Written by the Removal Lab team.
You won the case. The other side lost. A week later a one star review lands on your Avvo profile calling you a liar. Can you get it removed? Often, yes. Avvo review removal works when the reviewer was never your client, when the review accuses you of a crime or when it breaks another part of the Avvo Community Guidelines. Removal Lab checks the review against those guidelines for free and replies within one business day. There is no upfront payment on qualifying cases. You pay only if Avvo removes it.
This guide to Avvo review removal is for lawyers and law firms. It explains who Avvo allows to review you, the dispute route through Avvo Customer Care, what evidence helps and how to reply without breaking your own professional rules.
How Avvo review removal works
Avvo asks reviewers to register before they submit a review and runs automated checks for obvious problems. It also asks its community to flag reviews that seem suspicious or incorrect. Flagged or disputed reviews are then assessed against the Community Guidelines.
Here is the part every lawyer needs to understand. Avvo says it does not verify or investigate reviews and does not take sides in factual disputes between clients and attorneys. It will not decide whether you really missed a deadline. It will decide whether the reviewer was allowed to review you and whether the content follows the guidelines.
That makes Avvo review removal mostly a question of eligibility. If a review comes from someone who was not your client, Avvo says you can contact Customer Care to dispute it. Avvo then contacts the reviewer. If the relationship cannot be confirmed, the review is removed.
Avvo is also clear that money plays no part. Attorneys cannot pay to improve or remove reviews. The same dispute standards apply whether or not you advertise with Avvo.
Who is allowed to review a lawyer on Avvo
The Community Guidelines are narrow on this point. That works in your favour for Avvo review removal. Avvo asks people to review only their own attorney, the one who represented them. A person may also review a lawyer they consulted with outside Avvo.
Avvo says reviews are not accepted for:
- Opposing counsel
- A spouse’s lawyer
- A family member’s lawyer
- Any attorney the person did not hire or consult
Avvo also lists staff, colleagues, family and friends who are not clients among the reviews it removes.
There is one grey area: the person who paid the bill. Avvo allows a payor to review only when their interests line up with the client’s, such as a parent paying for a minor child. It does not permit reviews where payor and client interests are not aligned. Avvo says this comes up most in probate, mediation, arbitration and guardianship matters.
Which Avvo reviews can be removed
These are the problems that most often support Avvo review removal.
| Problem with the review | Avvo guideline it touches | How strong a case |
|---|---|---|
| Written by the opposing party or their relative | Only clients may review their own attorney | Strong. Avvo contacts the reviewer and removes it if the relationship cannot be confirmed. |
| Written by opposing counsel | Opposing counsel reviews are not accepted | Strong |
| Written by a payor whose interests clash with the client’s | Payor reviews only where interests align | Moderate to strong. Common in probate and guardianship. |
| Accuses you of a crime | Reviews with accusations of criminal activity will not be posted | Strong |
| Name calling, threats or harassment | General conduct rules | Strong |
| Home address, email or phone number | No personal information in reviews | Strong |
| Secondhand account from someone who heard about you | Reviews should reflect the writer’s own experience | Moderate |
| Appears to be written by AI | Content detected as AI generated may be rejected or removed | Depends on what Avvo detects |
| Written by your own staff, friends or family | Non client reviews are removed | Strong. Report your own side too. |
Two lines in that table are especially useful in litigation practices. The opposing party is the classic Avvo problem. So is the review that calls a lawyer a thief or a fraud. Both are squarely inside Avvo review removal territory.
How to report an Avvo review yourself
Avvo does not describe a report button on the review itself. For Avvo review removal, its support pages point lawyers to Customer Care. The route is:
- Read the review against the Community Guidelines and pick the one rule it breaks.
- Open the Avvo support request form, linked from the “Contact our support team” link on Avvo’s help article about negative reviews.
- Give your profile link, the review date and the exact text.
- Explain the problem in a few lines. For example, that the reviewer was the opposing party, not your client.
- Add evidence that does not reveal anything confidential about any client.
- Submit and keep a copy.
For a non client review, Avvo says Customer Care may ask the reviewer for more information. You do not need to prove a negative in full. You need to give Avvo enough to start that check.
Avvo will not tell you who wrote it
Avvo says it does not share the identity or contact details of reviewers, even with the attorney reviewed. Outside a formal legal process it will not reveal who wrote an anonymous review. Subpoenas are handled under Internet Brands’ policy and subject to judicial review. Do not try to unmask the reviewer yourself.
What evidence helps Avvo review removal
Your duty of confidentiality limits what you can send. Keep it to what proves the guideline point without exposing any client.
- Conflict check records. If the reviewer’s name or matter matches an adverse party, a short statement that the person was on the other side is often enough.
- Court captions or public filings. Public records showing the reviewer was the opposing party can help where they are already public.
- The exact words. For a criminal accusation, quote the sentence.
- Timing. A review posted right after an adverse ruling against the other side is worth pointing out.
Never attach privileged material. Avvo review removal does not require it and your professional rules will not allow it.
What Avvo will not remove
| Review says | Likely outcome | Why |
|---|---|---|
| “My lawyer never returned my calls” | Stays | A real client’s opinion of communication |
| “I lost and it was his fault” | Stays | Avvo does not investigate factual disputes |
| “Fees were far higher than quoted” | Stays if from a client | Opinion about the representation |
| An anonymous review from a former client | Stays | Avvo honours a client’s choice to stay anonymous |
| “She stole from the trust account” | Often removed | Accusations of criminal activity are not posted |
| A review by the other side’s husband | Often removed | Not the reviewer’s own attorney |
Avvo review removal is not a way to settle a disagreement. Avvo says plainly that if you disagree with a genuine review that follows the guidelines, it will not remove it. Our page on what we cannot remove explains how we handle those honestly.
Does a bad review hurt your Avvo Rating?
No. Avvo says client reviews never affect your rating. The Avvo Rating is a score from 1 to 10 based on experience, credentials, peer endorsements and disciplinary history. You cannot pay to change it either. A review still shapes what a prospective client reads, so Avvo review removal still matters. It just does not move the number.
How to reply to an Avvo review without breaking the rules
When Avvo review removal is not possible, a reply is the next step. Avvo lets you post a public response to any review. Its own advice is a brief, professional reply written with future clients in mind and within your ethical limits. Acknowledge the person is unhappy without agreeing with their account. Invite them to contact the office. Do not disclose details of the representation.
The American Bar Association went further in Formal Opinion 496, issued on 13 January 2021. It says lawyers should consider not responding at all, because a reply can draw attention and keep a post high in search results. Under Model Rule 1.6, a negative review alone does not justify revealing confidential information. The opinion lists safer options:
- Ask the website to remove the post for a specific reason
- Contact the client privately to resolve it
- Publicly invite the critic to contact you privately
- Publicly state that professional obligations prevent a response
Rules vary by state, province and country. Check your own regulator before replying. Our page on review removal for law firms covers how this works across other platforms.
How long Avvo review removal takes
There is no published timeframe for Avvo review removal. Avvo gives none for disputes, flag reviews or removals. Where Customer Care has to contact the reviewer, the time also depends on whether that person replies. We will not give you a date Avvo itself does not give.
What to do if Avvo says no
A refused Avvo review removal request can sometimes be reopened with new facts, such as proof the reviewer was the opposing party that you did not have before. Otherwise, the answer is a measured reply and more genuine reviews.
Avvo makes the second part simple. From your dashboard, click Request Reviews, enter up to 50 email addresses of current or former clients, add a personal note if you like and click Submit. Over time, one hostile review becomes one voice among many.
If the review states something false that damages your practice, see defamation removal. For the same problem on other sites, see Google review policy violations, Yelp review removal and fake review removal.
How Removal Lab works
- Send the link. WhatsApp, email or the two field form. Two minutes, no long questionnaire.
- Free policy check. A specialist reads it against the platform rules and tells you honestly whether it qualifies.
- We build and file the case. The right policy, the right channel, the evidence attached. We handle the appeal too.
- Pay only when it is gone. No upfront payment on qualifying cases. If the platform says no, you owe nothing.
What we will never do
- Promise a removal. The platform decides, not us.
- Post fake reviews or pay anyone to delete a review.
- Pressure, threaten or try to identify a reviewer.
- Charge an upfront fee on a case that does not qualify.
See how our process works and how pricing works.
Get a free Avvo review check
Send the profile link and the review. A specialist replies within one business day.
Frequently asked questions
Can an opposing party leave a review on Avvo?
No. Avvo asks people to review only their own attorney. If a review comes from an opposing party, contact Customer Care and Avvo may remove it if the client relationship cannot be confirmed.
Does Avvo remove reviews that accuse a lawyer of a crime?
Yes. Avvo says reviews containing accusations of criminal activity against an attorney will not be posted.
Can I pay Avvo to remove a review?
No. Avvo says attorneys cannot pay to improve or remove reviews and applies the same standards to free and paid profiles.
Do Avvo reviews affect my Avvo Rating?
No. Avvo says client reviews never affect the Avvo Rating, which is based on experience, credentials, peer endorsements and disciplinary history.
Will Avvo tell me who wrote an anonymous review?
No. Avvo does not share reviewer identity or contact details outside a formal legal process.
What does Avvo review removal cost with Removal Lab?
The check is free. On qualifying cases there is no upfront payment and you pay only when Avvo removes the review.
Sources: Avvo Community Guidelines, Avvo: What if I get a negative review?, Avvo: What are reviews?, Avvo: How do I know reviews are from real contacts?, Avvo: Can I find out who posted the review?, Avvo: Reviews and the Avvo Rating, Avvo: How do I request reviews? and American Bar Association on Formal Opinion 496. Removal Lab does not work for Avvo. Every decision is made by the platform.