Just a happy end of week email sent to Customer Care from an Avvo user:

Subject: love the site

Email:

hi I love your site, it is a great way to preview lawyers before you select or meet one.

I sure wish I knew about this site before, but I get great info. I have tried other sites & they are pale in comparison. Also, your site is easy to maneuver.

Also, It appears your lawyers are quite smart & actually care about their potential clients

polly

Thanks Polly! We’re so glad you found Avvo useful.

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted a client review highlight, ironically its because we have been slammed with approving client reviews. As I get caught up, I want to share this “Velvet Barracuda” aka Liron Offir who caught my eye:

Client Review: Lee, is the lawyer you want on your side. You do not want to be facing him from the opposite table. He is a “Velvet Barracuda”. He has his opponents on the mats before they know what hit them. Brilliant Litigator.

He handled the most delicate family legal disputes in Probate with a finesse and shrewdness that more seasoned lawyers should envy.

He takes his responsibility seriously and always responds quickly to concerns.

He is not afraid of the difficult case – I know this from experience. Lee, is now our family lawyer.

I cannot recommend him highly enough. If you would like to speak to me about this reference, I would be more than happy to recommend him and tell you of our experience.

You can request your own client reviews from your profile. Or simply send your former and current clients a link to the attorney review page on Avvo.

Several weeks ago, I posted about the excesses of copyright attorneys. Now, Tim Ferris (author of the terrific best-seller, “The 4-Hour Workweek“) has a post with an even more outrageous example of overlawyering – a letter he received from a Massachusetts lawyer demanding that Tim omit a reference to the lawyer’s client (a sales call center) from his book. Why? Because the company was enduring “unnecessary work” in weeding out all of the unqualified potential customers being sent their way thanks to the book.

Rather than politely asking that the reference be deleted – or, far better yet, asking that it be corrected to encourage only qualified leads to call in – the company immediately resorted to the legal blunderbuss. How incredibly shortsighted.

Lawyers can tell you what your legal rights are, and they can write nasty letters on your behalf. However, they can – and should – also provide counsel on whether taking such a heavy-handed approach is really the right strategy. Something to consider when choosing a lawyer for your business: Will this lawyer be a partner, counseling you on the implications of different legal strategies, or will they simply be an order-taker?

This week I invited a handful of lawyers into the office to get their feedback on how they use Avvo. I heard numerous times that what’s working is Avvo Answers. Consumers get the legal guidance they need and an easy way to find out more about the attorney who answered their question with a link to the lawyer’s Avvo Profile. Lawyers get contacted by potential clients who already know a lot about their practice and much more likely to hire them. Win-Win.

How appropriate then that I also came across this client review for Aaron J. Slavin of Clearwater FL this week…

Customer review: I found Aaron on this site when he answered a question I posted and so far I am glad I did. First I checked out his credentials and was impressed with the fact that he graduated from a top law school. Then I looked at his work history and felt good about that for several reasons. His experience in the state attorneys office, the fact that he worked there for 6 years, his trial experience and the notable cases he handled there all gave me confidence in his experience and ability. He is easy to talk to and easy to reach on the phone and he has kept me very informed as to the progress of my case. I actually get the good feeling that the guy is actually working for me as a individual. My advice is that if you have to hire an attorney, look at all the things I looked at. With Aaron, talking with him on the phone was the deciding factor. My case is not over yet but so far I am very happy.

You can request your own client reviews from the Overview or Review tabs in your profile. Or simply send your former and current clients a link to the attorney review page on Avvo.

A few weeks ago, we conducted a survey of top-rated Avvo attorneys to to determine which presidential candidate – Senator Barak Obama or Senator John McCain – would be the better candidate to address the current economic crisis. Some of the findings:

• Senator Obama’s plans to allow bankruptcy judges to rewrite mortgages, to create an exemption for people who filed for bankruptcy because of medical expenses, and to roll back portions of the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 2005 will resonate with voters
• Sixty-five percent of the bankruptcy attorneys believe that Senator Obama’s economic plan offers more for “main street” voters than the plans offered by Senator McCain

See the rest of the Avvo survey results.

The New York Times recently published an article about a soon to be published study that found that in a majority of cases, plaintiffs would have been better off settling rather than going to trial. The study, to be published in the September issue of the Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, encompasses 2,054 cases in California that went to trial from 2002 to 2005. Among the more provocative findings in the study are the following:

• Plaintiffs with contingency fee arrangements made poorer decisions about going to trial
• On average, getting it wrong cost plaintiffs about $43,000; For defendants, who were less often wrong about going to trial, the cost was much greater: $1.1 million

Just wanted to take a moment to highlight a great review posted yesterday for Anthony J Pantuso III of Milford Connecticut.

Customer review: When I had met Tony I had already met with 4 other lawyers and I knew immediately Tony was without a doubt was the best for the job. I was comfortable with him from the beginning and always felt reassurance that he would be honest with me, keep my best intentions in mind, and fight for me. He worked my case very well and always gave it the attention it required and I ended up with a fabulous settlement. Thanks so much for exceeding my expectations Tony, I couldn’t have done it without you!

You can request your own client reviews from the Overview or Review tabs in your profile. Or simply send your former and current clients a link to the attorney review page on Avvo.

We all known that the most effective approach to finding an attorney is via personal endorsements. I found this outstanding post on Lovers on Bazaarblog (the guys that used to power our consumer feedback technology) that really explains why shared client feedback is so important in the Lawyer selection process.

As we note in the Avvo 3-Step Guide to Choosing a Lawyer, there are a number of things consumers need to keep in mind when choosing a lawyer – specific experience, communication skills, good standing with the bar, etc. When it comes to finding those lawyers, however, we also note that there is more than one way to narrow down the field.

One way is to use Avvo, of course. However, some consumers want or need more in-person guidance, and this is where bar association lawyer referral service (”LRS”) programs come in.

Typically run by local bar associations (for example, here in Seattle LRS is provided by the King County Bar Association), LRS are particularly useful for those who aren’t sure exactly what legal issues they might be facing.

A typical bar-sponsored service will be staffed with experts who can take a consumer’s call, help him or her figure out the legal issues involved, and then provide a referral to a local attorney specializing in the area. Although there may not be a choice of attorneys, the vetting and screening process done by the LRS means consumers get a timely referral to someone who is in good standing with the bar and has experience in the legal area in question.

Like most legal services, those provided via LRS are not free, although the vast majority require that participating attorneys provide the initial 30-60 minute consultation for free or a nominal fee.

We’ll have more to say about lawyer referral services in the future, but for now, if you are looking for LRS in your area, the American Bar Association maintains a comprehensive list of such programs.

The subprime mortgage financial crisis has resulted in a sharp rise in foreclosures. Rising interest rates coupled with adjustable rate mortgages have left home owners unable to meet mortgage commitments. There are alternatives to foreclosure.

Many lawyers specialize in resolutions to stop mortgage foreclosure. Home owners are entitled to certain rights that lenders don’t always inform them of. Foreclosure lawyers know the rights of a homeowner and how to stop the foreclosure process and keep you in your home.

• Select a foreclosure or residential real estate lawyer to help you understand your rights.

As an alternative, filing for bankruptcy can potentially help you avoid foreclosure. Avvo has over 6,000 bankruptcy lawyers to choose from.