May 19, 2006

Starting on Monday, 5/22, PoL contributors Larry Ribstein and Jonathan Wilson will be debating the need for lawyer licensing. Their discussion began recently with Larry's post at Ideoblog, in which he wonders

whether it's worth preserving any piece of lawyers’ monopoly on legal representation.

Jonathan responded at his own site, concluding that

[i]f the doors to the practice of law were completely unlocked by any licensing requirement, any charlatan with a website and a business card could hold himself out as qualified.

You can read the rest of the run-up to Monday's debate here, here, here, and here. And be sure to return after the weekend to see it continue.