Avvo
Encyclopedia
Avvo.com is an expert-only Q&A forum where people can ask legal and health questions of lawyers and doctors, for free. The Q&A forum is backed by an online directory of doctors
and lawyer
s licensed in the United States
. Avvo provides listings to which doctors and attorneys can submit their own profiles and histories. The listings may also include patient and client reviews, disciplinary actions, and peer endorsements.
Launched in 2007, Avvo has developed a rating scale
for doctors and lawyers based upon a proprietary algorithm. The ratings system was widely criticized for inaccuracy and inconsistency. A lawsuit filed against the company alleged it was a "scam" and libelous. The suit was dismissed on the basis that the ratings were an opinion protected by the First Amendment
right of free speech.
The website also includes lawyer-submitted legal guides, doctor-submitted health guides, and a forum to ask medical and legal questions from doctors and lawyers.
in 2007 by Mark Britton, a former legal counsel for Expedia.com. Britton said he developed the idea while vacationing in Italy with Rich Barton
, the founder of the real-estate database Zillow.com
. Avvo was derived from “avvocato”, the Italian
word for lawyer.
The company was initially financed with venture capital
of $13 million from Benchmark Capital
and Ignition Partners. As of 2010, Avvo had received $23 million in financing.
As of November 2, 2009, Avvo covers Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin; and has partial coverage in limited release states including Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Nevada, South Carolina and Wyoming.
United States District Court Judge Robert Lasnik ruled that the rating system was only an opinion 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." The judge further opined that an arguably similar rating systems was "nonsense."
After the ruling, a Wall Street Journal editorial endorsed the website for providing "at least some measure of transparency" of the legal profession.
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
and lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
s licensed in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Avvo provides listings to which doctors and attorneys can submit their own profiles and histories. The listings may also include patient and client reviews, disciplinary actions, and peer endorsements.
Launched in 2007, Avvo has developed a rating scale
Rating scale
A rating scale is a set of categories designed to elicit information about a quantitative or a qualitative attribute. In the social sciences, common examples are the Likert scale and 1-10 rating scales in which a person selects the number which is considered to reflect the perceived quality of a...
for doctors and lawyers based upon a proprietary algorithm. The ratings system was widely criticized for inaccuracy and inconsistency. A lawsuit filed against the company alleged it was a "scam" and libelous. The suit was dismissed on the basis that the ratings were an opinion protected by the First Amendment
First Amendment to the United States Constitution
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering...
right of free speech.
The website also includes lawyer-submitted legal guides, doctor-submitted health guides, and a forum to ask medical and legal questions from doctors and lawyers.
History
Avvo was founded in Seattle, WashingtonSeattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
in 2007 by Mark Britton, a former legal counsel for Expedia.com. Britton said he developed the idea while vacationing in Italy with Rich Barton
Rich Barton
Richard Barton is a former Microsoft executive and founder of online travel company Expedia, Inc. and real-estate internet company Zillow.-References:...
, the founder of the real-estate database Zillow.com
Zillow.com
Zillow is an online real estate database that was founded in 2005 by Rich Barton and Lloyd Frink, former Microsoft executives and founders of Microsoft spin-off Expedia. The website uses a proprietary algorithm called the "Zestimate" to appraise property values based on undisclosed factors...
. Avvo was derived from “avvocato”, the Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
word for lawyer.
The company was initially financed with venture capital
Venture capital
Venture capital is financial capital provided to early-stage, high-potential, high risk, growth startup companies. The venture capital fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which usually have a novel technology or business model in high technology industries, such as...
of $13 million from Benchmark Capital
Benchmark Capital
Benchmark Capital is a venture capital firm responsible for the early stage funding of some very successful startups. In 1997, the firm invested $6.7 million in eBay, which became worth more than $5 billion by the spring of 1999. Other high-profile investments include Ariba, Juniper Networks, Red...
and Ignition Partners. As of 2010, Avvo had received $23 million in financing.
Business model
Avvo generates revenue by selling advertising and other services primarily to lawyers.http://www.avvo.com/law-firm-marketingDoctor Directory
The doctor directory launched on November 1, 2010. Avvo has a full directory for 10 states and partial listings for the remaining 40.Lawyer Directory
According to the website, the directory includes more than 90% of licensed attorneys in the United States. Avvo lawyer profiles are aggregated from public records provided by state bars and additional attorney licensing entities.As of November 2, 2009, Avvo covers Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin; and has partial coverage in limited release states including Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Nevada, South Carolina and Wyoming.
Browne v. Avvo
On June 14, 2007, nine days after Avvo’s launch, a lawsuit was filed against the website 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, libelous and violated the Washington Consumer Protection Act.United States District Court Judge Robert Lasnik ruled that the rating system was only an opinion 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." The judge further opined that an arguably similar rating systems was "nonsense."
After the ruling, a Wall Street Journal editorial endorsed the website for providing "at least some measure of transparency" of the legal profession.
External links
- Avvo
- Browne et al. v. Avvo Inc et al. (W.D. Wash. 2007) decision, legal briefs and other court documents & filings