Today, I got a response from Avvo to yesterday’s post (and other posts) criticizing them.  Below is the comment to that post.

Conrad from Avvo said,

December 5, 2010 @ 10:26 am

Charles – not every lawyer appreciates the transparency that Avvo has brought to the legal industry, yet this is exactly what consumers want and deserve. This is why we will not remove profiles from Avvo. Our commitment to transparency has made us the number one legal directory in the world.

I’m disappointed to read your recommendation responding to Avvo’s transparency with fabrications. I would strongly caution any lawyer against deliberately and proactively misrepresenting their background anywhere – on a resume, at a cocktail party or on Avvo. The professional ramifications of this highly unethical behavior are severe.

Finally, if you are having trouble accessing your account, emailcustomercare@avvo.com for assistance.

Regards,
Conrad Saam

First, I’d like to thank Conrad and Avvo for responding.  However, they completely miss the point.  They argue that their system provides transparency to consumers.  To an extent, they’re right.  However, to the extent that I, and others, believe that their ratings system is biased against solo and small firms, they’re wrong (to read my arguments concerning this bias just search “Avvo” in the search box on this blog).  Moreover, there’s little transparency to a system that entices attorneys to “claim” their “profile” but doesn’t let them “unclaim” it.

Furthermore, Conrad claims that there could be severe ethical ramifications for my suggestion about how to game Avvo by spiking a profile by either deflating it to zero or inflating it to ten.  I also find this contention disingenuous.  If I load my own profile with nonsensical negative information, therefore lowering my score to zero and rendering my rating incredible, how is this an ethical violation?  By making myself look ridiculous on a for profit and biased rating site like Avvo what ethical rules am I violating and how am I jeopardizing my license?  Beats me.

As I’ve said numerous times, I don’t care if my profile is removed (or not) from Avvo.  I just want to “unclaim” my profile.  It’s disingenuous for Avvo to claim transparency when they don’t explain that once you “claim” your profile it’s impossible to “unclaim” it.  This isn’t a level playing field for all attorneys and consumers using Avvo to find attorneys.

My advice to Avvo is simple:  Allow attorneys to “unclaim” their profile.  In my mind, whether or not I’m on Avvo is superfluous in light of the “claimed” profile indication, and Avvo’s refusal to permit attorneys to “unclaim” the profile.