Attorney review policy

Who can review

Only licensed attorneys who have used the mediator for a client. Before a review is published, we check the bar state and bar number by hand against the public State Bar of Texas lookup (or the reviewer's state bar). Bar numbers are never published. Reviewers appear as "Verified Texas attorney", "Verified attorney, [county]", or by name if they choose.

What gets rated

Preparation, neutrality, persistence and creativity, communication, value, an overall star rating, "Would use again?", and a short comment. Every approved review's text appears on the profile as soon as it is approved. There is no minimum number of reviews before review text is shown. Only the star average (and per-review stars) is withheld until a mediator has at least 2 approved reviews; until then the profile says "Not enough reviews for a star average yet." The same rule applies to every mediator, Featured or not, and does not depend on whether a review is positive or negative.

Confidentiality

Do not disclose anything said or written in mediation. Mediation communications are confidential under Texas law (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code §154.073). Reviews may not include case names, parties, amounts, settlement terms, or anything said in mediation. The form flags numbers and dollar amounts automatically, and moderators remove or reject anything that breaks confidentiality.

Moderation

• Every review is held for approval before it appears.
• One review per attorney per mediator every 12 months.
• We approve or reject reviews on these rules only: verification, confidentiality, relevance, and no abusive or unlawful content. A review is never rejected for being negative.
• The mediator can post one public response per review.
• Anyone can report a review. Reported reviews are re-checked against this policy. To report one, use the "Report this review" link or email us [email protected].

Honest reviews (FTC rule)

We follow the FTC's rule on consumer reviews and testimonials (16 CFR Part 465):

• No fake, paid, or incentivized reviews. We don't offer or accept anything of value for a review, positive or negative.
• No suppressing negative reviews. We never hide, remove, or bury a review because it's unfavorable, and mediators can't buy their way out of one.
• Reviewers must disclose any material connection. People related to, employed by, or in business with the mediator can't review them.
• Payment never affects reviews or ratings. Whether a mediator pays for Featured, or pays Strategic Peace anything at all, has no effect on which reviews are published, how they are moderated, their star ratings or averages, or the order in which they appear. Mediators cannot pay to remove, hide, or delay a review.

General information, not legal advice.