Voluntary Law development association

1. Voluntary Law development association Just words can change the world www.vlda.org

2. Recognize Monopolies • Government (the “state”) is by definition an institution claiming an exclusive right to enforce law within a defined territory • Government laws are imposed on all in the claimed territory- None can reject the law • Government may tolerate varying degrees of private law within its territory – out of necessity

3. VL Precursors: Private Laws • Examples include private arbitration and mediation, corporate/business governance, private property rules for public accommodation (e.g., theme parks, resorts) church governance, families, private clubs or markets • Private legal systems are limited in scope and/or poorly defined, preempted by government laws, and often ultimately dependent on government for law enforcement

4. The Need • A vision for alternative, comprehensive voluntary legal systems designed to operate independently of any statist control over dispute resolution and law enforcement • Practical, comprehensive legal codes consistent with such voluntary legal systems for study, development and eventual implementation

5. The VLDA’s Purpose • Develop Voluntary Law • Promote the Development of Voluntary Law by others • Foster academic processes in the short-term, directed to practical results in the long-term • Enforce experimental boundaries with no predetermined endpoints

6. THE VLDA Is Not • A VLS; does not promote adoption of any particular law • A law firm; does not provide any legal advice • A service provider; does not provide dispute resolution services, etc.

7. Which Comes First, Chicken or Egg? • Do communities form around laws, or laws around communities? • VLDA presupposes a “law first” model, not to the exclusion of other models. An unconventional or perhaps novel approach. • Laws are developed, published, reviewed, amended then voluntarily adopted by individuals. • A group of individuals adopting the same law form a community.

8. Characteristics of a Pure VLS • Multiple modular, published legal systems voluntarily supported by diverse, inter-twined and non-geographically defined communities • Multiple competing forums for dispute resolution, none with exclusive territories, supported by user fees • Multiple competing law enforcement, security, and insurance organizations, none with exclusive territories, supported by user fees

9. Transitional VLSs • VL Systems, forums (courts), enforcement, security and insurance organizations coexist with governmental organizations (legally, quasi-legally, and/or underground) • No VL organization hears or enforces a law promulgated by a monopolistic governmental organization, or depends on such for enforcement. • VL organizations gradually and peacefully increase in scope and influence while monopolistic gov’t fades away and/or collapses (it may take centuries)

10. Development Process • Open Source, Collaborative and Competitive • Most development precedes formation of VLSs • Version adoption must be voluntary; no elite can impose “upgrades” • Each amendment splits the community – this is a feature, not a bug • Development may slow asymptotically as communities grow (similar to technical standards development)

11. Essence of VL • By definition, VL codes adhere to NAP and VL (no state) model; from these arise new approaches for dispute resolution and deterrence of malicious conduct in the absence of coerced imposition of law, territorially-based or otherwise • VLSs may exist independently of states, or morph into states, but a VLS cannot be a state (and vice-versa) under any consistent set of definitions • Boundaries are fuzzy; disagreements may arise at the margins over precise definitions of things like “voluntary,” “non-aggression,” etc.

12. Features of VL • Modular (By Topic) • Individuals can mix and match modules to customize their own adopted legal systems • Conflict of Law modules resolve conflicts between laws when parties to a dispute adhere to different laws; can be specific or universal • Individuals are responsible for adopting internally coherent (not self-contradictory) systems of modules • Laws are adopted by notice, actual or constructive

13. Characteristics of VL • Tendency toward simplicity and basic principles capable of flexible application • Stable • Legal precedents from dispute resolution forums are merely persuasive, cannot have force of law until codified and voluntarily adopted by individuals • Collectively-desired degree of ambiguity

14. DR in “Law First” Model (1) • High degree of functional specialization • Lightweight, technically and legally expert forum providers handle logistics of managing dispute resolution forums • Independent, free-lance judges, jurors, and counselors compete for business from forums and disputants • Competition based on reputation, skills, cost, customer service, etc.

15. DR in “Law First” Model (2) • Enforcement is entirely separate service, acts as quality check on DR forums because enforcing poor quality adjudications creates legal liability for enforcers (no immunity from prosecution) • Independent reputation certification services, but no generally imposed licensing • Vertically integrated organizations not prohibited, but would generally be out-competed by open-source, open-network communities

16. VL Development Association • Develop and promote the development of many different alternative legal systems for different communities • Publish VL codes and inspire others to do the same

17. www.vlda.org • Will accept code modules and commentary from any submitter under a specified license (Creative Commons Attribution) • Will curate, edit and classify submissions by system, subsystem, category and subcategory • Will publish processed codes and commentary in a linked hierarchical and/or relational data structure • Will receive and publish user feedback regarding published content

18. The Future • One day, the notion that law is best imposed by elites will seem as backwards and barbaric as “divine right of kings” or sacrificing babies to gods. • Law will generally be deemed invalid unless voluntarily adopted by the person to whom applied • Natural need for community will ensure that very few people become outlaws

19. Thank YOU For listening Please Join Us! More information at www.vlda.org info@vlda.org