Marketing

Rating Lawyers and Lawyer Ratings: They Are Not Going Anywhere

By Josh King

Rating lawyers?  The concept is met with incredulousness by many in the legal profession.  How can lawyers be “rated”?  Lawyers are special; the thinking goes – different from restaurants, hotels, consumer products or the host of other products and services that are routinely rated and reviewed by consumers and publishers alike. 

To be sure, there are differences.  It’s not as simple as comparing technical specifications or conducting a blind tasting of wines.  There are clearly levels of subjectivity and factors that are difficult to measure and compare.  But are these factors any more subjective, any more difficult to measure, than those that drive restaurant, hotel or movie reviews? 

Let’s face it – lawyers have always been reviewed.  It’s just that we’ve called it word-of-mouth.  Great work, winning results; integrity and professionalism have long been the calling cards of successful lawyers. Those who develop a reputation for stellar client service and responsiveness are “reviewed” by clients and colleagues as they pass along referral work.  This form of personal referral remains the gold standard even today; it is far and away the most trusted source of information when looking to retain counsel.

But personal referrals are often not available.  And even when they are, those getting the referrals typically seek additional data to support the positive referral.  While lawyers and legal marketers may prefer that potential clients obtain all of this information from the law firm’s website, potential clients are increasingly go to third parties to find this information.  With that in mind, consider the two primary types of third-party information being accessed:

Editorial Ratings and Rankings:

Groups such as Martindale-Hubble, SuperLawyers and Best Lawyers have long compiled lists of the putative crème de law crème of the profession.  However, in recent years these ratings have taken on a more comprehensive dimension.  Avvo rates attorneys from 1.0 (strong caution) to 10.0 (superb); Chambers and Partners separates lawyers and firms into tiers, and even Martindale-Hubbell has moved away from the venerable AV rating to a numerical score. 

These developments provide more information to consumers, but can be unsettling to lawyers.  It’s one thing to be “Best” or “Super”, but being rated “7.9” or “Tier 2” implies that there is room for improvement. 

User Reviews:

If comprehensive editorial ratings give lawyers pause, they pale in comparison to the angst caused by the thought of online reviews from former clients. This is where word of mouth is moving most obviously online, and voices of praise or infamy are published for the world to see.  Despite the fact that online reviews run overwhelmingly positive, attorneys always seem to focus on the risk that an unhappy client will say not-so-nice things. 

Embracing Ratings & Reviews

In addition to focusing on the minimal risk of a negative review, attorneys also have a tendency to hone in on the imperfections in these systems.  They’ll note that no rating system, no matter how comprehensive, can provide a complete picture of a lawyer’s practice, competence and ability to meet the needs of clients.  Or that the open nature of client review systems creates the possibility for abuse and gaming, even on sites with sophisticated systems for handling reviews. 

And they’re right.  These aren’t perfect systems.  But then again, neither is the dry prose on a lawyer’s firm website bio page.  Neither are the filtered, subjective opinions that clients have always shared via word of mouth.  Ratings and reviews are part of the mosaic of information that potential clients now have access to.  They offer the potential for the deeper information and multiplicity of perspectives that those choosing counsel crave. 

What’s more, ratings and review sites give lawyers and firms additional online real estate, often for free, to highlight their accomplishments and approach to representation.  And since ratings entities can only work with the information they can access, it is critical that legal marketers engage these ratings entities to ensure they have access to as much information about a firm’s attorneys as possible.  

When it comes to client feedback, firms need to learn to love the negative review. Consumer research has shown that a smattering of negative reviews enhances the credibility of positive reviews.  And such reviews offer unvarnished visibility into a firm’s practice, character and office procedures.  Before discounting a negative review as the voice of a crank, consider whether there might be some validity to the complaints.  And lawyers who respond to negative reviews, reiterating their commitment to customer service and desire to address the concern if possible, send a powerful message to potential clients reading that review. 

Ultimately, buyers of legal services are aware that ratings and review systems don’t offer perfect information.  But they greatly value the additional content and perspective such systems offer when navigating the often-opaque legal marketplace.  And if clients are using these resources, law firm marketers must be making the most of them.  Don’t let perfection thinking keep your firm from doing so.  

Josh King is Vice President Business Development and General Counsel for Avvo (www.avvo.com).