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I am relying on the ratings on Avvo to determine who I should choose.

Is it reliable?

Someone
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Bear Bile Farming is Torture
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    This is not a legal question within the scope of this site. – Dale M Oct 04 '22 at 19:56
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    Questions relating to “[d]ealing with legal professionals” are on topic. (See "help center", "what questions I may ask here") This is a special area of the valid questions on this SE since its subject matter (dealing with lawyers) is an additional area on top what the law allows or mandates meaning these questions include merely interpersonal aspects and not such governed by law. The way a client interacts is, apart from corner stones, not governed by law in a strict sense, but such questions being on-topic is so as they are the generally the most prudent way and, frankly, a pre-requisite […] – kisspuska Oct 05 '22 at 00:49
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    for laymen to "access to the legal system". The privilege to ask questions on this site about access to the legal professionals must include questions for ensuring the privilege to ask questions that seek answers how one generally may have "meaningful access to legal [professionals]" for the exception made by allowing these questions to be anything meaningful. And therefore, I vote to reopen this question, and invite others to do the same as well as request that moderators reconsider the closing in light of the above points. – kisspuska Oct 05 '22 at 00:50
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    The question is seeking views on the reliability of a directory and its star-rating system, which isn't "dealing with legal professionals" so I've voted to remain closed. –  Oct 05 '22 at 07:59
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    @Rick The OP's question is amenable to answers that point out aspects of which Avvo does not inform and which the clients ought to ponder when deciding who to retain. – Iñaki Viggers Oct 05 '22 at 11:22
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    @IñakiViggers …which is clearly within the scope of “dealing with legal professionals”, the site also “deal[s] with legal professionals”, and the inquiry seeks answers that materially affects their decisions how and whether or not to “deal[] with [certain] legal professionals”. It walks like a duck, it quacks like a duck, even if it doesn’t feel clear, it’s probably better error on the side of caution, and not to close questions of this scope of such fundamental importance, the gate to the legal system: Attorney’s. – kisspuska Oct 05 '22 at 16:10
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    @kisspuska One can also vote to Leave Closed –  Oct 05 '22 at 16:14
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    @Rick “The question is seeking views on the reliability of a directory and its star-rating system” of whom? The only thing you fail to mention. Of attorneys. The question deals with how or whether or not to deal with certain attorneys. Kindly address this too. – kisspuska Oct 05 '22 at 16:36
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    @kisspuska "Are the attorney ratings ... reliable?" and "Is it reliable?" are questions asking whether that site and its reviews are reliable, not whether the lawyers are. i.e. It's asking for opinions on other's opinions. –  Oct 05 '22 at 17:05
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    @Rick the reliability of “[Avvo’s attorney-evaluation] system” and that of the Cal. State Bar is a distinction without a difference, that one is government implemented, and based on the Auditor of State of Cal. probably run by an association-in-fact enterprise for (illegal) profit, while Avvo is private implemented and only potentially may be deemed in a legal grey area when considering the legality of its profits. For purposes of law.SE attorney questions these are two for-profits dominating the attorney oversight space. Hence, not only questions on the State Bar, but those on Avvo are on. – kisspuska Oct 05 '22 at 17:32
  • Further, since the State Bar is so out of touch with its government function, it is of utmost importance that anyone filling in the void to any extent be treated in the interim as though being the State Bar. In other words, for purposes of attorney questions here, Avvo is “state bar”. @Rick Kindly turn your vote, and allow the destitute having to seek merely generic information here to have access to what remained of attorney oversight in the existence of Avvo to be answered. – kisspuska Oct 05 '22 at 17:35

1 Answers1

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No.

Avvo.com is effectively an advertisement platform for attorneys.

Avvo.com deletes detailed accounts of attorney misconduct including such an attorney themselves admits to, for e.g. in a dispute resolved in the attorney’s surrendering of their case upon the involvement of an arbitrator. This is true, including in California, where attorney misconduct is known to be greatly prevalent, left unprosecuted, and covered-up for. (See, for e.g., State Bar doesn’t police attorneys or itself closely enough, state audit finds, San Francisco Chronicle, April, 2022; see also, The State Bar of California’s Attorney Discipline Process, Auditor of State of California, April 14, 2023)

In fact, even low-star ratings may be deleted when an attorney disputes users' ratings without an impartial documents-only hearing.

However, where an attorney successfully accumulated enough 1 and 2-star reviews, and they are shown anything less than 5 stars should be a red flag. The lower the overall rating the greater a red flag, and the more ratings being the base of the overall rating the more well-founded any such red flag is.

All in all, a 5-star avg. rating on that site should not be given any more weight than a billboard reading the “best injury attorneys in the Greater [fill in with choice of city name of metropolitan area] Area, call (888)…”; however, a low rating should raise serious concerns because of the business model and moderation practices of the site administration. (If they say you’re bad, you probably are bad bad.)

kisspuska
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