The flat-fee service that Avvo offered through a network of lawyers required the lawyer to rebate a “marketing” fee to Avvo out of the fee that the lawyer received. Issues of fee-splitting with non-lawyers and other aspects of the model also troubled ethics boards.
It should be interesting to see if Upwork, the leading freelance platform, continues allows legal services.
The USA Herald was contacted by Raj Abhyanker and provided this quote:
I am substantial shareholder of UpCounsel, I am committed to ensuring that the UpCounsel.com community remains strong and regrows from a new foundation of trust. Unfortunately, the actions taken this week are the direct result of mismanagement and bad acts by co-founders Matthew Faustman and Mason Blake. I continue to believe that UpCounsel has a bright future ahead, and am working to recapitalize the business on a footing for success without Faustman and Blake’s involvement.
