cryptography eliminates lawyers?
As a follow-up to the article reference I posted, I pose the following question: Will cryptographic technology and information (communication) technology reduce the need for legal services in the future? (especially regarding contracts, buying/selling, patent law, etc.) Will legal services just look different? Will they be more efficient (cheaper)? Put bluntly, will cryptography put lawyers out of business? Any comments would be appreciated. Cort.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SANDY SANDFORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C'punks, On Wed, 6 Sep 1995, Cortland D. Starrett wrote:
Will cryptographic technology and information (communication) technology reduce the need for legal services in the future? (especially regarding contracts, buying/selling, patent law, etc.) Will legal services just look different? Will they be more efficient (cheaper)?
The U.S. legal system is in free fall, and lawyers are almost totally to blame. ("Lawyers" as used here includes all judges and most legislators.) This does not mean, however, that cryptographic/information/communications technologies can forgo the use of advocates and arbitors. There will always be a place for people who can fulfill these functions. They may or may not be called lawyers, but most of the same folks who now go into law, will be the dispute specialists of cyberspace. S a n d y ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We wish! We really wish! ========================================================================== + ^ + | Ray Arachelian | Amerika: The land of the Freeh. | _ |> \|/ |sunder@escape.com| Where day by day, yet another | \ | <--+-->| | Constitutional right vanishes. | \| /|\ | Just Say | | <|\ + v + | "No" to the NSA!| Jail the censor, not the author!| <| n ==========================================================================
Will cryptographic technology and information (communication) technology reduce the need for legal services in the future? (especially regarding contracts, buying/selling, patent law, etc.) Will legal services just look different? Will they be more efficient (cheaper)?
Put bluntly, will cryptography put lawyers out of business?
I certainly expect the world of business to change and reflect the use of crytographic tech as soon as it becomes an acceptable practice to use it. This may take awhile as the media and current administration continue to paint black anyone who wants to use such tech for any reason. Should there come a time, however, when crypto is a fashionable and accepted thing, I would expect to see law offices offering to send and recieve documents using such tech, as well as generating and maintaining keys off-site for clients. With such a legal hoopla being made over crypto, I can not fathom lawyers not getting in on the action.. While the need for lawyers may decline with the increased use of crypto, I do not think they are about to become an endangered species. Those that are smart will find a way to profit from it, while those that can not adapt will be left behind (and who says lawyers are not part of evolution <g>) RobL
participants (4)
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Cortland D. Starrett -
Ray Arachelian -
Rob Lowry -
Sandy Sandfort