Processing Your Payment

Please do not leave this page until complete. This can take a few moments.

April 28, 2008

Local Lawyers Unimpressed By Ranking Web Site | Fear of bias, retribution cools introduction of Avvo.com to Mass.

By Matthew L. Brown

Look up Worcester attorney Louis Ciavarra on Avvo.com, the Seattle-based lawyer-scoring web site that recently launched its Massachusetts ranking, and one sees a score of "no concern" for the Bowditch & Dewey managing partner.

According to Avvo.com, a score of "no concern" means the site's lawyer-creators "have not found any information in this lawyer's background that is, in our opinion, concerning."

And Ciavarra, like several other area attorneys, isn't concerned with Avvo.com either.

Ranking Resistance

Ciavarra compared lawyer-ranking web sites to America Idol. It may be "kinda fun, kinda cool," but in the end, "It's not relevant in my world or in my life," Ciavarra said. "I don't think it's relevant to the practice of law at sophisticated law firms with sophisticated lawyers who work with sophisticated clients." He said good lawyers build their reputations by "doing excellent legal work, and providing excellent legal service and having clients leave knowing they solved their problem."

According to the Avvo.com web site, Avvo ranks lawyers on a scale of 10 based on a "mathematical model" that includes the number of years a lawyer's been in practice, disciplinary history, professional achievements and industry recognition. The site also takes into account publicly available information from bar associations and other organizations that license lawyers.

The site, which is the brainchild of attorney Mark Britton, claims its rankings are unbiased, free of favoritism and developed by legal experts.
James C. Donnelly Jr., a partner at Worcester's Mirick O'Connell, advised caution regarding Avvo's claims of fairness and lack of bias.

Donnelly scored a 9.2, "Superb," in the Avvo ranking.

"It looks like this site solicits lawyer advertising. Is there an internal bias? Ultimately, I don't see their financial statements, so I can't say, but it allows you to wonder if lawyers who pay to advertise get preferential treatment," Donnelly said.

If not used as the only tool to find a lawyer, Avvo.com could be a real help to some, Donnelly said. But Donnelly said nothing beats meeting a lawyer in person to ask these important questions: Are they experienced with similar cases? Is he or she a good project manager? Is he or she candid in alerting clients to case developments? Does he or she have adequate back-up for the case?

Dennis F. Gorman, director of Fletcher, Tilton & Whipple in Worcester and a "Good" 6.4 on Avvo.com, said Avvo.com could become helpful, useless or harmful.

For now, it's "too new to be of use to people," he said in an email. "It has very little info on the attorneys I looked up. Perhaps down the road it may be helpful."

Sign up for Enews

WBJ Web Partners

Most Recent

Most Recent

0 Comments

Order a PDF