Online lawyer ratings - what to believe ?!

[plainNamedDad44]

Hi, I'd be surprised if this topic wasn't brought up in the past.

I am looking for someone on limited retainer, thought I found someone competent, and then i look at LawyerRatingz.com and it didn't look good.

Anybody have any input about lawyer rating sites ? Negative ratings seem more realistic as they are specific, where the positive reviews always seem "Trumpian"... i.e. "Fabulous, Great, Best lawyer ever..."


as always

Thank you

 

[arabian]

those things (online ratings) are a joke - disregard.

There were some good threads in the past on here on what to look for in a lawyer, questions to ask etc.

Often times people have unrealistic expectations and this is reflected in their comments on the online ratings.

 

[OrleansLawyer]

Anybody have any input about lawyer rating sites ?

Neither lawyers nor litigants are ignorant to online marketing tools. One of the best rated lawyers in my city is a truly excellent lawyer. Another of the best rated lawyers in my city has a partner who travels for work and leaves a 4.8 or 5.0 review every 6-8 weeks.

One of the worst rated lawyers in my city is an excellent lawyer but has an aggrieved former client (or opposing party?) who has left repeated poor reviews.

It is a good idea in general, but the sample of ratings (1-2% of clients at most) for any lawyer means you can get wildly inaccurate ratings.

 

[trinton]

ask him about the reviews when you meet with him. You'll be able to tell if they were true or not by the answer he gives you.

 

[rockscan]

Online lawyer ratings - what to believe ?!

As someone who has worked with the public throughout my career I can safely say that unhappy people are more likely to complain than satisfied happy ones. I did my own little check on the reviews of the lawyers I know and their ratings were hilarious. Commenting on how they weren't dressed professionally?

Ask yourself this: did the lawyer listen, did they go through all the potential options and outcomes, did they make give realistic expectations, did you feel comfortable knowing you would hand over money to this person? You could also reach out to the bar association and ask if there were a large amount of complaints.

Im sure every lawyer has someone who didnt like them and if you dug deeper, it was probably because they didnt like their outcome.

I would think that as long as the lawyer didnt make any outlandish promises and was reasonable with costs then you should consider that a pro.

 

[Tayken]

One of the worst rated lawyers in my city is an excellent lawyer but has an aggrieved former client (or opposing party?) who has left repeated poor reviews.

Case on point: Your Social Worker - Gary Direnfeld, MSW, RSW

In our profession, we all work with upset people in challenging situations. Our work influences or determines the outcome for their family.

At times some people take great exception to the outcome and turn their upset upon the service provider.

Same thing applies to lawyer reviews.

 

[trinton]

Same thing applies to lawyer reviews.

And Mechanics, and just about any other business where the customer was not happy, or just a pain who likes to complain for no good reason other than a size 7 foot up their ass.

My lawyer does have a couple of bad reviews. I knew they were bogus in after meeting with him. I didn't even mention them to him. They are usually aware of the reviews that are out there about them. After several months of retainer, I've confirmed they were bogus. The lawyer wasn't one to just act all good off the get go then fall of a cliff 2 months down the retainer. The judges impressions with the lawyer are far more positive than the impressions with the last lawyer I had. Whenever something pops up, it always works out in a satisfactory resolution with this lawyer. Your lawyer's reputation can easily be seen in seeing how the judges speak to them, how other lawyers interact with them, and how paranoid and anxious your ex gets

There are however more good reviews than bad reviews. The good reviews seem to be more accurate.

Positive reviews are usually exaggerated. Oh yeah I love this guy, I'm going to give him all 10's and say he's the best lawyer in the whole world.

It makes it hard to not hire a lawyer who has 67 positive reviews and everyone is happy with him.

You might find people complaining about the lawyer not returning emails, but you notice the lawyer returns emails on evenings, weekends, etc.

You might find people complaining about the lawyer not returning phone calls, but you notice the lawyer answers phone calls personally and even gives you his cell phone, and allows you to text them, and they text you back- free of charge.

I've had lawyers that were just aweful with emails and phone calls, and refused to give out cell phones, and a complete dirt bag, just wasting your time and money, while I have a lawyer who offers their cell, and who has become a very good friend of mine. I think it all comes down to the relationship you have with the lawyer.

As per whether the lawyer is good or not, your best bet is to ask around and see what his reputation is like. Court staff and espcially mental health professions who have been cross-examined by these lawyers could give your good word of mouth. Be careful to not fall in a "good old boy" network though. You could see what other lawyers have to say about them, etc. You could also search their posted cases on canlii, and maybe even attend at court when they have matters to see them in action.

At the end of the day, the facts of your case are what will prevail, not how good your lawyer is. That being said, you don't want a flimsy lawyer. Having a good lawyer to properly represent the facts and poke holes in opposing testimony definitely helps, but don't expect a very good lawyer to win a merit-less case.


When you meet with your lawyer, it should be a 2 way street, he wants to see if he will take you as a client and you want to see if you will hire him as your lawyer. Trust yourself and go with your gut instincts.

Worst comes to worst, you fire him and hire another one. Company's hire bad employees all the time. They usually have a probation period. Treat your lawyer the same way. Give him a 3 month probation period. Family Law Lawyer's are dime a dozen. Don't dread over it.

Don't believe everything you read on the internet.

 

[arabian]

When I was 17 I worked a summer job as as receptionist for a law firm (friend's brother). I can tell you that the "nut jobs" were the family law clients. Repeated, incessant phone calls. Lawyers laughed it off though as they knew they were being paid for those calls. In those days we they had what you called "time and charges" whereas the phone company would call back with length of call. I would log the length of the call in the client's file. At the end of the month the law firm received a print-out. I remember one family lawyer telling me that all he had to do was show one of those monthly call logs to the client to cut back on the calls. I don't recall him ever doing that though. Shit job for sure. I understand why lawyers don't always return the calls.... simply too many of them.

 

[OrleansLawyer]

I've had lawyers that ... refused to give out cell phones

Very few family lawyers share their home or cell phone numbers with clients.

Some criminal lawyers do it because they can be called any time due to an arrest. If your kids are being withheld at 6pm on a Friday, the courts don't open until Monday anyways.

 

[Links17]

Honestly, any lawyer I dealt with I would search for their cases on canlii and I would look at the following.

1. How many cases they plead .
2. If they represented a guy - I had certain expectations that they should be able to get shared custody for example
3. If they represented a woman - they had to get indefinite alimony and sole custody (unless the mom was trash and/or the dad was an angel)
4. I also read the cases to get an idea of their level of preparation.
5. How the judges would react to them
6. Would they plead stupid things etc..

There should be a proper reviewing system. I should do that as a business and make some money.

You have to use your judgement but I feel it was fairly good.

 

[trinton]

2. If they represented a guy - I had certain expectations that they should be able to get shared custody for example

Very important. A lot of the lawyers represent mom's trumping shared custody claims and you could only imagine how ridiculous they would look arguing something they just argued against at the previous trial.

Though every case turns on to it's own facts and generally no 2 family law cases are the same, you wouldn't be the brightest crayon if you hired a lawyer to argue for shared custody if deep down they are against shared custody.