Kevin O’Keefe at Lexblog posted today about a relatively new website, www.avvo.com, that assigns numerical ratings to lawyers.
Here is how Avvo describes what it does:
Avvo is a website that rates and profiles every lawyer, so you can choose the right lawyer…
The Avvo Rating: Based on information we have collected about a lawyer, the Avvo Rating is our effort to evaluate a lawyer’s background, based on the information we know about the lawyer, using a mathematical model that considers the information shown in a lawyer’s profile – information that, in our opinion, is relevant to assessing a lawyer’s qualifications
Many law bloggers have been critical of the formulas used to calculate the Avvo rating and Kevin takes these bloggers to task in his post: Avvo Bashing Foolishness. Kevin says:
What’s the danger in giving people more information in their attempt to choose a lawyer in a world that’s been dominated by lawyer yellow page ads, sleazy TV advertising, and self-aggrandizing lawyer websites? If people want to use Avvo’s lawyer directory which includes third party commentary on a lawyers services and ratings, they’ll use it. If people do not believe Avvo is worthwhile, they’ll choose not to use it.
I agree with Kevin and here’s the Comment I posted to his post:
I agree with Kevin. Like it or not, Avvo is here to stay and compared to Martindale-Hubbell I think it is a dramatic improvement (and I say that despite the fact that my firm is rated AV by MH).
MH charged outrageous fees for the same type of information that Avvo now provides for free.
I like the social aspects of the Avvo site featuring client testimonials and peer endorsements.
Who can really argue with the fact that our clients are in the best position of all to judge the quality of our work? Client satisfaction should be of paramount concern to every attorney and any of us who recognize that fact should readily embrace Avvo as a great place for our happy clients to sing our praises. I have yet to educate my clients regarding Avvo (although I intend to in my next blog post and in my newsletter) and I have yet to draw any client testimonials in Avvo but I nonetheless think it is a site that should be embraced by all attorneys with happy clients…. “It is futile to resist….”
Jim
I would be very curious to hear how clients feel about Avvo so please post a comment to this post with your input.
Thanks for reading,
Jim
Jim Reed, NY Accident Lawyer
PS BTW, here’s a link to my Avvo rating. I am proud of rating an 8.2 but I have always aspired to be a perfect 10. My wife tells me “fat chance”!
Jim – thanks for the post. We are finding that many attorneys with happy clients are embracing the site and have received some fanmail from consumers who have used it to find the right attorney. If you have any questions or suggestions for us – don’t hesitate to send me an email.
-Conrad from Avvo
After reading about Avvo I “claimed” my profile. I’ve found the ratings system to be pretty arbitrary though. Here is the link to my Avvo rating.
Honestly, I’m not sure what to make of Avvo. I don’t see what everyone is up in arms about though.
David:
I agree with you that I don’t understand the great furor over Avvo– from my perspective it provides useful information and I like the idea that peer evaluations from fellow attorneys who know you will be considered for your ranking. Frankly, I see this system as basically the same as Martindale that has been widely embraced for years…
Thanks for commenting,
Jim Reed
Rating and Review websites have become an important tool for consumers to share information about all sorts of products and services. Sites like avvo.com and LawyerRatingz.com are here to stay.
Bob Nicholson
Rating and Review Professional Association