Stéphanie De Smedt
Partner - Attorney at Law
Stéphanie De Smedt, Partner, heads the firm's Tech & Commercial practice, which includes data protection & cybersecurity. She is also involved in the firm-wide life sciences & healthcare practice.
Brussels, Amsterdam
Dutch, English, French
Stéphanie focuses on technology law in the broad sense. She guides clients through complex contract drafting and negotiation, and advises clients on pre-litigious and regulatory matters. Through her broad background in commercial law (distribution law, unfair market practices, consumer regulations) and IP/ICT law (technology transfers, counterfeit disputes, e-commerce regulations, and software/IT contracting), Stéphanie is the go-to person for clients active in the technology and digital economy industry. Topics such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and new technologies in general (and in the life sciences industry in particular) are part of her core focus areas.
Throughout her career, Stéphanie has developed a recognised expertise in regulatory compliance, more specifically - as CIPP/E certified expert - in relation to the protection of personal data (GDPR compliance frameworks, data breach management, etc.) and cybersecurity matters (NIS2, DORA, etc.). She has managed multiple large scale GDPR audits and “privacy by design” projects, represented clients in high-profile data protection litigation before the Belgian Data Protection Authority and the Belgian courts, and regularly assists clients with setting-up compliant contracts and compliance frameworks. Recently, she has been advising clients on compliance with new EU regulatory frameworks such as the AI Act, the Data Act, DSA/DMA, etc.
In her areas of expertise, Stéphanie represents clients in court, before the Belgian Data Protection Authority and in alternative dispute resolution proceedings.
Finally, she has been appointed by CEPANI, the Belgian Centre for Arbitration and Mediation, to act as Third-Party Decider in alternative dispute resolution proceedings for .be domain names.
Work highlights
Contributions
Memberships
Brussels Bar (Nederlandse Orde van Advocaten), 2012
iTechLaw (International Association of Technology Lawyers)
IAPP (International Association of Privacy Professionals)
Professional Union of DPOs in Belgium (DPO-Pro)
Qualifications
LL.M. in European Competition and Intellectual Property law, Université de Liège (Belgium), 2012
Master in law, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium), 2011
Summer school in international business, Haas Business School, University of California (Berkeley, United States), 2010
CIPP/E Certification (IAPP)
Publications
• De Smedt, S., Surinx, D. (2022). Gebruik biometrische gegevens: ondernemingen hopen op wetgevend initiatief. De Juristenkrant
• De Smedt, S., Caproni M. (2019). Praktische gids privacy in de onderneming. Belgium: Wolters Kluwer
• De Smedt, S., Verstraeten V. (2018). GDPR Implementation Series - Belgium: Substantial Reform of Supervisory Authority and Framework Implementing Act Finally Adopted. European Data Protection Law Review, Lexxion, (Volume 4, issue 3), 353 - 359
• De Smedt, S., van Waesberge, C. (2016). Cybersecurity and Data Breach Notification Obligations Under the Current and Future Legislative Framework. European Data Protection Law Review, Lexxion (Volume 2, issue 3), 391 - 398
• De Smedt, S. (2016). Data Protection May Have to Yield in IP Infringement Cases. European Data Protection Law Review, Lexxion, (2015/4), 316 - 320
Stéphanie De Smedt
Partner - Attorney at Law
stephanie.de.smedt@loyensloeff.com
Brussels, Amsterdam
Dutch, English, French
<p>Stéphanie De Smedt, Partner, heads the firm's Tech & Commercial practice, which includes data protection & cybersecurity. She is also involved in the firm-wide life sciences & healthcare practice.</p>
Stéphanie focuses on technology law in the broad sense. She guides clients through complex contract drafting and negotiation, and advises clients on pre-litigious and regulatory matters. Through her broad background in commercial law (distribution law, unfair market practices, consumer regulations) and IP/ICT law (technology transfers, counterfeit disputes, e-commerce regulations, and software/IT contracting), Stéphanie is the go-to person for clients active in the technology and digital economy industry. Topics such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and new technologies in general (and in the life sciences industry in particular) are part of her core focus areas.
Throughout her career, Stéphanie has developed a recognised expertise in regulatory compliance, more specifically - as CIPP/E certified expert - in relation to the protection of personal data (GDPR compliance frameworks, data breach management, etc.) and cybersecurity matters (NIS2, DORA, etc.). She has managed multiple large scale GDPR audits and “privacy by design” projects, represented clients in high-profile data protection litigation before the Belgian Data Protection Authority and the Belgian courts, and regularly assists clients with setting-up compliant contracts and compliance frameworks. Recently, she has been advising clients on compliance with new EU regulatory frameworks such as the AI Act, the Data Act, DSA/DMA, etc.
In her areas of expertise, Stéphanie represents clients in court, before the Belgian Data Protection Authority and in alternative dispute resolution proceedings.
Finally, she has been appointed by CEPANI, the Belgian Centre for Arbitration and Mediation, to act as Third-Party Decider in alternative dispute resolution proceedings for .be domain names.