avvo.com

What is Avvo.com

Avvo is an online platform principally for legal services in the U.S. It offers profiles of lawyers, client reviews, peer endorsements, and legal-information content. (Wikipedia)
It claims to have profiles for about 97 % of all licensed attorneys in the U.S. (aggregated from public records) so it covers a wide range. (Avvo)
The name “Avvo” comes from the Italian word avvocato, meaning “lawyer.” (Avvo)

How it works

For people seeking a lawyer

You go to Avvo, search by practice area (eg divorce, criminal defense, or bankruptcy) and location. (Avvo)
Each lawyer profile shows their education, years of practice, client reviews, peer endorsements, and a proprietary score (the “Avvo Rating”). (Wikipedia)
There are free legal-advice resources too: you can ask questions and browse answers. (Avvo)

For lawyers

Law firms can claim their profile, provide more detail to it, solicit reviews, and even pay for added services or promotional options. (Denver Legal Marketing)
Because their profiles may pop up in search engine results, lawyers often treat Avvo as part of their marketing/online-presence strategy. (Denver Legal Marketing)

History & business model

Avvo was founded in Seattle (around 2006) by Mark Britton (former counsel at Expedia) and others. (Wikipedia)
It is owned by Internet Brands (acquired in 2018) according to some sources. (Wikipedia)
Revenue comes from advertising, services to lawyers (subscriptions, enhanced visibility), and connecting users with legal help. (Wikipedia)

Key strengths

  • Wide coverage: Because it indexes such a high percentage of attorneys, it’s likely the lawyer you’re considering is listed there.

  • Transparency / data access: You get access to client reviews and peer endorsements, plus see disciplinary history if any.

  • Free for users: For those seeking legal help, browsing and finding info is free.

  • Accessible legal-information content: Good for getting a basic sense of your issue before engaging a lawyer.

Important caveats and criticisms

  • The Avvo Rating isn’t a guarantee of quality and the algorithm is proprietary/opaque. One legal-marketing guide says the score “is not very valuable” because it “can be easily manipulated”. (Juris Digital)

  • Having a profile on Avvo is automatic in many cases (information pulled from public records), so you might find a profile for a lawyer who hasn’t claimed it or maintained it. (Denver Legal Marketing)

  • Some bar associations have objected or issued opinions about lawyers using certain parts of Avvo, especially in states with strict rules about lawyer advertising/independent directory services. (Wikipedia)

  • Even though user reviews are helpful, they may not tell the full story of a lawyer’s capability, may be biased (mostly happy clients leave reviews), and you should cross-check with other sources. (Juris Digital)

Practical guidance for users

  • When you’re looking for a lawyer: use Avvo as one tool—explore the profile, reviews, years in practice, peer endorsements—but don’t rely solely on the Avvo Rating.

  • Check other review platforms, look up disciplinary records independently, ask the lawyer directly about experience in your type of case.

  • For the profile you’re viewing: check how recent the reviews are, how many there are, what they speak about (communication, outcome, timeliness).

  • If a lawyer’s profile has very few reviews or old material, that may simply mean they’re less active online—not necessarily bad—but you’ll want to ask more questions.

  • If you’re a lawyer: claim your profile, keep it updated, encourage satisfied clients to leave reviews, but understand that the rating system is partly out of your direct control. Use it as part of your broader online presence rather than your entire presence.

Practical guidance for lawyers

  • Claim your Avvo profile if you haven’t already. According to one source, by doing so you improve control over what potential clients see. (Denver Legal Marketing)

  • Fill out profile completely: include education, years licensed, case types, publications, awards, associations. These help your presence. (Denver Legal Marketing)

  • Encourage client feedback, peer endorsements—but stay ethical about it.

  • Track your online reputation: the Avvo profile is often one of the first results when someone Googles your name, so it’s part of branding.

  • Don’t rely on Avvo alone: many marketers say Avvo is a component, not the whole marketing plan. (Denver Legal Marketing)

When Avvo might not fit

  • If you’re outside the U.S., Avvo’s relevance is limited (it is U.S.-centric).

  • If you need very specialized niche legal services and want in-depth vetting, a general directory helps but you might want referrals from peers or industry-specific sources.

  • If you’re a lawyer in a jurisdiction with very strict rules around directory listings and lawyer advertising, you should review your professional ethics rules before heavily relying on or paying for enhanced presence in such directories.

Key takeaways

  • Avvo is a widely-used online legal directory in the U.S. offering profiles of lawyers, ratings, reviews and free legal information.

  • It offers transparency and accessibility, which is useful for people seeking legal help and lawyers managing their online presence.

  • But its rating system is not a guarantee of legal competence; it should not replace due diligence.

  • For users: use Avvo as one part of your research.

  • For lawyers: manage your profile, but keep your overall marketing and professional reputation strategy broader than just this one platform.

FAQ

Q: Is Avvo free for someone looking for a lawyer?
Yes — browsing lawyer profiles, reading reviews, asking free legal-questions (in some cases) are free.

Q: Does a high Avvo rating mean the lawyer is great?
Not necessarily. The rating is based on an algorithm with factors such as reviews, endorsements, publications, years licensed. But it’s not a guarantee of outcome or quality. (Juris Digital)

Q: As a lawyer, do I have to pay to be listed on Avvo?
No — you will likely already have a profile automatically. But there are paid options to enhance visibility, remove certain ads, or get premium listing features. (Denver Legal Marketing)

Q: Is Avvo reliable for international users?
Since Avvo focuses on U.S. lawyers and U.S. jurisdictions, its utility outside the U.S. is limited. If you need legal help in another country, you’ll want platform(s) applicable there.

Q: What should I watch out for as a user?
– Number and recency of reviews (a single very old review isn’t as telling).
– Whether the lawyer has experience in your specific type of case.
– If there are disciplinary records or peer concerns.
– Use other sources too: state bar website, independent reviews, word-of-mouth.

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