AI isn’t rewarding the firms who’ve adapted fastest. It’s rewarding the firms who’ve been doing the right things the longest.
Recent research by US digital marketing agency Splat has identified something crucial: The firms appearing most often aren’t the early AI adopters. They’re the ones who’ve spent years earning recognition from the legal directories that matter: Chambers. Legal 500. Best Lawyers. So if you’re asking “how do I rank in AI?”, you’re asking the wrong question. The better one is: “how do I build the kind of authority AI platforms recognise?” And that question has the same answer it’s always had: invest in your legal directory submissions.
But not all platforms measure the same things, and that matters.
Perplexity is retrieval-first. ChatGPT favours historical depth in publications like Chambers and Lawdragon. Google AI Overviews rewards SEO and review volume. Take Holland & Hart, for example. In Boise, Chambers Band 1) the firm ranked first for estate planning on Perplexity and ChatGPT. On Google AI Overviews, it didn\’t appear at all.
Where you practice shapes your strategy too. In New York or Chicago, directory standing is everything and your website counts for very little. In mid-sized markets, local press and regional publications start to carry real weight. In smaller markets, your website can do the heavy lifting entirely. A clear, well-structured site with strong practice area pages and solid attorney bios carries genuine influence in Boise in a way it never would in Chicago.
Google AI Overviews is also worth calling out separately. It’s the platform most clients encounter first, appearing automatically at the top of search results. For consumer-facing practices, it behaves more like a local search engine than a legal directory. Strong SEO and reviews win here, credentials don\’t always.
You can’t control your directory ranking overnight. But you can start the submission process, build local editorial presence, and get your website in shape. Where are you currently focusing? And do you want to talk to some expert copywriters that understand both directories and how to write amazing law firm websites for the AI age?
