header-logo header-logo

Home Login E-newsletter About us
27 April 2017 / Steve Hynes
Issue: 7743 / Categories: Opinion , Profession , Technology
printer mail-detail

Digital law crashes out…for now

© Copyright LexisNexis 2026. All Rights Reserved.
nlj_7743_hynes

Will a poor return on investment derail robot lawyers? Steve Hynes reports

Heralded as the future of legal services, Rechtwijzer 2.0, the digital family law service, looks like it is coming to an ignominious end. The Dutch organisation behind the product, the Hague Institute for the Internationalisation of Law (HiiL), is pulling the plug on it as it is not making enough cash.

Game changer

Three years ago Roger Smith, the NLJ columnist and expert on innovation in legal aid policy, described Rechtwijzer as a ‘game changer’ as it was setting ‘a new standard for what can be delivered’ through new technology. This first version he was referring to, hosted by the Dutch Legal Aid Board, provided information and interactive pathways through dealing with consumer problems and relationship breakdowns. Information only was given on other civil legal problems.

The Rechtwijzer 2.0 product was launched in 2015. This was intended to provide a web-based interactive negotiated settlement service for separating couples. According to Smith there was ‘fairly good usage’ of the service after its launch (see ‘Online cometh’, 166 NLJ 7701, p

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Read All
Sponsored by
Hogan Lovells—Lisa Quelch

Hogan Lovells—Lisa Quelch

Partner hire strengthens global infrastructure and energy financing practice

Sherrards—Jan Kunstyr

Sherrards—Jan Kunstyr

Legal director bolsters international expertise in dispute resolution team

Muckle LLP—Stacey Brown

Muckle LLP—Stacey Brown

Corporate governance and company law specialist joins the team

NEWS
Read All
Legal notice: Notice under the Trustee Act 1925

NOTICE UNDER THE TRUSTEE ACT 1925

HERBERT SMITH STAFF PENSION SCHEME (THE “SCHEME”)

NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND BENEFICIARIES UNDER SECTION 27 OF THE TRUSTEE ACT 1925
Emergency lawyers on call as international regulatory actions soar
Law firm HFW is offering clients lawyers on call for dawn raids, sanctions issues and other regulatory emergencies
NLJ this week: Employment law’s fine margins
From gender-critical speech to notice periods and incapability dismissals, employment law continues to turn on fine distinctions. In his latest employment law brief for NLJ, Ian Smith of Norwich Law School reviews a cluster of recent decisions, led by Bailey v Stonewall, where the Court of Appeal clarified the limits of third-party liability under the Equality Act
NLJ this week: Promises broken on non-molestation orders?
Non-molestation orders are meant to be the frontline defence against domestic abuse, yet their enforcement often falls short. Writing in NLJ this week, Jeni Kavanagh, Jessica Mortimer and Oliver Kavanagh analyse why the criminalisation of breach has failed to deliver consistent protection
NLJ this week: Assisted dying under the legal microscope
Assisted dying remains one of the most fraught fault lines in English law, where compassion and criminal liability sit uncomfortably close. Writing in NLJ this week, Julie Gowland and Barny Croft of Birketts examine how acts motivated by care—booking travel, completing paperwork, or offering emotional support—can still fall within the wide reach of the Suicide Act 1961
Copyright © 2026 LexisNexis
back-to-top-scroll