Martindale follows Avvo’s lead?
In her post “Martindale follows Avvo’s lead“, Carolyn Elefant writes about Martindale’s new client review feature. It’s hard to say whether or not Martindale was influenced directly by Avvo’s client ratings, though it’s flattering to think we had some impact.
What is clear is that this is yet another indication of the impact the Internet is having on industry after industry. What started out merely as the ability for anyone to express an opinion about a service or product, is evolving into an expectation that these opinions are available. If they aren’t, then consumers will go elsewhere to get their information. And while Martindale’s feature seems to me somewhere between a “testimonial” and a client review — according to Elephant’s blog, law firms can “hand-pick” clients to participate — this is certainly a sign that consumers of legal services are demanding more transparency than they have seen in the past.