Category: Industry Insights

If you’re planning to hang your own shingle, chances are you are doing it alone; according to Forbes, only 22 percent of small business owners have mentors when they start.

While we can’t deliver your own personal mentor, we can provide advice from people who have been there before: lawyers who left the security of established firms to create their own shops. From corporate to criminal, these legal entrepreneurs offer guidance on several aspects of legal entrepreneurship:

Start with inspiration. Scott Levine started AEGIS Law in St. Louis in 2003; the firm has grown to 40 lawyers practicing in the classics (litigation, real estate, corporate) as well as emerging aspects of the law (blockchain and crypto).

Scott said he was motivated by a clarity of purpose: “At that time, I was trying to bring my perspective, my energy, and my ambitions into the world. It was about what I thought I knew and what I believed I could contribute, even if I couldn’t fully articulate it to anyone else.”

Takeaway: Take some time to define the vision for your business. It’s energizing to design the kind of firm you want, and having a written plan will keep you from wasting time and resources on tactics that don’t support your vision.

This doesn’t need to be an 83-page binder; the EOS (Entrepreneur Operating System) has a two-page “Vision/Traction Organizer” that walks you through key aspects like:

• Core Focus
• Target Clients
• Key Differentiators
• Short- and Long-Term Goals and Projections

Stick to the plan. Michelle Marvel, who co-founded the personal injury firm Cannezzaro Marvel in 2022, said it’s not enough to define your focus; you must commit to it.

“Be selective about the cases you take,” she said. “It’s tempting to accept everything to keep referral sources happy, but taking on matters that aren’t a good fit can drain your time and attention from the clients who truly need your focus. The right cases will move your firm forward; the wrong ones will hold it back.”

Know your clients. Susie Jones co-founded Jones Robb, a patent boutique, in 2007. In the early days of her new firm, she was offered a secondment with one of her clients, an experience she said was invaluable to learning the client perspective. 

“Understand your clients beyond the work product and legal advice they are seeking,” she said. “There may be solutions in the way you deliver your product, or other things you can do for them that neither of you are considering.”

For those serving corporations, she said, efficiency is paramount: “In-house budgets are tight when it comes to using law firms, so it is important to ensure you can deliver your legal services efficiently and effectively. Learn about what those client needs are, leverage technology, and think through how processes can be streamlined.”

Takeaway: Sketch out a persona of your ideal client. What are their needs, motivations, hopes and fears? This will help you communicate with empathy instead of self-promotion, and as Susie said, brainstorm ways you can better serve (and keep) them.

For a straightforward process, you can download a persona template through the Digital Marketing Institute or explore their ChatGPT prompts to draft one with AI.

Communicate consistently. David Vogel launched Eischens Vogel Mediation Solutions, a mediation firm for employment law and business litigation, in 2021. He said he and his partner focused a lot of energy on the launch announcement, but in retrospect he would have had a longer-term plan to promote the firm to their networks.

“[We] probably should have developed a broader game plan on utilizing other forms of social media, like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, et cetera,” he said. “Once you get moving, it’s hard to circle back and use those resources, which seem to be great forms of free publicity.”

Balance smart investment and cost control. Justin Poplin, who created the IP boutique Avant Law in April 2020 before merging into AVEK IP, said he regretted not hiring faster: “We were overly conservative in hiring. If I could change something now, I would have added one more associate attorney at the beginning.”

At the same time, Tom Bath of Bath & Edmonds, a criminal defense firm created in 1997, advised new law firms to “control your costs. Keep things small, as necessary. Hard work and hustle are the keys to success.”

Takeaway: It’s worth the investment in a virtual CFO who can watch your profitability and advise on timing for new hires. This also frees you up to build the business (and to do your day job of practicing law).

Anticipate the worst. David, the former employment lawyer, brings this advice: “Although you and your colleagues are likely confident you will be business partners forever, you should prepare detailed documents regarding how difficult issues will be handled, from compensation and expense formulas to dispute resolution procedures, up to and including the path to dissolution. We’ve all just seen too many lawsuits where a friendly team planning a startup falls back on ‘That’s not going to happen’ or ‘We’ll figure it out.’”

Michael Foster, who co-founded Foster Wallace in 2018, agreed, advising startup firms to have a safety net – and “work harder than you expect.”

“If you work hard and get results, you’ll make it work, and you’ll be way happier than you were before you started your own firm and worked for someone else,” he said. “You just have to be prepared to work the long hours and do whatever it takes to succeed.”

If you’re thinking of hanging your own shingle in 2026, know there’s plenty of upside: A Clio survey shows that legal entrepreneurs are happier with their client relationships, their mental and emotional wellness, and their overall professional lives.

The Federal Bar Association, meanwhile, described the solo attorney as the “surprising outlier” to a “profession long plagued by burnout, stress, and mounting dissatisfaction,” citing data from ALPS Insurance:

• 74 percent of solo practitioners are satisfied (or very satisfied) with their current professional lives; only 9 percent are dissatisfied to any degree.
• 66 percent appreciate the flexibility of the gig, which contributes to “personal fulfillment and enjoyment.”

To be sure, this elevated state of entrepreneurship isn’t a given; it takes considerable work and, often, more than a bit of good luck. But aspiring law firm owners can set up for success with a few foundational steps early:

Before You Launch

Start with a simple business plan. This doesn’t have to be overly complicated; in fact, the simpler the better. But by taking the time to write down a simple framework for your business, you will be able to focus your time, energy and resources in your critical first year. 

• What is our basic positioning? (We do X for Y)
• Who is our ideal client?
• Why are we an ideal solution for them?
• Why are we a better choice than our peers?
• Where do we want to be in three to five years?

Don’t forget to make some eliminations here, too. As the saying goes, “The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do.” What cases and clients will you purposefully not accept? Where are you truly not a great option? (Think about building referral relationships here.)

Invest in a strong first impression. Your logo and website should give confidence to both you and your clients. This is becoming increasingly important with your younger clients, who are more likely to do their own research than rely on referrals. Indeed, Gen Z and Millennial clients care more about a lawyer’s website (49 percent and 48 percent, respectively) than Gen X and Boomers (34 percent and 21 percent, respectively).

I participated in a panel discussion with Missouri Lawyers Weekly, “From Attorney to Entrepreneur,” and one new legal entrepreneur said she decided to build a solid visual identity early because she wanted her clients to feel safe and secure despite choosing a brand new law firm. A clean, modern, professional – and mobile-friendly! – website signals that you are serious.

Beware the pitfalls that abound in the marketing arena:

• Avoid DIY design tools that may leave you not owning your firm’s mark.
• Similarly, make sure you own, not rent, your website and URL.
• Make sure your website vendor uses a common, accessible CMS like WordPress, so you are not hostage to a proprietary platform.

Determine what (and when) to delegate. You are an excellent lawyer, but owning a business carries a new set of demands, from invoicing to social media to fixing the dang printer. These administrative tasks pile up: According to Thomson Reuters, attorneys in small firms spend about 60 percent of their time practicing law, while solos spend just 55 percent of their time practicing law. 

The administrative burden of running a firm not only takes away from your billable time, it takes brain space and emotional energy. (And “winging it” can bring costly mistakes when it comes to your financial records and taxes.) Think about the business side of the firm, and start a list of the allies you may need. If your first call is to a virtual CFO or law firm financial planner, they can help you project when cash flow will allow you to hire additional experts.

After You Launch

Make sure people know how to find your firm. Your new law firm has no digital footprint. Set up your startup firm on Google Business and Bing Places for Business, or look at a service like Yext that can manage your business listings on a variety of platforms.

Meanwhile, make sure you capture people who may search for your name, not the firm’s; these may be referrals or old connections you missed in the outreach campaign. We want to make sure they find you at your new firm (and not call the old place). Updating your LinkedIn profile is a must; I recommend putting a press release about the firm launch on a search-engine-friendly distribution service like PRWeb.

Make direct outreach. Make a list of everyone you know. Mine your current email contacts, and download your LinkedIn connections. (Here’s how). Then sort them into groups:

• Hot Contacts: These can be people who match your ideal client profile right now (remember doing that above?) or people who are in direct contact with your ideal client profile. In short, these are the humans you know in the best position to give you business. (Make sure to mind solicitation guidelines if you are in a consumer-facing practice.)
• Warm Contacts: These are people who may enter your ideal client profile at some point, or people who are one or two degrees removed. For example, if you are typically hired by CEOs, this list could be vice presidents or department heads.
• Cold Contacts: These are the people you can’t imagine giving you business. Reach out to them anyway. You never know what they (or their network) are sitting on, and your new business will not suffer from more people knowing what you do.

After you sort them, reach out. My first day “open for business,” I emailed the hot contacts; the second day, the warm contacts; the third day, the cold contacts. Make these individual and personal. 

In your words, the email should convey:

“Here’s what I’m doing now.”

• Set the table, and make it straightforward. 
• I wanted to reach out to tell you I’ve started my own firm, Clark Kent & Associates.

“Keep me in mind for…”

• This is the most important part: It’s where you tell your network the kind of work you want to do and for whom you want to do it.
• Please keep me in mind for trademark prosecution or litigation involving consumer brands.

“Here’s why you can trust me.”

• Reinforce your credentials. Not all of your contacts are intimately familiar with your expertise, and even those that are could use a reminder.
• Over the past decade, I’ve managed trademark portfolios for companies in retail, hospitality, and the beauty industry. I’ve been recognized by World Trademark Review and Best Lawyers in America.

“Here’s why I’m doing this.”

• Share the passion that led you to start your own firm, and why working with you is better than the alternatives.
• I believe trademark clients are better served by a flat-fee model, and I’m excited to launch a firm with predictable pricing and no budget surprises.

“Here’s how to learn more…”

• Invite them to learn more, and thank them for their attention. This is where you can also insert some personalization (e.g., it was great to see you last month, hope the kids are well, how about those Chiefs).
• You can learn more about my new firm at [link]. Thank you for your consideration, and best wishes for the year ahead.

Focus your social media. There are myriad ways to publicize your new firm on social media, but remember, you have a firm to run now. It’s OK to not be on every platform; it’s far better to pick one strategic option and be consistent there.

LinkedIn is a natural fit for many new law firms, as your referral sources and business clients are already there. If your ideal client skews more toward young consumers, there are opportunities on Instagram and TikTok. (Although producing visually engaging, algorithm-pleasing content is more work than many expect.)

Think about where your clients are, and show up consistently there. (For other platforms, consider claiming your name/handle, and make a post showing where they can find you and your firm updates.)

Update your rankings and credentials. If you have been recognized by Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers, Benchmark Litigation, or so on, reach out and let them know about the new firm. This is increasingly important as AI tools like ChatGPT are shown to scour attorney ranking sites for their search output.

Have entrepreneur friends. Running your own business is hard. It’s freeing and affirming and often fun, but it’s also hard. According to Forbes, 50.2 percent of entrepreneurs struggle with anxiety; 45.8 percent deal with high stress; and 26.9 percent feel lonely or isolated.

It’s imperative to have friends who can relate – friends who understand the pressure of making payroll, friends who can celebrate the wins, and friends who can tell you how they fixed such-and-such. If you don’t have those people in your circle yet, explore your bar association’s Solo/Small Firm Section, or drop by a startup networking group in your community. (Or reach out to me, I’ve been there too.)

Let your network help you. Your friends and family will be excited for you (and they should be, starting a firm is a big deal!). You will get some questions along the lines of “How can we help?” Have some answers ready for your contacts who won’t necessarily be clients.

Some examples:

• Follow your new firm on social media;
• Share or comment on your announcement post; or
• Visit your website to show Google there’s interest. 

If your contacts are attorneys, they can endorse you on Avvo or Martindale. 

One final note: Everyone will want to buy you lunch when you have “just started out.” Those offers will dry up after a few months. Take the lunches.

LLMs are more likely to give positive portrayals of large, global brands, according to a worldwide study. What does that mean for law firms hoping to secure visibility in ChatGPT output?

In late 2024, the Association for Computational Linguistics completed a comprehensive study to see how LLMs would discuss various brands of shoes, clothing, beverages and electronics, based on where the queries originated. Across product categories, LLMs, and geographies, the experiments found a “clear pattern” of brand bias; that is, “LLMs associate global brands with positive attributes and local brands with negative ones, consistently across multiple models.”

As the research conclusion stated, this “could affect consumer behavior and brand perception,” as it “could exacerbate challenges for local brands competing in a global market.”

Law wasn’t among the topics tested, but with Big Law “infiltrating” secondary markets and opening offices in locations like Salt Lake City and Nashville, an increasing number of law firms find themselves competing with global players.

Using my own market of Kansas City, I ran my own experiment to see if the research would hold true regarding law firm visibility in LLMs. Simply put: Do the robots think bigger is always better?

The Parameters

My search: “Give me a short list of commercial litigation firms in Kansas City.”

My reasoning:

• Searching for “law firms” instead of “lawyers” would surface legal brands instead of individuals.
• Commercial litigation is a field with significant talent in both small and large firms; in addition to dozens of strong local boutiques, our market has significant representation from the AmLaw 100 (eight firms) and AmLaw 200 (seven firms).

I performed the search on five platforms:

• ChatGPT: Paid
• ChatGPT: Free
• Microsoft Copilot
• Gemini
• Google AI Overview

The Results

To determine whether an LLM favored large or small firms, I evaluated the size of law firms it recommended in its first three results (who reached the podium, if you will).

There was a clear Big Law bias on three of the five platforms:

• ChatGPT: Paid. Here, the top three results went to an AmLaw 200 firm based in Kansas City, an AmLaw 100 firm based in Kansas City, and a local midsize firm. Average size of podium firms: 517.
• ChatGPT: Free. The top three results went to an AmLaw 100 firm outpost, then two AmLaw 100 headquarters locations. Average size of podium firms: 1,117.
• Gemini. The first three: an AmLaw 200 firm headquartered in Kansas City, an AmLaw 100 firm outpost, and an AmLaw 100 firm headquartered in Kansas City. Average size of podium firms: 950.

Meanwhile, there was a small firm preference on two of the five:

• Microsoft Copilot. All of the five results from Copilot were local small firms, ranging in size from 1 to 17 lawyers. Average podium size: 4.
• Google AI Overview. This was the longest list of results, with 17 suggestions. Small firms dominated these results, taking the first 13 results; the top three spots went to firms ranging from 1 to 14 lawyers. Average podium size: 7.

Of note:

• ChatGPT models cited sources, including firm Wikipedia pages and Chambers rankings, that naturally favor Big Law. It’s another reminder of the renewed relevance of rankings in the AI era.
• Microsoft Copilot’s exclusive use of small firms is particularly interesting given the tool’s popularity in large law firms, where it is bundled alongside business-as-usual tools like Word and Outlook. Copilot is in use at giant firms like Husch Blackwell, DLA Piper, and Clifford Chance; if their attorneys use the tool to find local counsel, they may receive reputable solos and small firms instead of their Big Law peers.
• Not surprisingly, Google AI Overview was the platform most subject to listing firms with aggressive SEO tactics, including one law firm seemingly based in Oklahoma but with significant keyword work for Overland Park and Kansas City.

What It Means

In this (limited, informal and certainly not peer-reviewed) experiment, there was a Big Law bias, with three of the five LLMs (60 percent) recommending large firms over smaller ones.

The discrepancy is not overwhelming, though; even the LLMs that favored larger law firms also included smaller firms on the list. And as legal marketers learn more about how these models are trained to scout lawyers and law firms, we can develop strategies to increase any firm’s visibility.

The Tale of the Tape: LLMs That Love Big Law

LLM	Firms Recommended	Size Range	List Average Firm Size	Top 3 Average Firm Size
ChatGPT: Paid	5	2 to 1,000	313	517
Gemini	12	6 to 1,250	399	950
ChatGPT: Free	4	90 to 1,250	860	1,117

The Tale of the Tape: LLMs That Favor Small Firms

LLM	Firms Recommended	Size Range	List Average Firm Size	Top 3 Average Firm Size
Copilot	5	1 to 17	7	4
Google AI Overview	17	1 to 1,100	156	7

Let’s get it out of the way: Referrals still reign supreme when it comes to getting new clients. In the 2025 edition of Greentarget and Zeughauser Group’s survey of decision-makers, “recommendations from sources you trust” is the No. 1 method clients use to find new outside counsel, cited by 92 percent of in-house counsel and 86 percent of C-suite executives.

While referrals remain the dominant go-to method for your potential clients, they are also frustratingly finite: Your potential referrals are limited by your personal network. While the Pew Research Center estimates that most of us have about 634 ties in our overall networks, the number of relationships we can maintain for mutual benefit (i.e., I do your legal work, and you refer me to a friend) is 150.

So how can you attract clients outside your 150 ties? Let’s look at the other tactics your prospects turn to:

Publications and Presentations.

Writing and speaking take second place, with both in-house counsel and C-suite leaders, used by 78 percent and 74 percent, respectively. And for good reason: both provide the equivalent of free samples of your perspective and your approach – exactly why they would hire you. The influence of your writing and speaking is amplified when it is delivered through a publication, organization or event they highly trust.

Professional Biography.

If your law firm website was a store, the biography is your product description, showing potential clients your experience, background and – ideally – the benefits they can expect by hiring you. Bios are reviewed by 67 percent of in-house counsel and 74 percent of business leaders.

Related, your LinkedIn profile matters, too: It’s consulted by 62 percent of in-house lawyers and 74 percent of the C-suite.

Content.

While they lack the third-party endorsement of a major publication or trade organization newsletter, blog posts on topics that are relevant to their particular industry or issue are used by a majority of potential clients in the scouting process – 62 percent of in-house counsel and 57 percent of executives.

Peer-Driven Rankings and Directories.

Love them or hate them, accolades like Chambers, Benchmark, IP STARS and others still carry weight with more than half of your prospective clients – 56 percent of in-house lawyers and 62 percent of executives.

Quotes in Relevant Media Outlets.

Being quoted as an expert source helps with fewer than half (42 percent) of in-house lawyers, but earned media remains a popular way to reach business leaders, with 51 percent considering quotes in their attorney searches.

What’s not on the list?

Posts on X (formerly Twitter) took a precipitous drop in this edition of the survey, going from use by 48 percent of the C-suite to just 36 percent, and from 21 percent of in-house lawyers to just 13 percent.

Meanwhile, law firms should not be overly concerned with their Wikipedia pages, referred to by 24 percent of C-level executives and 13 percent of in-house lawyers.

What does this mean for you?

To reach potential clients outside your immediate network – and to bolster your standings among referrals who look you up – consider four activities:

1. Pursue writing and speaking opportunities with outlets that are relevant to your target clients. Think beyond bar events; what conferences or conventions do your prospects attend? Where do they speak or sponsor? What do they read? Some light Linkedin stalking can be very informative.
   Want to be a true authority in your priority industries or markets? Consider conducting a survey to position yourself as an authority with exclusive insights.
2. Update your firm biography. This website page may be the most powerful document in your marketing arsenal, capturing the attention of two out of three in-house counsel. Make it current and compelling, and make sure it provides evidence of your capabilities, not just claims.
3. Show your expertise through content. Publishing insights and analysis on your firm’s website gives you an owned media channel that can impress potential clients and draw additional traffic, expanding your network even more. Make it useful, current and concise.
4. Take a purposeful approach to awards and rankings. The Greentarget/Zeughauser report refers to these as “icing on the cake” for your prospects; they may not get you the work on their own, but they can serve as a third-party seal of approval in the consideration process. Survey your competition: Where are they ranked? Where can you unseat them? Are there any industry awards – e.g., the Widget Industry Lawyer of the Year – that could mean more to your clients than another lawyer-to-lawyer prize?

Choose one award you can either add or upgrade, and play to win.

In 2025, nearly half of attorneys and law firm marketers said that business development will be harder than in 2024, according to BTI Consulting – and that was before increased chatter about a possible recession. In this kind of environment, it’s dangerous to rely on passive referrals alone; improve your business development probabilities with marketing communications tactics that are shown to get the attention of the prospects who matter most.

With great apologies to Tolstoy, all dysfunctional law firm brands are dysfunctional in their own ways.

Maybe it’s the way that a Miami office gets tacked onto a Montana firm because two of the lawyers were friends. Maybe it’s a funky neon logo for a conservative firm best known for its 150-year heritage. Maybe it’s the bad habit of changing the color of the logo in every proposal to the prospect’s palette.

Given the human dynamics at play, yes, the specifics of legal brand dysfunction vary widely. But when examined at the macro level, we can see there are really three ways that law firms’ branding efforts flail:

One: The law firm is cast in the image of the creator.

Here, the entire “brand” is the biography of the most prominent partner, and the firm aims to coast on their laurels until they retire. (And maybe for a decent period thereafter.) While it’s true that clients often hire individual lawyers, not the law firm, if the firm intends to grow as a business, centering the entire identity around one person is dangerous.

First, it becomes exceptionally challenging to scale, especially when it comes to recruiting laterals: Not everyone will want to play a clear second fiddle to the founding partner.

Second, it can send a misleading message to the market that when clients call the firm, they will get to work with the named partner. If I call The Law Offices of Bruce Wayne, I may be miffed to learn my lawyer will be Dick Grayson.

Third, people are unpredictable and mortal things. They can decide to retire early. They can get sick. They can have personal or professional issues that expose the firm to great liability.

Instead of placing one person at the center of your identity, take a step back. What are the skills, traits and personality of that individual, and how can those be celebrated at the organization level? Why is this person hired by clients, and where else in the firm are those characteristics on display? How can this lead dog be an example of the brand instead of the brand itself?

Two: The law firm is a chameleon.

An old friend of mine used to joke that when people asked him what kind of lawyer he was, he’d respond with a smile: “What kind of lawyer do you need?”

The law firm version looks like this: In the pursuit of maximizing its client base (and revenue), the firm aims to be everything to everyone. Give us your corporate transactions, your lawsuits, your personal injury claims, your divorces, your DUIs, your patent filings yearning to breathe free…

This transcends logistics, like dozens of practice area descriptions, to the firm’s identity itself (or lack thereof). In 2024, I analyzed the “About Us” statements for the top 50 law firms. What points did they emphasize?

• Client focus: 100 percent
• Global presence: 90 percent
• Collaboration: 88 percent
• Excellence: 84 percent
• Social responsibility: 76 percent
• Longevity: 70 percent
• Innovation: 64 percent

So the majority of our top law firms are all client-centric, global, collaborative, committed to quality, socially responsible, old, and cutting-edge. BTI Consulting reports that the average corporate counsel receives an average of 22 pitches every month. How can yours stand out if you sound like everyone else?

The best legal brands are determined to be the best at providing specific services to a specific demographic – “We provide [services] to [audience]” – and disciplined at staying true to this positioning. This may cost some work in the short term, but lead to Gray Hair and Rocket Science expertise that commands premium rates and enduring client relationships.

As Taylor Swift would note, a friend to all is a friend to none. Get specific.

Three: The law firm puts style over substance.

The firm spends money on slick aesthetics and catchphrases but doesn’t dedicate the time, energy or courage to ensure there’s any “there” there.

This often manifests in a trendy, beautiful website that looks great but could represent any law firm in the country (an overlap with the chameleon concern) or makes bold promises the law firm won’t keep.

Do you promote your innovation but make me navigate a switchboard to reach you?

Do you tout a client-centric philosophy but make me wait days to hear back from you?

Does your website promise me experienced trial lawyers with decades of wins…but no evidence or examples of these victories?

Yes, your legal brand should be relevant to client wants and needs, and it should be bold enough to be ownable. But above all, it must be authentic, or you risk losing the trust of your clients and prospects. If you don’t tell me the truth about who you are, why should I believe you about anything?

There’s an added benefit to authenticity: In addition to establishing initial trust with your clients, on bad days it will help you recover from mistakes or missteps. A study published in the Journal of Business Research showed that high levels of brand authenticity – that is, clients believe your presentation – increase the likelihood of “brand forgiveness.”

Resist the urge to launch any snazzy branding without doing the hard work of determining who you are, what you stand for, and what you can meaningfully promise.

Law firm brands can be powerful catalysts for higher profitability and market share. In an environment where half of attorneys and legal marketers say business development is getting harder, it’s well worth the effort to ensure your brand rises above the common dysfunction.

Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, Chambers, Martindale: Law firm rankings have a new relevance as prospective clients increase their use of AI tools like ChatGPT.

Indeed, as Clio reports, more than one in three potential clients start their attorney searches online. What’s notable is how they are searching – or more specifically, where.

Google remains dominant, but it’s losing market share: A survey released this week showed that 78 percent of respondents say it is their first choice for searching, down from 80 percent in June; meanwhile, ChatGPT increased its standings from 1 percent in June to 5 percent in December.

It may be 5 percent now, but Google shouldn’t get comfortable: Gartner predicts that search engine volume will fall by 25 percent by 2026 due to generative AI solutions.

Given that 2026 is – shockingly – just a year away, it’s imperative that law firms understand how ChatGPT (and its compatriots) are delivering information to their potential clients. Let’s take a look.

Where We Started: ChatGPT A Year Ago

In November 2023, in an experiment on Medium, a ChatGPT user (and legal tech CEO) asked various platforms to find the best personal injury lawyers in Philadelphia. All were different:

• The free version of ChatGPT told him to do his own research.
• The paid version of ChatGPT gave a list of lawyers and law firms, all of which were recognized by Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers. Subsequent searches brought forth lawyers from Avvo and FindLaw, directories that allow clients to rate their attorneys.
• In a Google search, the “front-page” results were dominated by sponsored firms – firms that bought Google ads for the keyword in question.

As I wrote last year, this experiment showed that ChatGPT and its compatriots are being trained on lawyer rankings and client reviews. What about now?

Google vs. ChatGPT in 2024

I conducted my own experiment in December 2024. Because personal injury is so contentiously competitive in both paid and organic search, I went for a more B2B approach: “commercial litigation lawyers in Cleveland.” (This is also a market where I have no clients or vested interest.)

From the free version of ChatGPT:
“Help me find commercial litigation lawyers in Cleveland. Please include your source.”

1. Squire Patton Boggs
2. Thompson Hine
3. Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff
4. BakerHostetler

It’s a safe list, to be sure; all are AmLaw stalwarts, and three of the four are headquartered in Cleveland. As for sourcing, ChatGPT told me: “The sourcing for the list of commercial litigation lawyers in Cleveland was primarily based on a combination of law firm websites, legal directories such as Martindale-Hubbell, and local business journals that cover legal industry news and rankings. These sources provide insights into the firms’ areas of expertise, professional accolades, and client reviews, ensuring the recommendations are relevant and reliable.”

When pressed further, ChatGPT said the “local business journals” referred to Crain’s Cleveland Business, where the first firm on the list, Squire Patton Boggs, has been included in eight articles this year.

Key takeaways: Free ChatGPT may favor big firms that are more likely to have larger body counts on sites like Martindale; here, for instance, Squire Patton Boggs has 113 attorneys in Cleveland.

Moreover, earned media matters – and may be a more feasible tactic than adding 100 lawyers.

From the paid version of ChatGPT:

“Help me find commercial litigation lawyers in Cleveland. Please include your source.”

Interestingly, there was no overlap between the list supplied by the free version and the paid version of ChatGPT. The paid version supplied 10 firms, nine of which were attributed to attorney rankings:

1. Hahn Loeser & Parks (Best Lawyers)
2. Frantz Ward (Best Lawyers)
3. Taft Stettinius & Hollister (Best Lawyers)
4. Buckley King (Best Lawyers)
5. Garson Johnson (Garson Johnson)
6. Sutter O’Connell Co. (Lawyers.com)
7. The Chandra Law Firm (Super Lawyers)
8. Jeckering & Associates (Super Lawyers)
9. Ritzer, Coughlin & Paglia Ltd. (Super Lawyers)
10. Cavell Law, LLC (Super Lawyers)

This confirms the 2023 experiment’s hypothesis that the paid version is being trained on rankings and credentials. With the exception of Taft, this list is skewed toward small and midsize firms, ranging from 1 lawyer (Cavell Law) to 130 (Hahn Loeser & Parks).

Key takeaways: Best Lawyers supplied the top four spots on the list. While Best Lawyers rankings are dependent on peer rankings, law firms (and their marketers) should stay vigilant about nominating their qualified lawyers.

As for the firm names supplied by Super Lawyers, I have no firsthand knowledge of these firms or their marketing plans, but at a glance it appears that all four have a paid profile for at least one lawyer. This merits more investigation, but there could be a new argument for investing in Super Lawyers positioning.

From Google:

“commercial litigation lawyers in Cleveland”

The third search method produced yet another list of firms with no repeats from the Chat GPT lists:

1. Axiom Law (sponsored)
2. Super Lawyers
3. Calfee, Halter & Griswold
4. Dworken and Bernstein
5. Best Lawyers
6. Gertsburg Licata
7. Shumaker

The only overlap: Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers.

Google stays true to its algorithm, delivering first a paid ad. The list includes two sites with high domain authority – Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers – as well as a number of firms with high relevance for the location-based query:

• Calfee, Halter & Griswold has an Ohio-specific positioning: “From our offices in Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, we provide comprehensive and efficient legal and government relations services.” Its commitment to the Buckeye State is evidenced by its 100-page e-book, Guide to Doing Business in Ohio.
• Dworken & Bernstein, “serving all of Northeast Ohio,” has a commercial litigation landing page that adheres to many SEO best practices, including the use of questions and key phrases.
• Gertsburg Licata – “Headquartered in Cleveland. Serving the Globe” – may appeal to the Google algorithm’s rumored “freshness factor” with blog posts like “What Every Business Owner and CEO Should Do Before December 31.”

Key takeaway: It’s little surprise, but classic SEO techniques reign supreme in Google searches. Given that Google still controls 78 percent of the search market, law firms that value search traffic should continue working to appeal to the algorithm.

What to Do Now

While this is a limited experiment in a wildly evolving landscape, there are a few actions for legal marketers to take:

• Start by running your own experiments. How does your firm appear in logical, likely-to-actually-be-used queries on AI platforms? If you are not ranking where you believe you should, start identifying the factors that may be working against you. (Don’t be afraid to ask the robots to show their math.)
• Refer to strategy. Before making any adjustments to your marketing mix, make sure you’re working purposefully. Who is your ideal client? Are you focusing on local prospects or national companies who happen to have local needs? Are they likely to be using Google or ChatGPT? (More than 56 percent of ChatGPT users are 18 to 34 years old; only 5 percent are older than 65, according to DemandSage.)
• Reconsider directories and rankings. There’s no denying that rankings factor into the fastest-growing search method – and the one used by nearly half of Gen Z. The free version of ChatGPT referred to rankings for nine out of 10 recommendations in our scenario, while the paid version consulted Martindale-Hubbell. Again, run your own experiments, but take a close look at your competitors’ ranking strategies (and use of paid or premium profiles) as they relate to the results.

There’s an old marketing adage that it’s not what you know; it’s who knows what you know. In this brave new world, law firms must work to ensure ChatGPT can find them – and in a funny twist of fate, that may mean reinvesting in some old-school tactics.