Research into the accessibility of notarial services

Radboud University Nijmegen is researching the accessibility of notarial services. This research was commissioned by the Research and Documentation Centre (WODC) of the Ministry of Justice and Security. For this research, the university is interviewing (junior) notaries, stakeholders, and advocacy groups.

The investigation was prompted by the Minister for Legal Protection, Franc Weerwind, who promised during debates on legal professions to investigate the state of the notary profession and access to notarial services in particular. During these debates, the question arose whether those with limited financial means had sufficient access to the notary profession and whether a social notary service should be established.

Main questions
Radboud University has now formulated a number of main questions:

What is the current state of the notarial profession in terms of accessibility and quality of service? To what extent does the current notarial profession meet the needs for notarial services in practice/society? Are improvements necessary or desirable regarding accessibility, quality, and needs? Is a social notarial profession desirable? What can be said about the (potential for) future sustainability of the notarial profession in relation to accessibility and quality for citizens and businesses?

Qualitative research
For this qualitative study, the university will be interviewing (candidate) civil-law notaries from various notary offices, relevant stakeholders, and advocacy organizations starting in September. Their data will be processed anonymously. The study is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2024.