From: dsc@swcp.com (Dar Scott)
Date: Wed, 13 Sep 95 17:05:23 PDT
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: cryptography eliminates lawyers?
Message-ID: <v01510103ac7d2135f391@[198.59.115.127]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


Black Unicorn wrote,
>But won't clients insist on proper credentials in one form or another?

     Yes.

>Doesn't the practicality and accountability of a centralized authority
>(or several authorities) provide the best answer to this?

     No.

>Who is going
>to accept my signature promising that I did indeed get a law degree and
>pass the bar?

     Very few.

     Certification can be from multiple private and
     government organizations and might vary depending
     on the type of legal service (or other lawyer service)
     needed.  Licensing can only be done by an
     entity that can use physical force to prevent
     buying and selling legal services.


>I don't see how the net will eliminate the basic need for highly
>qualified professionals and the proof that they have credentials.

     It won't.  The needs might shift a little but they
     will be there.

>Perhaps diplomas and such will be transfered into digital signatures for
>the institutions, but I can't see how this "cracks" any "monopoly."
>Perhaps the monopoly is shifted to those who have diplomas, rather than
>those "licensed to practice" but so what?

     It might "crack" government enforced monopoly.
     Should a market monopoly survive some form of
     crypto-anarchy it would be in the form of a
     certification entity that does such a good and
     efficient job that it is very hard to break
     into the business.  Not so bad if it happens,
     but much more honest, efficient and softer-edged
     than "licensed to practice".  I suspect that
     people have needs for varying levels and varying
     specializations so that several kinds of
     certifications may develop and might be supplied
     by multiple entities.

     I suspect that many people would want a
     certification that a lawyer meets the usual
     licensing requirements of the outside world.
     Who knows, maybe that would be the most popular kind.
     But it won't be the only kind.

Dar

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