When you set out to buy a car you’ve got an arsenal of information that will give you –sometimes in painstaking, head-hurting detail – the features and benefits of every model on the globe. A NASCAR aficionado will study the rates of acceleration, the number of cylinders, fuel consumption and steering response, while other buyers will look at safety standards, crash test results, costs…and ahhh, the colour options!
For just a moment, let’s pretend none of that information was available and all you had to evaluate was the showroom model and some anecdotal information from other drivers, that is if you could find them. Not even a smiley salesperson is in sight. Just the car. No test driving, statistics or expert opinions waxing on about all things greasy or shiny.
Oh, sure, you can open and close the doors, kick the tires, roll around in the back seat, peer into the engine and check for a cup holder – so away you go. Now, make your choice and plunk down a bunch of money and pile your beloved creatures into the new seats. Buckle up tight, because we’re not sure if this sucker works, or even if it’s safe, so here we go…fingers crossed.
I know we’re just pretending, but this makes my stomach tighten. And please, we’re not comparing cars to lawyers here. But, for the purposes of dissecting a purchasing process made easier with loads of analytical information, we can see how difficult that same decision would be without any data. What’s true for both cars and lawyers, though, is that both come with considerable risk if you choose the wrong one.
Imagine you run a business that’s been plodding along nicely with the sound advice from your corporate lawyer, then WHAM…you’re hit with a serious wrongful dismissal lawsuit. After you lose a few nights’ sleep, you discover your trusty solicitor doesn’t practise employment law and you ought to find a different lawyer for this matter.
What do you do now? Research results tell us that, in the absence of a referral, most people will search online. Great, that will narrow your choices to a gazillion employment lawyers in most cities. But how can you tell which one is the best for this particular matter? Who’s expensive, but worth every buck? Who has the best record for negotiating favourable settlements, so the details remain private?
Enter Avvo, the controversial U.S.-based lawyer-ranking website that strives to make the decision-making process a little easier for consumers. Avvo is to clients what Consumer Reports is to buyers, except not as scientific. Much ink has been spilled over these rankings, but the fact remains that Avvo has gained considerable attention from clients and its rankings on Google are enviable. Part of the problem, though, is that unlike cars or dishwashers, lawyers are human. How can you rate or quantify their value? Much of their value is highly subjective. Two clients with the same matter could take two completely different approaches to resolving an issue.
Avvo ranks lawyers with a numerical ranking of up to 10 points based on information in the public domain – a biography, for instance – peer commentary, state Bar associations, court records and lawyer websites. It also includes client comments and peer endorsements. Although admittedly not perfect, it attempts to paint a picture based on a mosaic of a lawyer’s experience, credentials and industry involvement.
There’s been much discussion about Avvo and its clandestine mathematical model for computing lawyer rankings. On its launch, Avvo had brilliant lawyers scored low while lawyers who have been disciplined enjoyed good rankings.
Many changes – including a site redesign – won back some naysayers, but the jury is still out as to whether the method of ranking lawyers is sound enough for consumers to reasonably use Avvo as part of their own due diligence when qualifying a lawyer.
Astonishingly, Avvo (pronounced “Ahh-voh”), launched in June 2007, lists rankings of 85 per cent of all American lawyers and gets millions of hits on its website each quarter. Mark Britton, its founder and CEO, confirms that Canada is next once Avvo builds out its service across the U.S. Canada is viewed as attractive given our similar judicial system, practices and licensing requirements, but issues of access to lawyer disciplinary records and other privacy concerns have yet to be researched or addressed.
Avvo is smart and its creators know how to engage their target market. The system is constantly evolving based on client feedback, making the site easier, faster and more effective for the consumer. And, let’s face it, Avvo doesn’t require lawyer buy-in, only consumers count here. There’s no cost to users or lawyers, but the more traffic to the site, the more advertising space is sold. You’ll see it has already attracted big advertisers to the site. Britton acknowledges the only way to improve is to continue to hear from consumers.
Avvo may never be used much by general counsel, but it’s likely to be viewed by many clients. Britton acknowledges that GC and “other business people” can get a referral to a qualified lawyer easily, but the average consumer cannot. This leads me to believe services such as wills, personal injury, conveyancing and family services are among the most referenced services, not necessarily M&A services. But would you take the risk that a prospective client – any client – wouldn’t click on the first few results from a name search, particularly Avvo? Might they use it to further verify a recommendation? We don’t know yet.
To be safe, how do you ensure your ranking is as high as possible? Just as you would with your website biography, it’s prudent to review all your rankings on a regular basis to ensure you’re aware of what’s floating in cyberspace about you and address incorrect information where necessary. The same goes for an Avvo rating. Plus, you’ll want to complete your Avvo profile, as this is yet another factor in the mystery of your ranking.
You don’t have to approve of Avvo or even spend much time or energy on it if you get a decent rating, but you will need to occasionally pay attention to your profile and related information. To offset poor reviews, Britton suggests you seek peer recommendations or encourage positive client reviews.
Lawyers can also showcase their expertise by contributing to the Legal Guides and Q&A services on the site. Users can ask personal legal questions and a lawyer can draft an answer for posting. Of course, the lawyer benefits from the added exposure and the user can engage the lawyer.
On a positive note, Avvo can help you generate clients and improve your online presence. Just like your website biography, you can update your Avvo profile as often as is warranted and the ranking will recalibrate. Avvo can help you differentiate yourself, with unbiased ratings, reviews from clients, and peer endorsements. And users are pre-qualified as they’ve already reviewed your profile, so they are further along in deciding to engage you as their lawyer.
When Avvo heads north, you don’t need to like it, but you need to pay attention to it.
Susan Van Dyke, Principal, Van Dyke Marketing & Communications is a law firm marketing consultant based in Vancouver, B.C. She can be reached at 604-876-7769 or svandyke@telus.net.