Comments on: Why, In An Economic Downturn, Is the DC Bar Trying to Kill One Tool That Can Help Lawyers Find Clients and Jobs?

By: Melbourne Lawyers

Melbourne Lawyers — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 02:43:46 +0000

I really liked your article! Lawyers are doing it tough in the western world and your are right the associations aren’t doing enough.
Some say the legal services product cycle has run it course. I don’t know but am hoping to help clients and lawyers connect.
Please look at my site and send me your views.

By: Melbourne Lawyers

Melbourne Lawyers — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 02:43:00 +0000

By: Josh King

Josh King — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 17:09:03 +0000

Mina, I’m not sure where you get the idea that Avvo asks lawyers to endorse lawyers who they don’t know. We encourage lawyers to endorse, and seek endorsement from, only those lawyers that are familiar with their work. Endorsements exist to help consumers (and other lawyers) evaluate a lawyers’ background. An honest, first-hand endorsement of a lawyer’s work is invaluable to someone in their time of legal need. So, of course, we want lawyers to “keep it real.”
Keep in mind that consumers are not stupid. They’ll be spooked by any lawyer with dozens of “empty” endorsements (e.g., repeated “I endorse this lawyer’s work”) rather than a smaller number of thoughtful, well-written ones. This spooking factor increases ten-fold when it is one lawyer researching another.
And yes, attorneys can reject endorsements on Avvo that come from attorneys they they have ethical concerns with or don’t know.

By: Josh King

Josh King — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 17:09:00 +0000

By: Josh King

Josh King — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 15:44:27 +0000

Mina, Iâ€™m not sure where you get the idea that Avvo asks lawyers to endorse lawyers who they donâ€™t know. We encourage lawyers to endorse, and seek endorsement from, only those lawyers that are familiar with their work. Endorsements exist to help consumers (and other lawyers) evaluate a lawyersâ€™ background. An honest, first-hand endorsement of a lawyerâ€™s work is invaluable to someone in their time of legal need. So, of course, we want lawyers to â€œkeep it real.â€�
Keep in mind that consumers are not stupid. Theyâ€™ll be spooked by any lawyer with dozens of â€œemptyâ€� endorsements (e.g., repeated â€œI endorse this lawyerâ€™s workâ€�) rather than a smaller number of thoughtful, well-written ones. This spooking factor increases ten-fold when it is one lawyer researching another.
And yes, attorneys can reject endorsements from attorneys they do not know or have concerns about being “linked” to.

By: Josh King

Josh King — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 15:44:00 +0000

By: Carolyn Elefant

Carolyn Elefant — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 06:41:05 +0000

Mina,
You make an excellent point – we must always be cognizant of ethis rules. I did not realize that Avvo asked lawyers to endorse lawyers whom they didn’t know and if that’s the case, I certainly do not support that behavior. At the same time, lawyers should realize that’s unethical and shouldn’t give an endorsement to someone they don’t know regardless of whether a service endorses it or not. I also thought that the system allowed you to accept or reject an endorsement (so that you could reject an endorsement from a lawyer who committed tax fraud). But again, if that is an issue, it should be changed.
If the DC Bar had gone after Avvo for “ethics” breaches, and listed the DC ethics rules and the ones that Avvo purportedly violated, it would be a different case (though here in DC, I do not believe that Avvo violates any of our ethics rules). But DC brought its action based on rules that it changed after the fact and that’s simply not fair. And it never disclosed who filed the complaint against Avvo which also isn’t fair.

By: Carolyn Elefant

Carolyn Elefant — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 06:41:00 +0000

By: Mina Sirkin

Mina Sirkin — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 22:36:18 +0000

Carolyn,
I generally have no problem with any directory advertising but I do see these ethical problems with Avvo’s system:
1. They use your name and likeness to promote their site and offer ads, be it now, or in the future. They do this without your permission.
2. They ask lawyers to endorse lawyers who do not know each other. This is deceptive advertising and unethical. CA has very specific rules about endorsements which are completely ignored by Avvo.
The site gives the public the false impression that the endorsements are real or that they have been investigated by other lawyers. That is untrue.
Would you want to be endorsed by just anyone or by any lawyer? How about by a lawyer who had disciplinary actions against him or by one who has committed tax fraud?
Would you consider endorsing a product you did not believe in or that you had never tried?
I also don’t agree with joining or endorsing any organization which tells its members to write blanket endorsements on other members’ web sites where those members have NOTHING in common other than the momthly fee they pay the organization.
I can’t tell you why the DC Bar took the position it did, but I can tell you that ethics counts in advertising, at least in my book.

By: Mina Sirkin

Mina Sirkin — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 22:36:00 +0000