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Many of us grow up hearing that “life is not fair”, but does that mean we should just accept that statement without trying to make a change?
A recent study shows that approximately 80 percent of low-income US citizens cannot afford legal assistance. While this might be appalling, it is probably not surprising. What might be more of a shock is that the problem is not just contained to low-income families; the middle-class struggles too. A study shows that “forty to sixty percent of their legal needs go unmet.” What remains is a justice system that overwhelmingly favours the wealthy.
One key factor is that not all disputes, issues or problems need to be solved by lawyers, solicitors and barristers. Of course, complex international conflicts and criminal cases need highly trained, highly experienced legal professionals. However, many smaller-scale civil cases can be just as easily solved by Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) — often, these people have a tremendous amount of experience and knowledge and can just as effectively resolve disputes between two parties.
It is no secret that Legal assistance is expensive. In the US, hourly rates for a lawyer are $200-$400 in metropolitan areas but can be as high as $1,000, and similar prices are found in most developed nations. A relatively small lawsuit can involve tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of dollars for statements and document exchanges. Today, many law firms won’t even consider cases where the possible award is under $100,000. While an out of court settlement is much more common for minor disputes, this doesn’t always result in a fair outcome, and often the aggrieved party must accept whatever offer they receive, as they have very little power to change it. A trial by jury is usually much better, provided each member is honest and has a strong sense of justice, the outcome is fair.
Combined technology and human expertise.
At Astra Protocol, we understand this; that is why we have combined technology and human expertise when developing a review system from honest, accountable and independent specialists to give everyone the opportunity to register a complaint, dispute or issue.
Our algorithm selects the most appropriate legal or non-legal experts for the job, depending on the specific case requirements and complexity.
For example, a DeFi insurance dispute, decentralised gaming dispute or verifying smart contract data. These problems invariably would be better solved not with lawyers but a claims adjuster, another in-game participant or a data scientist, respectively. Sounds like a sensible idea, doesn’t it?
This is precisely what Astra Protocol does. We call upon the most suitable, trusted specialists to give an independent expert decision, often at a lower cost and quicker than traditional methods. We ensure the same fairness and impartiality from a trial without the associated costs and delays. Currently, justice is tied to having legal assistance from the best lawyers, who are mainly out of reach for most people. In the same way that DeFi is providing the underbanked a route to the financial market, Astra is making justice available to those who currently don’t have access.
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