Stichting Rechtswinkel Dordrecht

What Stichting Rechtswinkel Dordrecht does

Stichting Rechtswinkel Dordrecht is a nonprofit foundation (Stichting) established in 1974 to provide free legal advice and assistance to residents of Dordrecht, Netherlands and the surrounding Drechtsteden region, including Zwijndrecht, Papendrecht, and Sliedrecht. The organization serves individuals who cannot afford a lawyer and who do not qualify for government-funded legal aid under the wettelijke toevoeging regime, addressing access-to-justice gaps for financially vulnerable populations. The organization also operates a Justitieel Klachtenbureau function dedicated to complaints against police and justice conduct.

Service delivery is built around five weekly consultation blocks — Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday 19:00–21:00, Tuesday and Saturday 13:00–15:00 — accessible through walk-in, telephone (+31 78-613 44 58), an online inquiry form, and WhatsApp messaging (+31 6 10601085), with a 24-hour response commitment for digital inquiries. Coverage spans employment, family, rental, consumer, criminal, benefits, government, and justice complaints law, and in qualifying matters the organization can represent clients in administrative or cantonal court proceedings. Approximately 30 volunteer jurists — including 10 qualified lawyers — provide the legal expertise, handling roughly 2,500 cases annually and over 55,000 questions across the organization's 40+ year history. The technology stack is minimal: a website (derechtswinkel.nl) plus standard communication tools, with web operations owned by the supporting foundation Stichting Vrienden van Rechtswinkel Dordrecht (SVRD), established December 6, 2007.

The revenue model is a hybrid of public subsidy and charitable support. A cost-covering subsidy from Gemeente Dordrecht (municipality) and Raad voor de Rechtspraak (Council for the Judiciary) covers fixed costs; operations are further supported by donations through the VriendenLoterij (Friends Lottery) at €12 per sponsor lot with half passing through, iDEAL digital donations, and corporate sponsorship from four law firms (Van Houten & Partners, Moree Gelderblom, Visser Silfhout, Q Advocaten) as well as the national Oranje Fonds. The organization holds ANBI (Algemeen Nut Beogende Instelling) status, allowing tax-effective donations. The stated annual operating budget is approximately €14,000, with all legal staff serving voluntarily and receiving only expense allowances, and recipient services are statutorily free. The organization survived a 2016 austerity-driven proposed subsidy termination through a political motion and community mobilization, resuming stable operation thereafter.

Name

Stichting Rechtswinkel Dordrecht

Legal name

Stichting Rechtswinkel Dordrecht

Website

https://derechtswinkel.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Stichting Rechtswinkel Dordrecht is a 1974-founded Dutch nonprofit foundation providing free legal advice and representation to financially vulnerable residents of Dordrecht and surrounding areas, delivered by approximately 30 volunteer jurists handling around 2,500 cases annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Aid Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Defense & Legal Aid Services (BPAIAFAC)

Keywords

• Free legal aid
• Legal consultation services
• Nonprofit legal services
• Pro bono legal advice
• Community legal assistance

Headquarters

HQ city

Dordrecht

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Municipal Subsidy: Subsidy from Gemeente Dordrecht (municipality of Dordrecht) and Raad voor de Rechtspraak (Council for the Judiciary). The subsidy is cost-covering, sufficient to rent office space and pay fixed costs. Historically received subsidy since 1974, faced subsidy termination in 2016 but was rescued by a municipal motion.
2. Donations and Gifts: Charitable donations from individuals through the VriendenLoterij (Friends Lottery) and direct iDEAL donations. Sponsor lots cost €12 per lot with half going directly to the rechtswinkel.
3. Corporate Sponsorship: Sponsorship from law firms and the Oranje Fonds. Main sponsors include Van Houten & Partners Advocaten, Moree Gelderblom Advocaten, Visser Silfhout Advocaten, and Q Advocaten.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Stichting Rechtswinkel Dordrecht is a nonprofit foundation that provides free legal advice and assistance to residents of Dordrecht and surrounding areas who cannot afford a lawyer and do not qualify for government-funded legal aid. Services cover labor law, family law, rental law, consumer issues, criminal law, social welfare benefits, government disputes, and complaints against police/justice, delivered through walk-in consultations, telephone consultations, email inquiries, and WhatsApp messaging five times per week including evenings and Saturday.

Product overview

Stichting Rechtswinkel Dordrecht is a non-profit legal aid organization offering free legal advice and assistance services. The organization provides multiple consultation channels including walk-in consultations, telephone consultations, and email inquiries. The service covers various legal areas including labor law, family law, rental law, consumer law, criminal law, social welfare benefits, and complaints against police/justice. The organization operates as a single integrated service rather than a modular product platform, with all offerings centered around providing accessible free legal assistance to residents of Dordrecht and surrounding areas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Justitieel Klachtenbureau: A legal complaints bureau handling matters related to police and justice system actions, part of the organization's services.

Products and services

• Inloopspreekuur (Walk-in Legal Consultation)

Quantifiable outcome

• Answered over 50,000 legal questions in 40+ years of operation
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Van Houten & Partners AdvocatenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaw firm in Dordrecht specializing in divorce mediation. Partners determine outcomes themselves with neutral mediator assistance. Provides sponsorship support to the rechtswinkel.
• Moree Gelderblom AdvocatenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRotterdam law firm with 19 lawyers specializing in labor law, family law, and civil servant law. Provides sponsorship support.
• Visser Silfhout AdvocatenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaw firm in Dordrecht's historic city center specializing in family law, labor law, administrative law, corporate law, and general contract law. Provides sponsorship support.
• Q AdvocatenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaw firm listed as main sponsor with tagline 'Your problem is our concern'. Provides sponsorship support to the rechtswinkel.
• Stichting Vrienden van Rechtswinkel Dordrecht (SVRD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation established December 6, 2007 to support the rechtswinkel through knowledge transfer (legal and administrative), financial support (bridging loans, project financing), and maintaining contact with former volunteers. Also manages the website www.derechtswinkel.nl.
• FNV Sociaal Beleid DrechtstedenminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal labor union that refers many people annually to the rechtswinkel for conflicts regarding housing, healthcare, government, etc. Wrote letter to municipal council advocating to maintain rechtswinkel subsidy.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Juridisch Loket: Dutch national government-funded legal aid information point that provides free initial legal advice and refers citizens to lawyers. Directly comparable as a free, publicly-oriented legal aid channel serving individuals who cannot afford private counsel; the rechtswinkel operates at a more local, volunteer-driven level.
• Stichting Pro Deo: Dutch foundation that coordinates pro bono legal services by connecting volunteer lawyers with people in need. Closely comparable in mission (volunteer-driven free legal assistance) and operating model (nonprofit, lawyer-led) to Stichting Rechtswinkel Dordrecht.
• Slachtofferhulp Nederland: National Dutch organization providing free support to victims of crime and accidents, including navigating justice-system processes and filing complaints against police conduct. Directly comparable through the rechtswinkel's Justitieel Klachtenbureau sub-brand, which handles police/justice complaints.

Broad incumbents

• Raad voor Rechtsbijstand: The Dutch Legal Aid Board, a government body that administers subsidized legal aid (toevoeging) and finances legal aid providers nationally. Functions as the broader institutional incumbent that oversees and funds the legal aid system within which the rechtswinkel operates; also one of its current subsidy providers.

Others

• Stichting Vrienden van Rechtswinkel Dordrecht (SVRD): Sister support foundation established December 6, 2007 that provides material and immaterial support to Stichting Rechtswinkel Dordrecht and manages the derechtswinkel.nl website. Not a competitor but a closely related ecosystem participant within the same organizational structure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stichting-rechtswinkel-dordrecht

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Stichting Rechtswinkel Dordrecht