The legal rating website, which was founded in 2006, will join Internet Brands which has a number of legal websites. The company gave no details on price in a statement announcing the sale.  Avvo is a leading online legal marketplace which connects lawyers and consumers and attracts more than 100 million annual visits to its website. In a press release announcing the deal, it says more than 300,000 US lawyers are active Avvo users. Avvo will join Internet Brands' Legal vertical, an online legal network which entered the legal space in 2010 and operates flagship online legal brands Nolo,  Martindale-Hubbell, Ngage and Total Attorneys.  With the addition of Avvo, the Internet Brands legal vertical will offer directory listings, leads, websites and chat.

Rapid innovation

Comenting on the deal Internet Brands CEO Bob Brisco said: 'Avvo's culture of rapid innovation with the mission of serving both consumers and attorneys mirrors the strategy that has guided the Internet Brands Legal portfolio to strong growth over the past decade,' said Bob Brisco, CEO of Internet Brands. 'We look forward to continuing to transform how consumers connect with attorneys while helping attorneys grow their businesses.'

Great fit

Avvo founder and CEO Mark Britton said Internet Brands was 'a uniquely great fit for us. With their commitment to and understanding of the legal vertical, we quickly envisioned a collective whole that would bring more consumers and lawyers together than ever before. I am excited about what we will accomplish together.'

Advisors

The Avvo brand will be retained following completion of the acquisition, and Avvo will continue to operate from its headquarters in Seattle under the direction of its existing leadership team.  Citi is serving as exclusive financial advisor to Avvo in connection with the transaction and Perkins Coie is serving as its legal advisor. Internet Brands is a fully integrated online media and software services organisation focused on four high-value vertical categories: Health, Automotive, Legal and Home/Travel.