ODR (Online Dispute Resolution)

ODR (Online Dispute Resolution) brings together out-of-court dispute resolution mechanisms — mediation, conciliation, arbitration, negotiation — that take place fully or partly online through dedicated internet platforms. The goal is to offer a faster, cheaper and more accessible alternative to traditional court proceedings, particularly for low-value disputes where the parties are geographically far apart.

The European Commission had launched an ODR platform in 2016 to facilitate the resolution of cross-border consumer disputes. That platform was shut down on 20 July 2025 pursuant to Regulation EU-2024/3228, with Member States now responsible for rolling out national tools tailored to their own legal specificities. This shift marks a move toward solutions that sit closer to the people who use them.

ODR is especially relevant for consumer disputes (e-commerce, online services), low-value commercial disputes and certain family-law matters (setting maintenance payments, dividing assets). For lawyers, ODR represents a new way of practising: some platforms embed AI tools to support negotiation, secure videoconferencing systems and document-sharing spaces. Mastering these tools is becoming an asset for collaborative-law practitioners.