.

12.            The Assignments, including their interpretation, execution and any dispute in connection with it, and any other relationship between the Firm and the Client, whether in contract or otherwise, are governed only by Belgian law and shall be brought exclusively before the courts of the judicial district of Antwerp (Belgium). In the first place, the Firm and the Client shall endeavour to resolve any dispute arising between them amicably in accordance with the applicable rules of the Bar Association.