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United States
District Court Judge Robert Lasnik ruled that the rating system was only an opinion and was thus protected by the First Amendment right of free speech. The judge wrote, "Neither the nature of the information provided nor the language used on the Web site would lead a reasonable person to believe that the ratings are a statement of actual fact."
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Avvo presents ratings of lawyers that are included in its directory, based upon a proprietary algorithm. Avvo cautions users that a rating "is not an endorsement of any particular lawyer, and is not a guarantee of a lawyer's quality, competency, or character. Nor is the Avvo Rating a predictor of the
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The Bar has not entered into any agreement with Avvo; instead, Avvo has obtained Bar member information directly from the Bar’s Web site, in violation of our restrictions on use, and used that information for its own commercial purposes. The Bar has asked Avvo to remove all improperly acquired D.C.
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A lawsuit was filed on June 14, 2007, nine days after Avvo's launch, by
Seattle attorneys, John Henry Browne and Alan Wenokur. The suit alleged that Avvo's rating system made false claims of being factual and was therefore deceptive and libelous and violated the Washington Consumer Protection Act.
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According to the website, the directory provides comprehensive profiles, client reviews, peer endorsements, and its own proprietary rating for more than 97% of all licensed attorneys in the United States. Avvo lawyer profiles are aggregated from public records provided by state bars and additional
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sent an inquiry to the
Advisory Committee on Professional Ethics asking if New Jersey attorneys may participate in certain online, non-lawyer, corporately owned services specifically naming Avvo and other online services. As a result of that inquiry, the Advisory Committee on Professional Ethics,
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to generate its lawyer listing pages causing the
District of Columbia Bar Association to specifically object to its business practices. An additional source of revenue for Avvo is through a subscription service called which allows lawyers to remove advertisements from their profile, including
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Committee on
Attorney Advertising, and Committee on the Unauthorized Practice of Law issued a joint opinion. The joint opinion stated that New Jersey attorneys may not participate in Avvo Legal services as it is against the rule of professional conduct.
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Avvo's rating system has been criticized and has inspired some controversy. When sued by lawyers who object to the ratings, Avvo has successfully defended against the lawsuits by asserting that the ratings constitute a constitutionally protected opinion.
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referrals and access to a database of legal information consisting primarily of previously answered questions. Lawyer profiles may include client reviews, disciplinary actions, peer endorsements, and lawyer-submitted legal guides.
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Bar member information from its Web site, cease all attempts to acquire such information from the Bar’s Web site, and cease using improperly acquired information for any commercial purpose.
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and Paul Bloom. Britton said he developed the idea while vacationing in Italy and was still receiving inquires from friends and colleagues seeking legal advice.
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and
Ignition Partners. Subsequently, Avvo raised $ 71.5 million in financing in 2015, which brings the company's total financing to $ 132 million.
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attorney licensing entities. Avvo will not delete any lawyer's profile, and has been criticized for including profiles of deceased lawyers.
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We create a profile if the state bar contains information." ... "We'll have profiles of dead lawyers, like
Abraham Lincoln.
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Avvo generates revenue by selling legal services, advertising, and other services primarily to lawyers. Avvo operates as a
180:, was a key advisor during the initial ideation stages and still serves on the board of directors. Avvo was derived from
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In 2022 evidence appeared that Avvo.com had suffered a breach, exposing the email addresses of 4 million accounts.
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As of 2010, Avvo's directory includes ratings of lawyers in all 50 states and the
District of Columbia. The
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endorsed the website for providing "at least some measure of transparency" of the legal profession.
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791:"'Marketing fees' paid to Avvo violate New Jersey lawyer conduct rules, ethics opinion says"
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advertisements by competing lawyers which may appear on non-advertising lawyer profiles.
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Robben, Janine (August 2012). "Super Size Me: Lawyers in the Age of
Acknowledgement".
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The doctor directory launched on
November 1, 2010. Avvo's health business was sold to
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Zahorsky, Rachel (April 14, 2010). "Avvo Grows, Ranks Lawyers From All 50 States".
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908:(W.D. Wash. 2007) decision, legal briefs and other court documents & filings
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589:"Vrdolyak v. Avvo, Case No. 16 C 2833 (N.D. Ill, September 12, 2016)"
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830:"Avvo Ruling Belies Wider Acceptance For Online Legal Cos. - Law360"
614:"Browne v. Avvo, Inc. 525 F.Supp.2d 1249, 1251-53 (W.D.Wa.2007)"
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5 Reasons Lawyers Hate Avvo - Criticisms of Avvo by Attorneys
391:"Legal Website Avvo Valued at $ 650 Million in Funding Round"
416:"Seattle legal company Avvo to be bought by Internet Brands"
176:, the founder of the Expedia, Inc. and real-estate database
575:"Online rating system Avvo puts attorneys in the hot seat"
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outcome of any matter in which such lawyer is involved."
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The company was initially financed with $ 13 million in
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Breach Disclosure Blow-by-Blow: Here's Why It's so Hard
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In January 2018, Avvo entered a deal to be acquired by
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482:"On Second Thought, Let's Just Rate All the Laywyers"
743:"Avvo, LegalZoom, Rocket Lawyer Declared Off-Limits"
719:"Avvo, LegalZoom, Rocket Lawyer Declared Off-Limits"
680:"Lawyers' suit over site's legal ratings dismissed"
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662:"Respected lawyer wants rating site Avvo closed"
441:"Important Notice to the Membership About Avvo"
855:"Avvo to expand to include ranking physicians"
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508:"Lawyer ratings site not without objections"
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322:"Company Overview / Snapshot of Avvo, Inc"
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938:Online marketplaces of the United States
914:- By William Pfeifer - November 25, 2014
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928:Internet properties established in 2007
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443:. District of Columbia Bar Association
16:Online marketplace for legal services
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640:"Avvo Sued Over Its Lawyer Rankings"
376:"Hiring a lawyer? Avvo can help you"
853:Dudley, Brier (November 1, 2010).
506:McCullagh, Declan (June 5, 2007).
414:Lerman, Rachel (11 January 2018).
266:After the ruling, an editorial in
147:for legal services, that provides
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678:Mike Carter (December 19, 2007).
906:Browne et al. v. Avvo Inc et al.
282:New Jersey State Bar Association
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374:Duryee, Tricia (5 June 2007).
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664:. Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
577:. Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
480:Liptak, Adam (July 2, 2007).
378:. Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
168:, a former legal counsel for
943:Question-and-answer websites
660:Cook, John (June 12, 2007).
573:Cook, John (June 5, 2007).
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642:. The National Law Journal
638:Peter Geier (2007-06-18).
464:Oregon State Bar Bulletin
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872:Troy Hunt (2022-04-15),
767:"Ethics Tip - July 2017"
326:Bloomberg Stock Research
233:District of Columbia Bar
705:The Wall Street Journal
269:The Wall Street Journal
814:: CS1 maint: others (
747:New Jersey Law Journal
297:on November 29, 2012.
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49:; 17 years ago
933:Online legal services
797:. Debra Cassens Weiss
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707:. December 24, 2007.
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771:www.americanbar.org
162:Seattle, Washington
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486:The New York Times
301:Security incidents
145:online marketplace
859:The Seattle Times
701:"Judging Lawyers"
347:"Working at Avvo"
197:Benchmark Capital
188:word for lawyer.
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101:Suke Jawanda
88:Mark Britton
62:Headquarters
35:Type of site
795:ABA Journal
723:www.law.com
554:. Avvo, Inc
534:ABA Journal
353:. Glassdoor
174:Rich Barton
164:in 2006 by
922:Categories
881:2022-04-17
839:2017-09-13
801:2017-09-13
776:2017-09-13
752:2017-09-13
728:2017-09-13
686:2008-04-23
646:2008-04-23
422:11 January
400:2015-10-28
357:2019-10-10
309:References
276:New Jersey
182:“avvocato”
178:Zillow.com
91:Paul Bloom
83:Founder(s)
70:Washington
54:2007-06-05
810:cite news
512:CNET News
295:HealthTap
447:July 10,
141:Avvo.com
132:avvo.com
110:Internet
107:Industry
351:website
331:June 9,
186:Italian
156:History
66:Seattle
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44:Founded
623:23 May
598:23 May
558:23 May
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149:lawyer
143:is an
116:Parent
195:from
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625:2017
600:2017
560:2017
552:Avvo
519:2015
493:2015
449:2012
424:2018
333:2017
280:The
75:U.S.
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