A few months ago, Avvo released the results of a survey it had done of 1,000 consumers who purchased legal services to discover what attorneys need to know today about the new legal consumer.
The Avvo study offered a three-point description of today’s legal consumer. They are:
Informed — access to legal information online has made consumers more savvy than ever about the options available to them. They are reading legal articles, researching their particular legal issue, researching an attorney and visiting legal forums online.
Connected — people now have immediate access to other legal consumers online and they are reading reviews about others’ experiences with attorneys.
Picky — consumers know there are a number of different ways to purchase legal services, including online forms, fixed fee options, etc. They are increasingly attracted to unbundled services, an ala carte solution for their legal issues.
The survey highlighted the online resources that consumers who are searching for an attorney value most. These include:
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Website with actual cases, laws or court decisions
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State of other government site
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Non-government legal resource site
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Online legal directory
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General consumer review site
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Forum or community site
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Site with online forms
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Social media site
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Blogs
In addition, 95% of the consumers surveyed said that reviews matter in helping them decide who to hire.
