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An online dispute resolution service that claims it will revolutionise the settlement of disputes has launched.
Ajuve, the fast-track online alternative to court, is designed to enable small businesses and individuals to resolve contract disputes quickly and effectively.
Co-founded by father and son duo, Alex and Quentin Bargate – senior partner of London law firm Bargate Murray – Ajuve is a low-cost and entirely online system that takes users through every stage of a dispute, from making a complaint through to resolution and award via an independent arbitrator.
Alongside the core arbitration service, which promises to deliver binding awards in no more than six weeks and charges an up-front fee based on the amount in dispute, Ajuve also provides a settlement calculator along with a dispute resolution clause, available to download for free, which businesses can include in contracts should a dispute arise in the future. The startup plans to add an online mediation module to the site in the coming months.
The site’s arbitrators will initially be sourced from the Bargate Murray’s legal team before other experienced lawyers are invited to join.
Other professionals, including lawyers, will also be invited to partner with Ajuve’s ‘Quick Look’ system, which allows users of the system to ask short questions of partnering professionals if they are unsure of the next best step.
Quentin Bargate said: “After thirty years of experience in the legal sector, I, like many other lawyers, have become increasingly frustrated with the time, cost and stress associated with dispute resolution.
“There is a clear need for a simple and affordable system of online dispute resolution; we don’t need to be prisoners of an imperfect past.
“While we may face some resistance from other lawyers to begin with, we think the majority will see its obvious benefits. Ajuve is a solution to their headache of dealing with unprofitable claims and also offers firms the opportunity to be seen to be part of the 21st century, not the 19th century.”
Ajuve faces competition from the EU Online Dispute Resolution Platform for online traders, which is part of the Commission’s single digital market initiative and went live on 15 February.