Gavel Chicago: Intermediary Connecting Service certification

Gavel Chicago ("the Service") is an online directory of law firms operated by Harvest Season. Under Illinois Rule of Professional Conduct 7.2(d), a lawyer may rely on a written certification from an intermediary connecting service that it complies with Rule 7.2(c)(3) through (8). Harvest Season certifies the following to every lawyer who lists with the Service:

1. The Service does not provide legal advice to anyone, and its pages say so. General information is labeled as general information.
2. The Service does not make false or misleading statements about lawyers, its own services, or the results a lawyer may obtain. It publishes no ratings, no comparisons and no editorial picks.
3. The Service does not solicit prospective clients in person, by live telephone, or by real-time electronic contact on behalf of any lawyer. Consumers find listings themselves and choose whom to contact.
4. No lawyer who participates in the Service owns, controls or directs it.
5. The criteria that decide the order of listings are published at /how-we-list and applied to every listing equally.
6. Fees charged to lawyers are flat (a monthly Featured placement fee). They are not contingent on the outcome of any matter, are not a percentage of any legal fee, and are not a payment per client or per referral.
7. The Service does not refer or recommend any lawyer. A consumer message goes only to the one firm the consumer chose.
8. The Service never receives, holds or handles client funds.

This certification is modeled on the sample intermediary connecting service certification letter referenced in Comment [8] to Rule 7.2. Questions: [email protected].