Trust, Relevance, and AI: What Corporate Counsel Want from Law Firm Thought Leadership

You are the audience law firms write for, but is their thought leadership giving you what you need? Your answers will directly shape how law firms create more relevant, valuable content to support your work and decision-making. Please add your perspective to the mix:

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* 1. What is your job role?

Chief Legal Officer or General Counsel

Chief Compliance Officer

In-House Corporate Counsel

Legal Operations

Small Business Owner

C-Suite: CEO, CFO, other role

None of the above

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* 2. Which of the following best describes the industry of your organization?

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* 3. What is your company size?

Small (1-500 employees)

Medium (501-5,000 employees)

Large (5,001+ employees)

Fortune 100

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* 4. What is your country of residence?

United States

United Kingdom

Other (please specify)

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* 5. How often do you engage with legal thought leadership content from law firms (e.g., articles, alerts, podcasts)?

Daily

Weekly

Monthly

Occasionally

Rarely / Never

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* 6. How much time do you spend seeking and/or consuming thought leadership content weekly across ALL formats (e.g. blog posts, social media, podcasts, videos, publications, etc.)?

0-5 hours per week

5-10 hours per week

10-15 hours per week

More than 15 hours per week

I never seek out or consume thought leadership content

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* 7. Which scenarios most compel you to consume and engage with law firm thought leadership? (Select up to 3)

Ongoing communications from current outside counsel

Vetting of potential counsel/legal providers

Alerts and legal analysis around breaking news

Need for industry insights and updates

Answers to specific legal questions as they come up

The title jumped out at me, was curious to learn more

Ongoing strategic guidance directly related to my business

Other (please specify)

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* 8. What challenges do you most often encounter when engaging with law firm thought leadership content? (Select all that apply)

Legalese, which can't be shared with executives/leadership in other roles

Information overload: too much to read, too little time

Too much text, not enough multimedia (e.g., podcasts, videos, etc.)

Too much content is behind registration walls/paywalls

Too much legal theory, not enough action items/next steps

Content created by generative AI

The key takeaways are buried/too long and unfocused on my specific needs and questions

Other (please specify)

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* 9. When you find valuable thought leadership content that resonates, what is the behavior that best describes how you found it? Select all that apply.

Clicking through an advertisement

Receiving a direct email or message from my outside counsel

Receiving outside counsel email newsletter currently subscribed to

Listening to podcasts

Attending webinars

Google search

Receiving a link forwarded from a colleague

Reading via legal media (Law360, Bloomberg Law, Law.com, JD Supra, CCBJ, etc.)

Receiving third-party email newsletter currently subscribed to

Searching for answers on an AI agent (ChatGPT, Claude, etc.)

LinkedIn newsletter or posts in feed

Other (please specify)

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* 10. When you engage with legal thought leadership content, whose insights are you typically seeking? (Select all that apply)

New firms I haven't yet worked with

Firms I've worked with before

I don't pay attention to authorship when initially seeking out content

My current outside counsel

Well-known experts in a specific field

I'm not seeking anyone's insights, I'm just looking for answers

Other (please specify)

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* 11. What makes a piece of legal thought leadership content valuable to you? (Choose your top 3)

It's backed by data

It offers unique insight or a point of view

It covers a new or emerging issue I wasn't yet tracking

It explains how the issue affects my company/industry

It includes practical examples that share war stories, personal experience, or case studies that I can learn from

It's short and to the point

It helps me assess legal risk or compliance

It provides actionable takeaways

Other (please specify)

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* 12. In your experience, does law firm thought leadership content help you:
(Select all that apply)

Stay up to date on legal and regulatory changes

Identify firms with expertise in a niche area

Validate or double-check information

Decide whom to reach out to for outside counsel

Develop new strategies or approaches to your work

I rarely engage with law firm thought leadership content

Other (please specify)

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* 13. What frustrates you most in law firm thought leadership content? (Select all that apply)

Too long or unfocused

Too much legalese

Feels self-promotional

Repeats what I've already seen elsewhere

Doesn't answer my question quickly; or if it does answer my question, they're too hard to find

Doesn't apply to my industry

Unclear what I should do with the information

Other (please specify)

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* 14. What builds trust when you read thought leadership content from a law firm or lawyer?
(Choose your top 2)

Clarity of insight and writing

Tone (e.g., approachable, academic)

Transparency (e.g., citing sources, acknowledging complexity)

Consistency (I see this author/firm's insights often)

Depth of knowledge about my sector

Other (please specify)

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* 15. Please rank your perceived trust of content on a scale of 1-5 (5 being least trusted; 1 being most trusted)

Vendor / legal service provider content

N/A

Legal industry publications (e.g, Law.com, Bloomberg Law, Law360, JD Supra, CCBJ, etc.)

N/A

Law firm self-published content

N/A

Social media such as X, BlueSky, or Meta

N/A

LinkedIn newsletters, articles

N/A

National business publications (e.g., WSJ, Forbes, etc.)

N/A

Industry association publications or newsletters (e.g., ACC, ILTA, CLOC, LMA, ABA, etc.)

N/A

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* 16. Which formats do you prefer when engaging with legal thought leadership content? (Select all that apply)

Webinars or CLEs

In-person presentations or events

Infographics or visual explainers

Longer-form white papers or reports

Podcasts

Social media posts, carousels, etc.

Client alerts or blog posts

Videos

Other (please specify)

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* 17. How likely are you to submit your personal or professional information to access “gated content”? (i.e., access content that requires a form submission or registration page to be completed first)

Always do, it doesn’t bother me

Very likely to if it resonates with me / is high value

Sometimes

Never

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* 18. If you find a law firm’s thought leadership content especially helpful, what are you most likely to do next? (Select all that apply)

Nothing — I just move on

Add the firm to a shortlist for future matters

Subscribe to more updates from that author/firm (e.g., LinkedIn, JD Supra, etc.)

Reach out to the firm with a question or follow-up

Save it for future reference

Follow the author or firm (on social media)

Forward it to colleagues

Other (please specify)

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* 19. Have you ever hired or added a new law firm to your consideration set because of their thought leadership content?

Yes

Not directly, but their content helped them stand out

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* 20. Which of the following most helps deepen your trust in a firm’s capabilities? (Select all that apply)

Regular presence in trusted platforms

Awards & Rankings

Meaningful, relevant thought leadership

Speaking at relevant events

Case studies or real-world examples

Recommendations from peers

Other (please specify)

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* 21. How do you feel about law firm thought leadership content generated (in part) by AI?

I’m skeptical of AI-generated legal content

I’m fine with AI-supported content if it’s clearly disclosed

I prefer content written entirely by humans

I have no strong preference

I can tell if it is AI-generated and that’s an immediate “no”

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* 22. When you use a generative AI tool (e.g., ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini) to answer a legal or business question, what do you typically do with the response?
(Select all that apply)

Scan citations/sources provided by the AI

Verify the information through a Google search

Click through to the source materials

Use the answer as a starting point for deeper research

I don’t use AI for legal/business questions

Take the answer at face value and move on

Forward the AI-generated summary to a colleague

Other (please specify)

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* 23. When finding content on AI agents, how often do you check the source of what you’re reading?

Always

Usually

Sometimes

Rarely

Never used AI to seek out information

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* 24. Do you trust AI search results?

Absolutely

Increasingly yes

No, I always visit the sources for answers

Never used AI to seek out information

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* 25. Have you ever visited a law firm website or author profile after seeing their thought leadership content referenced in an AI-generated response?

Yes, multiple times

Yes, once or twice

No, but I would if something caught my interest

No, I’ve never thought to do that

I don’t use AI tools for research

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* 26. If a generative AI tool like ChatGPT recommended a firm’s legal alert or blog post as part of its answer, would you be more likely to trust the firm’s expertise?

Yes, that would positively influence my perception

Maybe — I’d want to evaluate the source further

No — AI inclusion doesn’t influence my trust

I’m not sure

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* 27. What matters most when deciding whether to trust a legal article or alert you’ve discovered online or through generative AI? (Select up to 3)

Direct answers to my specific concern

The law firm’s reputation

Recent publication date

Clear structure and easy readability

Data or case examples cited

The author’s credentials or biography

Other (please specify)

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* 28. Are you more likely to engage with content recommended via search engines results (Google, Bing, etc.) or via generative AI response (ChatGPT, etc.)?

Source appeared high in Google search results

Source appeared in AI-generated response

Trust, Relevance, and AI: What Corporate Counsel Want from Law Firm Thought Leadership

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* 1. What is your job role?

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* 2. Which of the following best describes the industry of your organization?

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* 3. What is your company size?

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* 4. What is your country of residence?

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* 5. How often do you engage with legal thought leadership content from law firms (e.g., articles, alerts, podcasts)?

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* 6. How much time do you spend seeking and/or consuming thought leadership content weekly across ALL formats (e.g. blog posts, social media, podcasts, videos, publications, etc.)?

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* 7. Which scenarios most compel you to consume and engage with law firm thought leadership? (Select up to 3)

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* 8. What challenges do you most often encounter when engaging with law firm thought leadership content? (Select all that apply)

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* 9. When you find valuable thought leadership content that resonates, what is the behavior that best describes how you found it? Select all that apply.

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* 10. When you engage with legal thought leadership content, whose insights are you typically seeking? (Select all that apply)

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* 11. What makes a piece of legal thought leadership content valuable to you? (Choose your top 3)

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* 12. In your experience, does law firm thought leadership content help you:(Select all that apply)

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* 13. What frustrates you most in law firm thought leadership content? (Select all that apply)

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* 14. What builds trust when you read thought leadership content from a law firm or lawyer?(Choose your top 2)

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* 15. Please rank your perceived trust of content on a scale of 1-5 (5 being least trusted; 1 being most trusted)

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* 16. Which formats do you prefer when engaging with legal thought leadership content? (Select all that apply)

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* 17. How likely are you to submit your personal or professional information to access “gated content”? (i.e., access content that requires a form submission or registration page to be completed first)

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* 18. If you find a law firm’s thought leadership content especially helpful, what are you most likely to do next? (Select all that apply)

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* 19. Have you ever hired or added a new law firm to your consideration set because of their thought leadership content?

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* 20. Which of the following most helps deepen your trust in a firm’s capabilities? (Select all that apply)

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* 21. How do you feel about law firm thought leadership content generated (in part) by AI?

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* 22. When you use a generative AI tool (e.g., ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini) to answer a legal or business question, what do you typically do with the response?(Select all that apply)

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* 23. When finding content on AI agents, how often do you check the source of what you’re reading?

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* 24. Do you trust AI search results?

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* 25. Have you ever visited a law firm website or author profile after seeing their thought leadership content referenced in an AI-generated response?

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* 26. If a generative AI tool like ChatGPT recommended a firm’s legal alert or blog post as part of its answer, would you be more likely to trust the firm’s expertise?

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* 27. What matters most when deciding whether to trust a legal article or alert you’ve discovered online or through generative AI? (Select up to 3)

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* 28. Are you more likely to engage with content recommended via search engines results (Google, Bing, etc.) or via generative AI response (ChatGPT, etc.)?

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* 29. Is there anything you'd like to share with law firm leaders to better influence the thought leadership content that they generate?

* 12. In your experience, does law firm thought leadership content help you:
(Select all that apply)

* 14. What builds trust when you read thought leadership content from a law firm or lawyer?
(Choose your top 2)

* 22. When you use a generative AI tool (e.g., ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini) to answer a legal or business question, what do you typically do with the response?
(Select all that apply)