Evidently, there are more attorneys and members of the public who are disappointed and upset with Avvo’s attorney rating system. I won’t link to Avvo here because I’m not interested in driving traffic to their site. Some visitors to my site get here by using Avvo related searches linking to my posts from a couple of years ago that are critical of Avvo. You can read those posts here.
In summary, Avvo asks attorneys to “claim” their attorney profile by completing a profile much like that on LinkedIn or Facebook. However, unlike any other online networking site, which permits you to cancel your membership and erase your information, Avvo doesn’t permit this. Once an attorney “claims” their profile, they’re stuck; it can’t be “unclaimed.”
Yesterday, I received two emails from an attorney in another state who wishes to remain anonymous (without substantially editing, I combined the two emails into one:
Mr. Krugel,
I’m an attorney in Timbuktu. After claiming my AVVO profile, I immediately realized that this company is running a scam. I did some internet searches and came up with your website. After an attorney gave me an endorsement, I rated a mere 6.4 by some arbitrary computer algorithm. I than realized that attorneys with 10/10’s basically circle-jerk each other with endorsements to get those high ratings. I don’t know enough attorney’s who have claimed their profile to have them endorse me, and I can’t in good conscious subject other unknowing lawyers to claim their profile and endure computer generated defamation. Have you figured out any way to unclaim a profile and/or get rid of their arbitrary rankings? I’m trying to figure out how to get rid of this artificially low rating without being unethical.
Eventually I can foresee other lawyers bringing a new lawsuit on different grounds against the company. Their 1-10 ranking system seems arbitrary, and goes beyond mere opinion because a computer is assigning the number. AVVO isn’t going into the legal community and asking other lawyers and judges about individual attorneys. They give you a low rating and then it’s up to you to “recruit” people onto AVVO to endorse you. The whole thing seems wrong.
The “scam” aspect referred to is new to me, but it appears that they’re correct. Furthermore, Avvo’s system is biased against solo and small firm attorneys because completing a profile on Avvo, including obtaining testimonials, takes many hours. If you don’t put the hours into this endeavor, your attorney score (rating) remains low. Solos and small firms don’t have the overhead to handle this. Larger firms can have their administrative staff, clerks, paralegals, etc., do this work for them.
Also, we have to solicit the testimonials, but based on my understanding of AVVO’s system, the people providing these testimonials have to create some sort of an account and provide AVVO with personal information. This was one of my motivations for creating my own “Client Testimonials” page.
My main beef with Avvo though is the fact that they won’t let me and other attorneys “unclaim” our profiles. Personally, I could care less that they have me listed on their site, I just don’t want it indicated that I “claimed” my profile, when in fact, I disavow it and Avvo’s system.
Amazing that nothing can be done about this. Those in my field here with endorsements are the ones at one law firm who have all endorsed each other, and they are as a result getting many of the cases since Avvo came into being and I am getting far less. I have a better reputation than they do, but now with the fake 7.1 on my google search, potential new clients make appointments and then fail to show up. I am definitely being libeled. I asked them to remove the rating but instead of it stating “no concern” it said something like “no discipline” with a red or orange negative-looking check mark next to it. Those who never claimed the green “no concern” check mark.
I’m amazed at the complete imbeciles who have 9/10 and 10/10 ratings who are completely incompetent in our field in this state. It is all about politics and conniving to get the 10.0. Not about good attorney work and pleasing your clients. It’s all about perception. I’m certain that I have lost many, many potential clients over my Avvo rating. I have completed my profile, added a picture, answer questions, and it doesn’t seem to get me anywhere. I don’t want to endorse my direct competitors. I’m a better bankruptcy attorney than they are. I know that, so I cannot honestly say I recommend or endorse them. Even though they have the fake 10.0 that makes them look great. One attorney in particular who has a 9 or 10 cannot even form coherent sentences, so how can he be a 10? This is sick, wrong, and maddening. Even if i wanted to form a ring of people to bring myself up to a 10, how does one find this? It’s like a website of doom for me. For the rest of my life, I will look like a 7.1 out of 10 when I am a 10 out of 10. What did I do to deserve this? It’s a marketing disaster. I might as well quit practicing law and do something else. I am a 10, and I’m being maligned as a 7 by the profit-seeking greedy monster who runs avvo. It sounds so innocent, Avvo. Nightmare.
Most of the best attorneys I know in Utah have a 6.7 to a 7.1 “rating” on http://www.avv.com. Strange. The worst ones here seem to have a 9.0 to 10.0. It makes no sense. It is destroying lives and careers. And they don’t care. Avvo just wants to make its money.
AVVO is engaging in nothing more than reputation extortion. There’s a kid attorney listed who has been practicing for 7 years. I’ve been practicing for 21. His experience level is pegged while mine is a 4/5. His industry recognition is pegged while mine is 1/5. All of his peer reviews are from over 35 lawyers around the country. I doubt any of them know this kid because all he does is dwi and criminal work here locally.
So when people google me, the AVVO listing is 3rd and shows me at a 6.8/10. I’m a highly experienced lawyer and get excellent results. I’ve lost exactly one jury trial and one bench trial in my career, yet AVVO has my reputation in its evil grips. This has to be tantamount to defamation. Telling the public I’m a 6.8/10 should be backed up with some juice.
I just don’t think we need to take AVVO too seriously. All of their ratings need to be taken with a grain of salt as none but the more naive among the public will realize as it fills with clutter and ads. Watch for the attorneys with high ratings from peers out of their areas and discount them accordingly. Getting all upset and making a stink with AVVO only enables them through publicity. A couple of the most prsstigious, highly regarded, Martindale A rated lawyers here in N Cal will not deign to get involved with this charade and “claim” and thus have “average” ratings but they could care less. Counter-intuitively, I am trying to remove a peer endorsement from an attorney I don’t know, who was disciplined by the state bar, posted in an attempt to procure a reciprocal kudo because stuff like can tend to damage one’s credibility. If there’s anything worse than being under appreciated, it’s being viewed as a poseur and a phony.
Thanks for your remarks. I agree that AVVO shouldn’t be taken too seriously. My key gripe with them is over their “claim” & no-unclaim process. That part of it is a scam.
pure scam and bull shit. let the public beware.
Is there anything that can be done about this? Privacy law may require that they allow any “claimed” profiles to be unclaimed.
That’s what’s so perplexing about this issue. Avvo has found some grey area where they can make it look like an attorney is a member, even though they’re not.
AVVO sucks.. they have “crooks” who they back as attorneys. I have no idea how an attorney got my phone number. The one attorney said he could not take my case and then referred me to another attorney who is pathetic. The guy should not be practicing the law. My son is disabled. and both attorneys represented my son. The one who recommended me to the crappy attorney and then the one who someone how got my phone number.. it is a scam..
Avvo posted my letter about one of their marquee lawyers who mismanaged my case causing a large financial loss. Then they took down my letter. Now they are giving this lawyer a five star clean slate……”Top-Notch”. Whatever happened to truth in advertising?
Straw v. Avvo, 2:20-cv-294-JLR (W.D. Wa.)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1B5nKHahTVxyVTUoIGoMtUUNjUh4NYPHZ/view?usp=drivesdk
Straw v. Avvo, Inc., 20-35971 (9th Cir.) – torts and ADA violations
OPENING BRIEF:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/168UaB1yQiIxtvxq0uOo4SSbB7jX_Xx3T/view?usp=sharing
The Court gave Avvo until 3/31/2021 to file its appellee responding brief and it appears Avvo is waiting until the very last minute. I have my reply brief drafted because I suspect I already know what they will say, though obviously I will adjust for what they actually say.
The facts are straightforward. Avvo listed me as not being in active in good standing status in Virginia from 2016-2019 when in fact I was active all three years and paid VSB for that status each year, so I know. Avvo also refused to take off discriminatory discipline imposed by my former employer, which is retaliating against a complaint I made about them in 2014. They even used their ADA coordinator to attack my ADA work as a disabled person.
So, we have 3 torts and one ADA retaliation. Can Avvo really overcome facts this powerful, or is it really saying it has total control to say whatever it wants about any lawyer, no matter how false or how damaging?
Avvo in placing my bar status from Indiana has violated the Terms of Use of the Indiana Roll of Attorneys. While I was suspended (for bogus reasons), that still did not justify stealing that information and using it for a prohibited commercial purpose.