Avvo, the online legal directory and lawyer rating website, has attracted $37.5 million in venture capital funding that it says will be used to develop new products and expand to international markets.

Avvo introduced its attorney rating program in 2006 and has become the gold standard of legal directories, rating more than 97% of U.S. attorneys.  Avvo says thatsix million consumers visit its site each month, making it the go-to place for consumer research on attorneys as well.  (If you’re wondering how this compares with Martindale-Hubbell, see my Feb. 25 post on Are Martindale-Hubbell and Lawyers.com Dead? Why Every Martindale Client Should Care.)

According to Avvo, the site is the largest legal forum for consumers to get answers to their legal questions, with more than 5 million questions on the site with a 99% answer rate.  Avvo says that over 160,000 attorneys currently participate on the site.

Avvo founder and CEO Mark Britton says that Avvo’s business model is far different from sites like LegalZoom that seek to take attorneys out of the equation.  Instead, he says that Avvo believes that consumers actually want a lawyer and their mission is to provide products that make navigating the legal profession as easy as possible for consumers while helping attorneys get more business.

Coatue Management provided the new funding, with additional investment from existing investors Benchmark Capital, Ignition Partners and DAG Ventures.   With the new capital infusion, total funding in Avvo is now $60.5 million.