HiiL reaches a milestone as one of their innovations, the Rechtwijzer platform, helped 500 couples through their divorce.
Every year thousands of couples and children are traumatized as a result of divorce. This profound experience is often worsened by the divorce process itself. HiiL believes that a divorce should not be about me versus you; be cheap or fast. It is about making the right steps and choices that will have an impact on the rest of your life, and in some cases, the next generation.
That vision was fundamental in our re-designing of a legal procedure for divorce, now offered by the Dutch legal aid board (Raad voor Rechtsbijstand) and in pilots in Canada and England. The re-designed procedure is translated in an online service which provides empowerment to both parties throughout the divorce process.
The 500 couples who divorced via the Rechtwijzer platform were guided through a respectful, clear and careful process. Disagreement it possible, but it never turns into a legal battle, because lawyers and adjudicators always work as bridge-builders, never on claims or defences, Parents are assisted to create a solid base for a future for their children: free from conflict, anxiety, depression and problems at school. Separation agreements made by the couples are of a high quality and have a 100% approval rate by the courts, following the review phase by Rechtwijzer lawyers.
Lawyers oversee the solutions parties create on the platform, carefully reviewing the arrangements to ensure the solution is legally viable and fair. By optimising the interventions of legal service providers, Rechtwijzer enables legal aid boards, family courts and governments to serve more people, more effectively. Thus the benefits are clear for the families but also for the justice system itself. We look forward to supporting our users through the next 500 divorces.
Read more about the platform (in Dutch) and about the project.
