Equal Day 2019

Open Law

To be able to help everyone, law should be shared. But how do we implement open law?

Knowledge of the law is the lawyer’s main weapon. It is not unattainable however; it is abundantly available through legislation, doctrine and case law which is increasingly coherent. Unfortunately, this knowledge, shared through reviews, catalogues and search engines, often remains inaccessible mostly because of its high cost.

When all Bars in a country ask themselves what the impact of technology will be on the future of the legal profession, where the immense majority of lawyers carry out their research through the internet, and where the development of open source has enabled major technological advances, it is time to consider 'open law'.

These words harbour major issues such as:
- The sharing of case law or doctrine, or in short, legal know-how, in a way that is accessible to everyone, be it citizens or legal professionals;
- The position of the debate in the context of a legal system that is lacking means and resources;
- The role of legal professionals debated: what can be done? With what objectives?
- Through this workshop, we aim to bring together not only legal professionals but also institutional actors and associations in order to share experiences, expectations and measures with a view to putting in place concrete tools in Belgian law. 

Contact:

Thomas Deridder: Thomas(at)equalday.eu
Margaux Kerkhofs: Margaux(at)equelday.eu