Washington Post on Avvo – DC Bar Flap
The Washington Post ran a piece on the front of today’s business section detailing the DC Bar’s efforts to stop Avvo from offering its free service to DC consumers and attorneys. The article does a nice job of balancing our concerns (making information about attorneys more available to the public) with those stated by the bar (making sure information is accurate). Of course, this is the first we’ve heard of a specific grounds for the Bar’s objection – it’s all been about control/ownership of the data to date rather than any specific rationale for limiting access – and we are more than happy to make our data more current . . . if the bar would actually provide it to us rather than attempting to block our access.
In any event, it’s nice to see that the comments on the Washington Post story are running at least 10-to-1 in favor of what we’re doing here at Avvo. Some highlights:
ghostmoves wrote:
I’m a DC lawyer, and I’m embarassed that the bar is trying to stop anyone from putting public info on the web. Sorry, it’s not a secret that I’m a DC lawyer, nor is it copyrighted.
beedeegirl wrote:
This piece echoes the piece from AP last week about doctors protesting online reviews and forcing patients to sign gag agreements in order to receive care. Exactly how is squelching freedom of speech and transparency going to lend to your career or to the credibility of your profession as a whole? Both lawyers and docs need to check in with another professional – a public relations specialist – because they are really stepping in it with this obstructionist behavior.
askgees wrote:
This is the greatest thing I’ve ever seen. Lawyers upset that their PUBLIC info is listed on the web. I guess this is the perfect example of irony.
otiswaynehale wrote:
Get used to it. Nothing can stay hidden for long, no matter how you try to hide it. The more transparency, the better. I am not at all prejudiced against attorneys; they provide the only offensive or defensive representation an ordinary person might have in this screwed up country. I am, however, prejudiced against those attorneys who are inept, who are corrupt, who are ethically challenged, and who do not provide value for money. The worth of these sites to the public far exceed any damage they might do. The bar association does a truly lousy job of policing its own, as does the American Medical Association in policing medical doctors. We who must use both legal and medical services need any edge we can get. Open access to their track records can help those of us who need their services to make informed decisions.
