Seattle, WA -- (SBWire) -- 03/19/2013 --Avvo, Inc., the web’s largest expert-only legal Q&A forum, marketplace and directory (http://www.avvo.com), today announced its support for the work of the Public Participation Project to enact national anti-SLAPP legislation. SLAPP, or strategic lawsuits against public participation, are lawsuits that are intended to obstruct someone’s free speech. One year ago this month, Avvo won a landmark lawsuit under Washington State’s Anti-SLAPP Law. In this lawsuit, a sanctioned attorney was trying to prevent Avvo from publishing his information on the website – essentially an attempt to squash Avvo’s First Amendment rights.

"In a victory for web transparency and the First Amendment, one year ago this month, Avvo prevailed in a false advertising and misrepresentation lawsuit that was filed by a sanctioned attorney,” said Josh King, vice president of business development and general counsel, Avvo, Inc. “We firmly believe that consumers have the right to free speech and the right to right to information about the professionals they are seeking to hire, and we will continue to support the efforts of the Public Participation Project."

The Public Participation Project is working to support First Amendments rights through federal anti-SLAPP legislation, and through March 24th, is seeking contributions to help in its for federal anti-SLAPP laws. Avvo, as a supporter of this initiative, has donated to the campaign. More information can be found here: http://www.anti-slapp.org/

More anti-SLAPP information and resources

- Josh King’s article for GigaOm: Why are so many people SLAPPing each other? How to reduce frivolous defamation suits

- NakedLaw blog post: Why You Should Care About Anti-SLAPP Laws

- Overview of state laws: http://www.anti-slapp.org/your-states-free-speech-protection/

About Avvo, Inc.
Avvo.com is the web’s largest legal Q&A forum, directory and legal marketplace (http://www.avvo.com), connecting hundreds of thousands of consumers and lawyers every month. In Avvo’s Q&A forum consumers can get free legal advice 24/7 from more than 125,000 participating lawyers, and Avvo’s directory provides comprehensive profiles, client reviews, peer endorsements and the industry-recognized Avvo Rating for more than 95 percent of all lawyers in the U.S. The Avvo Legal Marketplace, currently available for traffic tickets and divorce cases, revolutionizes how consumers find and hire an attorney. In addition, Avvo helps lawyers grow their business with Avvo Ignite, a cloud-based marketing platform and website solution designed specifically for attorneys. Founded in 2007, Avvo is privately held with funding from Benchmark Capital, DAG Ventures and Ignition Partners.

For Media Contaact:
Person Contact > Josh King
Company : Avvo, Inc
Address : Seattle, Washington, U.S
http://www.avvo.com