From the desk
Original writing on AI search, generative engine optimization, and law-firm marketing — by Shawn Lai. Each piece grounded in observed evidence, not opinion. New articles publish as the methodology produces them.
Latest articles
How AI-generated content can quietly cross state-bar advertising-rule lines, why generalist GEO agencies don't catch the violations, and the practitioner checklist for catching them before they ship.
The retrieval architecture in plain language, the five signals that actually move citation rates for legal queries, and what everyone fixates on that doesn't.
ForthcomingA quantitative study of 200 California firms across 4 AI engines, 60 days, 50 buyer-intent prompts. Pre-registered methodology, publishable either way. Q3 2026.
Avvo, Justia, JD Supra, Google Business Profile, and state/local bar. Five citation sources AI engines disproportionately pull from for legal queries — ranked by leverage, with operational checklists.
The most-referenced and least-quoted document in legal-vertical AI marketing. The guidance is more specific than the industry's general interpretation suggests — and the compliance work that protects the firm also lifts its AI-search citation rate.
ForthcomingMost marketing optimizes what AI engines display. The smarter work optimizes what they retrieve. Entity consolidation is the single highest-correlation signal for AI citation rate — and the work most agencies don't do because it's invisible to traditional SEO dashboards.
Cornerstone asset
A complete operating manual for getting your law firm cited by AI search. Six chapters covering the buyer's AI-search journey, the citation source map by practice area, the VERDICT methodology in practice, the measurement layer, and quarterly playbooks. Free to download.
Cornerstone asset
Six-chapter PDF + companion playbook for each major practice area. Currently in v1; v2 ships Q3 2026.
Ready when you are
Free AI Visibility Audit. 60 seconds. See your citation gap before your competitors do.