Established outside the Union, bound by European law
European law governs what you sell. It also governs whether someone established inside the Union can be held to answer for it. I take those mandates from Brussels, in English, and I set the fee before starting.
Brussels Bar lawyer since 2021, Certified data protection officer (Maastricht), Published fees
Why it matters
The rules follow the customer, not the seller. If you offer goods or services to people in the Union, or monitor their behaviour, European rules apply even without an office here.
Several instruments go further: they require a person or an entity established in the Union who can be contacted by authorities and by individuals. Without that appointment, the offering itself is irregular, whatever the quality of your product.
Most companies discover these obligations after launch, when a marketplace, a customer or an authority asks for the name of their representative in the Union.
Typical situations
-
What you must appoint inside the Union
A GDPR representative under article 27, when you process data of people in the Union without being established here. An EUIPO representative if you have no seat in the European Economic Area. An authorised representative for products and AI systems placed on the European market.
-
A software company selling to European customers
It would need a lawful basis for its processing, a privacy notice in the language of its market, and an article 27 representative named in that notice.
-
A trade mark owner outside the European Economic Area
It could not act alone before the EUIPO: filings, oppositions and renewals go through a representative established in the Union.
-
A manufacturer or an AI provider shipping into the Union
It would need an authorised representative holding the technical documentation and able to answer a market surveillance authority.
What is included
-
Scoping of your exposure
Which instruments apply to your offering, and which appointments follow from them.
-
Representative mandates
GDPR article 27, EUIPO representation, authorised representative, with the mandate in writing.
-
Documents for your market
Privacy notice, terms of sale, processing agreement, drafted for European law.
-
Trade mark filings
Availability search, Benelux or European Union filing, opposition and watch.
-
How I work remotely
Everything runs by video call and by email, in English, with one written quote per matter and one point of contact.
How it works
- 01
Scoping
A 45-minute video call to set out the problem and the options.
- 02
Written quote
Scope, fixed price and indicative deadline, before any work starts.
- 03
Delivery
I draft, negotiate or file, and I keep you informed.
- 04
Handover
Annotated deliverables, points to watch and the next deadlines.
According to your budget
Three depths, one person answering. You choose where you start; you can move from one to another along the way, and what has been paid is deducted.
- The scoping callForty-five minutes to lay out your situation, a written five-point summary within 24 business hours: what is urgent, what can wait, what you can do yourself.You leave with a course of action and do the rest, or you come back.€120
- The fixed fee: Scoping consultationA 45-minute video call, prepaid, and a written report in five points on the appointments required. Tools do the research and the first draft; the lawyer does the analysis, the final drafting, and answers.Timing: Within 24 working hours. What is not included is written in the quote.€120
- Hourly advice, with a capNegotiation, strategy, litigation, questions that fit no fixed fee. Written estimate, written cap, a check-in halfway.You decide at each step whether to continue; nothing is committed without your written agreement.estimate and cap
Amounts excluding VAT. Proceedings are billed by phase, on time, with a quote, a cap and a retainer.
Fixed fees
Written quote before any instruction. A coefficient applies to fees according to where you are established. Benelux 1.00, European Union outside Benelux 1.15, United Kingdom and Switzerland 1.30, Gulf 1.50, United States and Canada 1.60. Morocco and North Africa 0.85 for a local matter, and 1.00 for a matter directed at the Union. Outside the Union: full payment on account, payment in euros by bank transfer, identity checks before work, Belgian law and the courts of Brussels.
| Service | What is included | Indicative time | Fee excl. VAT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scoping consultation | A 45-minute video call, prepaid, and a written report in five points on the appointments required | Within 24 working hours | €120 |
| GDPR and ePrivacy audit | Ten-section report and prioritised remediation plan | 15 working days | €1,950 |
| European Union trade mark filing | Search, class strategy, filing and prosecution | 5 working days after approval | €1,290 + €850 official tax |
| Representative mandates | Scope, term and reporting set in the written mandate | Depending on scope | On quotation |
Frequently asked questions
Forty-five minutes to scope the matter, €120 excl. VAT
-
A 45-minute video call, prepaid.
-
A written report in five points within 24 working hours: the problem as you put it, the options, my recommendation, the budget for what follows, the timing.
-
If you instruct me within 30 days, the €120 is deducted from the fee.