The launch of ChatGPT Search in October 2024 fundamentally changed how the platform processes local business queries, including searches for attorneys.
When someone asks ChatGPT to recommend a personal injury lawyer in their city or find the best criminal defense attorney nearby, the system no longer relies solely on its training data. It now searches the web in real time, evaluates multiple sources, and synthesizes recommendations on the spot. For law firms, this represents both a significant opportunity and a new optimization challenge.
Understanding exactly how ChatGPT Search works is essential for any firm that wants to appear in these AI-generated recommendations.
The Technical Reality Behind ChatGPT Search
ChatGPT Search, which rolled out first to Plus subscribers and is now available to all logged-in users, operates very differently from the static ChatGPT model most people became familiar with in 2023. The system can now access current web content to support its answers, either triggering automatically based on the query type or when users manually enable the search function.
What makes this particularly interesting for local search is that ChatGPT draws from two distinct data sources. The first is OpenAI’s own web crawler, called OAI-Searchbot, which builds a proprietary index of the web. The second is Bing’s search index, which provides supplemental data. According to research from BrightLocal published in November 2024, the system uses a variety of search technologies and pulls from both sources simultaneously.
Perhaps most significantly for law firms, ChatGPT Search now accesses Google and Google Maps review information. This is a major departure from earlier limitations and means that your firm’s Google reviews are likely influencing AI recommendations even though the data isn’t coming directly through Google Business Profile.
How ChatGPT Actually Processes Attorney Searches
When a potential client asks ChatGPT Search for local attorney recommendations, the system follows a multi-step evaluation process. First, it scans roughly the first 20 to 30 results from its combined index. From there, it identifies what it considers the most promising sources, which typically include law firm websites, legal directories, review aggregators, and local guides.
The system then performs a deeper analysis of approximately 5 to 8 of these sources before applying a selection filter to choose 3 to 5 sources for its final recommendation. The criteria for this final selection include whether the information is verifiable, whether the content is freely accessible rather than paywalled, and whether ratings and reviews are clearly presented.
BrightLocal’s study of 800 queries revealed some important patterns in source prioritization. Business websites, meaning direct law firm websites in our context, accounted for 58% of cited sources. Review platforms like Yelp also featured prominently, along with local news and media outlets, city guides and “best of” lists, chambers of commerce, and industry-specific directories like Avvo and Martindale-Hubbell.
Most notably, ChatGPT Search largely ignores forums like Reddit and Quora for local business queries, despite Google’s well-publicized partnership with Reddit. It also bypasses paywalled content and sources without clear attribution. This means your firm’s owned media and presence on established legal directories carry significant weight.
The December 2024 Map Integration
In December 2024, OpenAI added native maps integration to ChatGPT Search. For local attorney searches, this means users now see a map view with firm locations, the ability to toggle between list and map views, and clickable business cards that display phone numbers and website links.
Reviews are not yet displayed within this interface, but industry observers expect this feature to arrive soon. When it does, the connection between your firm’s online reputation and AI visibility will become even more direct.
What This Means for Your Firm’s Visibility
The introduction of ChatGPT Search with real-time web access changes the strategic calculus for law firm marketing in several important ways.
Your website matters more than ever. With 58% of ChatGPT Search citations coming from business websites, your firm’s site is likely your single most important asset for AI visibility. The content, structure, and technical implementation of your website directly influence whether ChatGPT recommends you.
You’re no longer dependent solely on Bing. Because ChatGPT maintains its own index through the OAI-Searchbot crawler, firms have another pathway to visibility beyond traditional search engines. This is particularly relevant for firms that have historically struggled with Bing rankings.
Google reviews are influencing AI recommendations. Even though ChatGPT isn’t pulling directly from Google Business Profile, it is accessing Google review data. Your investment in building a strong review profile on Google is now paying dividends across multiple platforms.
Current information has an advantage. Because ChatGPT Search retrieves information in real time, firms with frequently updated websites and current content have an edge over competitors with stale online presences.
Strategic Adjustments for ChatGPT Visibility
Ensure ChatGPT can crawl your site. The OAI-Searchbot crawler operates independently from Google and Bing’s crawlers. Check your robots.txt file to confirm you’re not inadvertently blocking it. This is a separate configuration from your existing search engine settings and is easy to overlook.
Prioritize structured data. ChatGPT Search looks for easily parseable business information. Implementing schema markup for LocalBusiness, Attorney, LegalService, reviews, hours, and services helps the system understand and accurately represent your firm. Clear NAP data (name, address, phone) should appear consistently on every relevant page.
Create content that mirrors natural language queries. Users interact with ChatGPT conversationally, asking questions like “What should I look for in a divorce attorney?” or “How much does a DUI lawyer cost in Phoenix?” Your content strategy should include highly specific question-answering content that reflects how people actually phrase their legal questions.
Understand the visibility threshold. Your firm needs to appear somewhere in the first 20 to 30 results of both Bing and ChatGPT’s own index to have a realistic chance of being recommended. This requires a broader visibility strategy than focusing exclusively on Google rankings.
Build credibility signals across trusted sources. ChatGPT Search prioritizes sources it considers trustworthy, including editorial sites, established directories, and verifiable review platforms. Getting featured in local news coverage, city guides, bar association directories, and chamber of commerce listings matters more in this context than it might for traditional SEO.
Maintain consistency across platforms. Because ChatGPT Search pulls from various sources, your firm needs a consistent and accurate presence across your own website, review platforms like Yelp and Google, legal directories like Avvo and Martindale-Hubbell, local news and media sites, and city guides. Inconsistent information across these sources can undermine your visibility and the system’s confidence in recommending you.
Testing Your Firm’s ChatGPT Visibility
The most direct way to understand your current position is manual testing. Run actual ChatGPT Search queries that your potential clients might use, such as “best personal injury lawyer in [your city]” or “top-rated criminal defense attorney near [location].” Note which competitors appear and pay close attention to which sources ChatGPT cites by clicking the Sources button to see the full citation list.
This manual testing will help you identify gaps in your digital footprint. If competitors are being cited from sources where your firm has no presence, you’ve found an actionable opportunity. For firms wanting to scale this analysis, tools like Local Falcon offer ChatGPT visibility scans that can automate the process across multiple practice areas and locations.
The fundamental insight is this: ChatGPT Search with real-time web access has changed the game compared to the older static training data model. Law firms now need optimization across multiple indexes, including Google, Bing, and ChatGPT’s OAI-Searchbot, with particular emphasis on structured, trustworthy, and publicly accessible content.
The Competitive Window
Most law firms have not yet adjusted their digital marketing strategies to account for ChatGPT Search. They continue optimizing primarily for Google, unaware that a growing segment of potential clients are now finding attorneys through AI-powered answer engines.
This creates a window of opportunity. Firms that understand how ChatGPT Search works and optimize accordingly can establish visibility in this channel before their competitors realize what’s happening. The technical requirements, including crawler access, structured data, and cross-platform consistency, are not especially complex. They simply require awareness and intentional execution.
As AI-powered search becomes an increasingly common way for people to find legal help, the firms that moved early will have a meaningful head start.
Want to understand how your firm currently appears in ChatGPT Search results?
Esquire Digital can conduct a comprehensive visibility audit and develop an optimization strategy tailored to your practice areas and markets. Contact us to learn more about positioning your firm for the AI-powered future of legal search.
