Avvo
Avvo is a Seattle-based online legal marketplace founded in 2006 that connects consumers with attorneys via a searchable directory of 1.1+ million lawyers, a proprietary 1-10 attorney rating, and a free Q&A forum. It monetizes primarily through premium subscriptions and profile services sold to law firms.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersSeattle, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Avvo does
Avvo is a Seattle-based online legal marketplace and directory founded in 2006 that connects consumers seeking legal help with attorneys. The platform maintains a searchable database of 1.1+ million lawyers across all 50 U.S. states and 120+ practice areas, supporting self-serve discovery by location and specialty. Alongside the directory, Avvo operates a free public Q&A forum with over 17 million answered legal questions, a client review system, and a chat-based Premium Concierge matching service, collectively drawing 65+ million annual visitors.
The core technical asset is Avvo's proprietary rating algorithm, which assigns attorneys a 1-10 score derived from state bar records, years licensed, experience, education, peer endorsements, disciplinary history, publications, and other credentials. The rating is branded as non-manipulable and not for sale. Supporting products include attorney profile management tools, a review submission and response workflow, and direct consultation-booking functionality.
Avvo monetizes almost exclusively on the supply side of the marketplace via B2B subscription and premium profile services sold to attorneys and law firms seeking greater directory visibility; consumer-facing services are free. Pricing follows a freemium base profile tier with paid monthly or annual premium upgrades; specific list prices are not publicly disclosed. The company has raised approximately $132 million across five disclosed funding rounds between 2006 and 2015 from Benchmark, Coatue, TCV, Vulcan Capital, DAG Ventures, and Ignition Partners, and currently operates with 251-500 employees as a privately held US entity with no disclosed parent company.
Avvo firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Avvo
- Legal name
- Avvo Inc.
- Website
- https://avvo.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Avvo is a Seattle-based online legal marketplace founded in 2006 that connects consumers with attorneys via a searchable directory of 1.1+ million lawyers, a proprietary 1-10 attorney rating, and a free Q&A forum. It monetizes primarily through premium subscriptions and profile services sold to law firms.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Avvo is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seattle
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Avvo business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Attorney Profiles and Premium Services: Avvo generates revenue by offering attorneys paid profile services and premium features to increase their visibility to potential clients. The platform also facilitates connections between consumers and attorneys through its directory marketplace.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free basic attorney profiles with limited features |
| Subscription | Annual | Attorney premium/paid profiles |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Attorney hourly rates (as listed on platform) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Avvo product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Avvo operates an online legal marketplace and directory that connects consumers seeking legal help with attorneys across the United States. The platform offers a searchable attorney directory covering all 50 states and more than 120 practice areas, a proprietary 1-10 attorney rating algorithm, and a free legal Q&A forum where attorneys answer consumer questions. The company generates revenue primarily through paid premium attorney profiles and advertising placements sold to lawyers and law firms.
Product overview
Avvo operates as a legal marketplace platform offering a unified ecosystem of lawyer discovery and client engagement tools. The core platform consists of an attorney directory powered by Avvo's proprietary Rating System (a 1-10 algorithm evaluating lawyer credentials), combined with a Legal Q&A Forum where over 17 million questions have been answered. Supporting these are client Attorney Reviews and a Premium Concierge Service for personalized lawyer matching. The For Lawyers module enables attorneys to manage their profiles and presence on the platform. The platform covers over 120 practice areas and is accessible across all U.S. states.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Avvo Lawyer Directory A searchable online directory of more than 1.1 million attorneys across all 50 U.S. states and 120+ practice areas, used by consumers to find and compare lawyers.
- Avvo Attorney Rating System A proprietary 1-10 rating algorithm that evaluates attorneys based on their background, experience, professional achievements, and disciplinary history to help consumers assess legal representation.
- Avvo Legal Q&A Forum A free online forum where consumers post legal questions and licensed attorneys provide answers, with more than 17 million legal questions answered historically.
- Premium Attorney Profiles Subscription-based enhanced profile pages for attorneys offering richer biographical content, additional practice area details, and prominent placement in search results.
- Attorney Advertising Paid advertising placements sold to attorneys and law firms on Avvo.com, including prominent listings in directory and Q&A pages targeting consumer legal searches.
Quantifiable outcome
- 79% of U.S. legal professionals use AI internally, yet seven directories including Avvo control virtually all AI citations for consumer legal queries
Companies that use Avvo
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Avvo technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Avvo partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Avvo competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Martindale-Hubbell: Long-established U.S. legal directory offering attorney profiles, peer ratings, and client reviews. Directly comparable to Avvo as one of the seven directories controlling AI citations for consumer legal queries and competing head-on for attorney subscriptions.
- Justia: Legal directory and information platform offering free lawyer profiles, Q&A forums, and legal guides. Directly comparable as one of the seven major legal directories, with overlapping free content/Q&A and premium profile monetization models.
- Lawyers.com: Martindale-Hubbell's consumer-facing sister site providing attorney directory listings, ratings, and legal Q&A. Directly comparable to Avvo in serving consumers searching for attorneys and monetizing premium attorney profiles.
- FindLaw: Thomson Reuters-owned lawyer directory and consumer legal information site. Directly comparable to Avvo in directory listings, attorney profile monetization, and consumer-facing legal content for lead generation.
- Super Lawyers: Attorney rating service using peer nominations and patented selection methodology. Directly comparable as one of the seven directories controlling AI legal citations and competing with Avvo in attorney recognition and consumer search.
- Chambers and Partners: International legal directory ranking lawyers and law firms across practice areas and jurisdictions. Directly comparable as one of seven directories named alongside Avvo for AI citation dominance in consumer legal queries.
- Best Lawyers: Peer-review-based attorney recognition directory. Directly comparable to Avvo as one of seven directories controlling AI legal citations and competing for premium attorney subscriptions and consumer visibility.
Emerging players
- LawAdvisor: Online legal marketplace that matches clients with lawyers by posting case descriptions and receiving competing quotes. Adjacent peer to Avvo sharing a marketplace/matching model but leading on price-discovery mechanics.
- Nolo: Consumer legal information site offering legal guides, self-help books, and attorney directories. Adjacent peer sharing Avvo's consumer-legal content/Q&A approach with a stronger bias toward DIY legal forms.
Broad incumbents
- LegalZoom: Online legal services platform offering incorporation, wills, trademarks, and attorney matching. Broader incumbent in the consumer legal space, with an attorney-matching product that competes with Avvo's directory plus concierge.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Avvo social profiles
Digital presenceAvvo financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Avvo leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Avvo funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors6 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Avvo M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Avvo
What does Avvo do?
Avvo operates an online legal marketplace and directory that connects consumers seeking legal help with attorneys across the United States. The platform offers a searchable attorney directory covering all 50 states and more than 120 practice areas, a proprietary 1-10 attorney rating algorithm, and a free legal Q&A forum where attorneys answer consumer questions. The company generates revenue primarily through paid premium attorney profiles and advertising placements sold to lawyers and law firms.
Is Avvo a public or private company?
Avvo is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Avvo founded?
Avvo was founded in 2006. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Avvo based?
Avvo is headquartered in Seattle, United States, in the North America region.
How does Avvo make money?
One revenue line is on record: attorney Profiles and Premium Services.
Who are Avvo's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Martindale-Hubbell, Justia, Lawyers.com, FindLaw, Super Lawyers, Chambers and Partners and Best Lawyers. Emerging players are LawAdvisor and Nolo. LegalZoom is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Avvo have an API?
No public API is recorded for Avvo.