A website allowing clients to rate their solicitors has announced plans to rank firms as the best in their area.  In a similar way to the TripAdvisor model, ReviewSolicitors will state which firms in each location and sector score highest based on feedback from users and other measures of quality. 

The site’s owners say the new rankings will shine the spotlight on the best performing firms and help clients make their final choice about which provider to use. 

Chief executive Saleem Arif said: ‘We have had interest from highly rated firms on our platform that want to be able to differentiate themselves from their competition online on something other than price.  

‘There is also considerable demand for transparency from clients who want to know which are the outstanding firms for particular areas of law.’ 

Greater transparency has been a constant theme in the legal profession since the Competition and Markets Authority reviewed the sector in 2016 and said consumers needed better information about which provider to choose. 

Having started in 2015, the site has now integrated with Google to allow premium users the ability to merge reviews. Google reviews will be added to the ranking system due to be released in November. 

Overall ranking scores will be determined 80% by client feedback and 20% from other factors, creating an algorithm based on ratings rather than the size of the firms involved. Groups will include best solicitors in each location, the best solicitor in a particular practice area in each location, and the best law firm in each location. 

Criteria affecting the overall ranking include reviews, firm accreditations and recommendations from clients. Scores will be negatively affected by adverse Legal Ombudsman or Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal rulings and negative reviews. 

The site allows firms and solicitors to collect reviews for free by signing up to an account, then to upgrade to paid membership. 

Around 800 firms actively collect reviews through the site, with two million visitors over the past 12 months.