Justia’s mission is to make the law free and accessible to all. As part of furthering that mission, we help consumers and lawyers better connect through our free question and answer forum, Justia Ask A Lawyer. Consumers can anonymously submit their basic legal questions through the forum. Lawyers can then offer basic answers while gaining increased exposure to potential clients on the Justia platform.
Each quarter, we look at the data and participation trends for Justia Ask A Lawyer and share some of the highlights with all of you! Keep reading this post to learn more about the statistics for our platform in the final quarter of last year.
Which Practice Areas Receive the Most Questions?
Justia Ask A Lawyer has 75+ practice areas into which users may categorize their questions submitted via the forum. This helps lawyers find more questions to answer within their area(s) of expertise while also allowing users to better connect with the right lawyer for their question.
While the Justia Ask A Lawyer forum receives questions from across each of the available practice areas, these five practice areas were the most popular in the fourth quarter of 2022: criminal law, family law, real estate law, landlord-tenant law, and divorce.
Which States Submit the Most Questions?
People from across the nation submit questions via Justia Ask A Lawyer! Of course, some locations submit more questions than others. Last quarter, these states were the most active locations for users submitting questions: California, Texas, Florida, New York, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Michigan, New Jersey, and Maryland.
What Are the Most Active Practice Areas in Each State?
As mentioned above, Justia Ask A Lawyer users’ legal problems vary across the nation. Using the chart below, you can see which practice areas were active in each state during the fourth quarter.
Three Most Active Practice Areas by State – Q4 2022
| Alabama | Alaska | Arizona |
| Family Law | Family Law | Family Law |
| Child Custody | Adoption | Criminal Law |
| Child Support | Civil Litigation | Child Custody |
| Arkansas | California | Colorado |
| Bankruptcy | Criminal Law | Family Law |
| Real Estate Law | Employment Law | Landlord-Tenant Law |
| Employment Law | Personal Injury | Real Estate Law |
| Connecticut | Delaware | District of Columbia |
| Family Law | Family Law | Employment Law |
| Personal Injury | Real Estate Law | Family Law |
| Child Custody | Intellectual Property | Criminal Law |
| Florida | Georgia | Hawaii |
| Family Law | Family Law | Probate |
| Real Estate Law | Divorce | Immigration Law |
| Contracts | Child Custody | Criminal Law |
| Idaho | Illinois | Indiana |
| Family Law | Criminal Law | Traffic Tickets |
| Real Estate Law | Personal Injury | Criminal Law |
| Contracts | Traffic Tickets | Car Accidents |
| Iowa | Kansas | Kentucky |
| Workers Compensation | Bankruptcy | Criminal Law |
| Car Accidents | Trademark | Family Law |
| Personal Injury | Employment Law | Child Custody |
| Louisiana | Maine | Maryland |
| Family Law | Criminal Law | Real Estate Law |
| Real Estate Law | Bankruptcy | Criminal Law |
| Criminal Law | Constitutional Law | Traffic Tickets |
| Massachusetts | Michigan | Minnesota |
| Real Estate Law | Family Law | Criminal Law |
| Family Law | Real Estate Law | Traffic Tickets |
| Divorce | Criminal Law | Domestics Violence |
| Mississippi | Missouri | Montana |
| Child Custody | Employment Law | Land Use & Zoning |
| Child Support | Criminal Law | Real Estate Law |
| Criminal Law | Real Estate Law | Estate Planning |
| Nebraska | Nevada | New Hampshire |
| Divorce | Divorce | Criminal Law |
| Child Custody | Family Law | Civil Litigation |
| Child Support | Child Custody | Education Law |
| New Jersey | New Mexico | North Carolina |
| Criminal Law | Car Accidents | Civil Litigation |
| Traffic Tickets | Personal Injury | Collections |
| Family Law | Landlord-Tenant | |
| North Dakota | Ohio | Oklahoma |
| Criminal Law | Family Law | Criminal Law |
| Cannabis & Marijuana Law | Criminal Law | Family Law |
| Constitutional Law | Real Estate Law | Divorce |
| Oregon | Pennsylvania | Rhode Island |
| Landlord-Tenant Law | Family Law | Criminal Law |
| Probate | Criminal Law | Real Estate Law |
| Personal Injury | Divorce | Family Law |
| South Carolina | Tennessee | Texas |
| Family Law | Criminal Law | Criminal Law |
| Personal Injury | Traffic Tickets | Family Law |
| Real Estate Law | Real Estate Law | Real Estate Law |
| Utah | Virginia | Washington |
| Criminal Law | Criminal Law | Criminal Law |
| Traffic Tickets | Landlord-Tenant | Personal Injury |
| Contracts | Real Estate Law | Employment Law |
| West Virginia | Wisconsin | Wyoming |
| Probate | Family Law | Probate |
| Bankruptcy | Divorce | Personal Injury |
| Car Accidents | Child Support | Workers’ Compensation |
What Are the Most Searched Terms on Justia Ask A Lawyer?
In addition to submitting new, anonymous questions via the forum, users can also browse previously submitted questions and answers on the Justia Ask A Lawyer site. The word cloud below illustrates 25 of the most frequently searched terms and keywords used to browse Justia Ask A Lawyer between October 1 and December 31 last year.
Who Are the Most Active Attorneys on Justia Ask A Lawyer?
Justia Ask A Lawyer is a success due to the dedicated attorneys who take the time to answer users’ questions on the forum. In addition to increasing their chances of connecting with new clients, participating lawyers are rewarded with increased exposure on the Justia Ask A Lawyer forum and leaderboards.
The following 10 lawyers were some of the most active attorneys on the forum last quarter: John Michael Frick, Timothy Denison, Tim Akpinar, Anthony M. Avery, Dale S. Gribow, James R. Dickinson, Penny Wymyczak-White, Barry W. Kaufman, Mark Oakley, and Neil Pedersen.
Where Did Active Lawyers Attend Law School?
Hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of institutions across the nation have educated today’s lawyers. The law schools below had the most active alumni on the Justia Ask A Lawyer forum in the fourth quarter of 2022.
- Western Michigan University, Cooley School of Law
- University of Illinois at Chicago, John Marshall Law School
- University of Baltimore School of Law
- New York Law School
- Capital University Law School
- Regent University School of Law
- Cumberland School of Law at Samford University
- Georgetown University Law Center
- Boston University School of Law
- University of Oklahoma College of Law
Final Thoughts: Why Do You Care?
More and more people are turning to the internet when looking for legal information. This means that question and answer forums, such as Justia Ask A Lawyer, are increasingly valuable both to consumers looking for legal information and lawyers looking to grow their practice and achieve their goals.
If you are ready to get started on Justia Ask A Lawyer, we encourage you to check out our available questions. You can also request alerts to ensure you never miss new questions in your core practice areas.