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 =========================================================== Dar Scott Home phone: +1 505 299 9497 Dar Scott Consulting Voice: +1 505 299 5790 8637 Horacio Place NE Email: darscott@aol.com Albuquerque, NM 87111 dsc@swcp.com Fax: +1 505 898 6525 http://www.swcp.com/~correspo/DSC/DarScott.html ===========================================================