J Matthew Derstine

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What is the Avvo Rating?

The Avvo Rating is our effort to evaluate a lawyer's background. The rating is calculated using a mathematical model that considers the information shown in a lawyer's profile, including a lawyer's years in practice, disciplinary history, professional achievements and industry recognition - all factors that, in our opinion, are relevant to assessing a lawyer's qualifications. For some lawyers, the only information we have been able to collect is the publicly available information from state bar associations or other organizations that license lawyers. If that is all we have, then we display an Avvo Rating for the lawyer of either "Attention" or "No Concern." Tell me more.

Locked Data

Locked data refers to information that lawyers are unable to edit or delete on their Avvo profiles. The Avvo Rating is one type of Locked Data. Other examples include license data, sanction data, and reviews from clients.

When you update your free Avvo lawyer profile, you can personalize it with your professional experience, achievements, and practice areas, as well as request peer endorsements and reviews from clients. Completing your profile makes it easier for the right clients to find you on Avvo, and may have a positive impact on your Avvo Rating.

Legal fee refers to the billing structure and the rate attorneys charge for their services.

A retainer is fee charged in advance to retain the services of a lawyer.

Transactional lawyers: all matters are being referred to as "cases" for the purposes of this chart, as that term is best understood by consumers.