Survey-reported expectation
More than 80% said they would contact another attorney within 48 hours
Martindale-Avvo surveyed approximately 1,850 consumers who had previously used Avvo, Lawyers.com, Nolo, or Martindale.
| Waiting time | Share of respondents |
|---|---|
| 1–8 hours | 18.6% |
| 9–23 hours | 21.8% |
| 24–48 hours | 41.9% |
| 3–6 days | 11.3% |
| 1 week or more | 6.4% |
Helpful criteria
Responsiveness was the most-selected criterion
Respondents could select multiple answers.
Comparison shopping
Most consumers who hired contacted multiple attorneys
Among consumers who ultimately hired a lawyer, 78.9% contacted more than one attorney before making the hiring decision.
The report also says three in ten consumers who hired did so within three days of realizing they needed an attorney, and five in ten did so within one week.
Sample limitation
Relevant to online legal shoppers, not a general-population probability sample
Citing this page
Use the original study and this interpretation together.
Martindale-Avvo. “Understanding the Legal Consumer 2023.” Survey of approximately 1,850 prior users of Avvo, Lawyers.com, Nolo, or Martindale.
When citing an individual statistic, cite the original publisher as well as CallShift whenever practical.