George Murphy of Foster Web Marketing recently asked Josh King, Vice President of the fast-growing legal directory Avvo, a few questions about the site after it is heading into its third year online. Here is what he had to say:

So just give us some feedback on Avvo and a few of it’s selling points.

Avvo helps guide consumers in handling their legal matters with confidence and choosing the right lawyer.  For lawyers, Avvo offers a free web presence where attorneys can add highlight their practice and stand apart online.  Attorneys can also answer legal questions posted on the site by consumers, and use Avvo’s self-publishing tool to create legal guides in their areas of law.

All of these activities help create a depth of profile that makes it easier for buyers of legal services to make the decision to hire a lawyer.  Avvo is not only highly trafficked, but is also highly search-engine-optimized.  This is particularly valuable when a potential client is looking an attorney up by name. Another very popular feature of out site is the Avvo Rating, which is our assessment (based on an algorithm we run on every lawyer profile) of the likelihood an attorney will be able to help a consumer with their legal problem.

Sounds like way more than a directory site. What kind of success stories have you been hearing from attorneys using Avvo?

We’ve heard from many attorneys who tell us they receive numerous clients through Avvo.  One WA firm told us that earlier this year, one-third of their new clients were from Avvo, and another told us they were acquiring two clients per month. Not bad for a free website.

Not bad at all. What kind of growth have you experienced since launching last June?

We’ve grown over 400% in 2008.We also cover more than 1 million attorneys, making us the largest legal “directory” in the U.S.

Impressive. What does the future hold for Avvo?

Very soon, attorneys will be able to advertise on Avvo, much as Google features sponsored listings along with search results. We’ll also expand coverage into the states in which we currently don’t have lawyer profiles.

We’ve spoken about this before, but with Avvo.com having a web 2.0, almost social-media type of feel to it, what are your thoughts are on social media for attorneys? Especially Twitter?

I think Twitter is a terrific way to network and expand readership of attorney blogs, when used properly.  However, attorneys will need to find the right balance between not letting Twitter be a time sink and not posting once and going away. 

Amen to that. Thanks to Josh for his feedback, and for any attorney out there who is looking to expand their online reach, go claim your Avvo profile (everything is pulled from State Bar records, so not anyone can register as an attorney on the site. Very cool!).

Coming tomorrow: Twitter For Attorneys, in Video.