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Why Not Web 2.0 Reviews for Law Schools?

Avvo, once considered an upstart lawyer-ranking service, is gaining traction with more established law firms.  Two weeks ago, Avvo announced that international law firm Davis Wright Tremaine had claimed Avvo profiles for its Washington attorneys.  And in this week's Internet Law & Strategy, Joseph Campos, marketing partner and chair of the corporate/securities law group at mid-size Seattle firm, Stanislaw Ashbaugh takes  a new look at client input systems like Avvo.

Campos writes that Web 2.0 business models have created a new paradigm: clients and lawyers rating lawyers for the benefits of clients and lawyers. While Campos sees risks in the paradigm, he also identifies opportunities that can come through embracing what clients have to say.  (As an aside, not all lawyers are sold on Avvo.  For example, today New York Personal Injury Lawyer Eric Turkewitz voiced an objection to what he characterizes as the service's onerous terms of use).

But leaving aside the controversies over Avvo, could the model of Web 2.0 evaluations work in other contexts... law school rankings, for example?  I pondered that thought after reading this post by Nate Oman at Concurring Opinions which proposes an alternative to U.S. News law school rankings.  Oman's post got me thinking about another alternative:   a Web 2.0 ranking system for law schools.  Each school and its respective professors would have a profile -- and students and alumni could register and offer rankings.  Professors could also evaluate each other, thereby ensuring a good mix of expert peer review and student feedback.  A Web 2.0 system would also force law schools to maintain good relations with alumni to prevent  a disgruntled grad from trashing the school or a particular professor five or ten years down the road.

So, if any of you law professors or students are reading, what's your opinion of "Avvo for Law Schools?"

Posted by Carolyn Elefant on March 3, 2008 at 02:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)