Avvo Thyself
June 5, 2007 | Filed Under Law 2.0, Technology, New Services
After a 16 months in stealth mode, venture-backed (to the tune of $14 million!) Avvo pulls off the veil. For a long time the home page didn’t say much, beyond this teaser:
However, we can say that we are dedicated to helping consumers better navigate the highly confusing legal industry, and we are building something that no one else has built before.
Drum roll…
It’s a lawyer ratings site. On steroids.
CNET has the details, with a lot of prominent lawyers given some not-so-great ratings. The local Seattle paper has more, including an explanation from CEO Mark Britton. He notes that Avvo goes beyond Martindale-Hubbell, FindLaw and AttorneyPages:
… Britton says there is “no established brand” that attacks the problem on behalf of the consumer. And the 40-year-old former attorney at Preston, Gates & Ellis notes that Avvo is different because it uses a mathematical model — pulling information from attorneys’ Web sites, state bar associations and other public databases — to determine which attorney is the best in his or her practice area.
I want to think about this, and noodle around the site a bit. It’s a beta (Whatever that means anymore).
There will certainly be additional content as Avvo builds out the site. Probably a link to local search, and allowing lawyers to add content. The Avvo blog hints at this. Part of the pitch to the VCs had to be “Zillow for lawyers.”
At first blush, you wonder if legal ratings might be better targeted at the corporate market rather than consumers. Some are working on this now. (And I’ll give a hint that it relies more on real people than math).
Joe Sixpack typically interacts with lawyers in divorce, personal injury, and the occasional will or trust. Do these areas need complex algorithms? Sometimes this works in my area.
People do need help navigating the maze that is the law and in finding lawyers when they need them. They also need help paying for them, which has led to the expansion of pre-paid legal plans.
We learned in the last few years to Google ourselves to see what’s out there on the Interweb. When I Avvo’d myself this morning I was told that it hasn’t yet crawled its way to the Midwest.
Thank goodness.
Good luck to Avvo. I’d like to see more VC money in the legal space.
Update: (Also good thoughts on Avvo from Kevin O’Keefe and Carolyn Elefant).
From OffShore to OnRamp
April 6, 2007 | Filed Under Law Firm Trends, Law 2.0, New Services
Last time, I looked at major companies that are showing an increasing interest in sourcing their work globally.
Today, a gaze into the rearview mirror on a stateside initiative that is gaining traction: Legal OnRamp. More than just a website, Legal OnRamp is a online hub that brings together corporate legal departments and leading law firms. Content, always a staple of law for business, is a starting point. But the brains behind Legal OnRamp understand a key fact about law in the 21st century: what really distinguishes lawyers is how they apply the law and drive business results.
That’s where the vein of value can be deep and rich and provide a common benefit.
To this end, the really interesting parts of Legal OnRamp, from my initial experience, are opportunities to work in a community and collaborate in ways that foster learning in new areas and lawyering in new ways.
The network created by Legal OnRamp is growing. Backed by Cisco and other leading law departments, it is helping ease the friction that can cause the gears of legal commerce to grind a bit.
My colleague in the law.com blog network, Bruce MacEwen, has a great overview of Legal OnRamp, including details on the law firms involved.
Further information is available by contacting Legal OnRamp here or me as well.
Technology is best when it is transparent to the user, so that the focus can be on solutions. Legal OnRamp is one example of how the law is moving forward. Which way are you headed?
The Wired GC: Naming Names
March 17, 2007 | Filed Under Law 2.0, In the News
It’s time to leave the days of an anonymous Wired GC behind.
The new venture I’ve been working on for the past few months is emerging from stealth mode.
It’s Lexvista Partners, an advisory firm focused on improving corporate legal perfomance.
A bit of the philosophy behind Lexvista Partners is outlined here. I’m very excited to work with people who see the law as an important way to achieve business goals, and want to help lawyers be at their best in the process.
It may not be all about Law 2.0, but it is definitely John 2.0.
A few in the know have asked: what about the Wired GC if you’re not a GC? It’s actually full speed ahead, and I’m looking forward to exploring some issues that might have been off-limits before. Consider this new phase The Ex-Files.
So during the start of March Madness, I’ll settle for a bit of today’s Luck of the Irish.
Google Health Before Law?
July 11, 2006 | Filed Under Law 2.0, In the News
Reports surfaced over the weekend that Google was close to launching a health portal. Discussions are underway with WebMD and Intuit, involving a user “scrapbook” that would possibly allow the payment of bills or the viewing of personal medical records.
I have previously breathlessly speculated about Google and “the Law.” A health portal certainly shows a Google interest in an information-rich vertical market and a willingness to address thorny regulatory and privacy issues. But would a law portal provide an attractive business model?
A start would be integrating Google Maps with a business phone directory and allowing lawyers and clients to use the just-born Google Checkout payment service. It’s not the mother lode of a law portal opportunity where I would go if I were Google, but it’s a start.
But last time I checked I’m not Google…
In other news, Google gives the Midwest some reason to cheer with reports that it will locate a 1,000 employee research center in Ann Arbor.
Two cheers for Google, and the obviously loyal Wolverine, co-founder Larry Page.
Hold on to Your Business Card
March 23, 2006 | Filed Under Privacy, Law 2.0, Technology
And watch out who you send an Outlook vCard to.
According to Michael Arrington of TechCrunch, web company Jigsaw wants your contact information. So badly it seems, that it will pay others for it.
Recovering attorney Mr. Arrington explains Jigsaw thusly:
Unlike competitors like Hoovers and InfoUSA, which gather company information by semi-legitimate means such as scouring SEC filings, cold calling companies and asking for information, and reviewing other public documents, Jigsaw simply pays people to upload other people’s contact information. Users are paid $1 for every contact they upload, and some users have uploaded information on tens of thousands of people. See the demo (and note the other demos on that page as well). Jigsaw is also self correcting, and incentivizes people to also correct bad contact information.
If innovative ways to use and grow Internet applications for business are Web 2.0, Jigsaw may be Law 9.11.
I think the business card of the future will have your name on it (first and last, no middle initial), company name, and an email address that doesn’t resolve to your company domain. This is your public contact/email persona. No phone numbers, no fax numbers (can you say “Nigerian scam fax” three times quickly?), no address, and for heaven’s sake no cell phone number.
Then if the person hits your email (like lawman2681@gmail.com) and you want to continue the contact, you can, over time, work them into your truly personal business contact information.
With Google Maps and telephone number reverse lookups, we now know what Sun’s Scott McNealy meant when he said we have no privacy, get over it.
No word on whether Mr. McNealy’s contact info is available through Jigsaw.
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