Best Lawyers CEO: When AI Fails, Credible Legal Rankings Win

As AI search engines grapple with hallucinations and unreliable information, people (and AI systems themselves) are doubling down on trusted "sources of truth" like peer-reviewed rankings to deliver accurate recommendations. In this episode of "Spill the Ink," Phil Greer, CEO of Best Lawyers, explains how law firms can use legal directories like Best Lawyers to position themselves as the trusted service providers. Phil also shares how Best Lawyers proactively rebuilt their data infrastructure to feed AI systems, introduced their proprietary tool Smithy AI to help lawyers create unique, AI-optimized content, and why he believes participating in established peer-review rankings should be "part of your roadmap every year."

Here's a Glimpse of What You'll Learn

• Why and how AI is fundamentally changing how clients find lawyers

• How AI has made legal rankings more valuable, not less

• Why brand credibility is now a survival issue, and what Phil means when he says "your company will live and die by it."

• How Best Lawyers restructured its data to feed AI systems

• How to evaluate which legal directories actually deserve your investment

• What Smithy AI is and how it helps lawyers stand out

• Whether AI threatens the integrity of peer-review rankings

• How to reframe ROI on rankings and brand

About Our Featured Guest

Phillip Greer has driven the continual evolution of Best Lawyers® since joining in 2005, becoming president in 2013 and CEO in 2018. By tapping into his training as an engineer, he created the company's first content management system, taking the company and its products, as he says, "from analog to digital."

Through the years, he has led international expansion strategies that ensure lawyers around the world receive the recognition they deserve through various Best Lawyers offerings. His proudest achievement is in the consistency of the products and the Best Lawyers peer-review methodology.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Check out Best Lawyers

• Follow Best Lawyers on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram

• Connect with Phil Greer on LinkedIn

• Say hello to Michelle Calcote King on LinkedIn

Sponsor for This Episode

This episode is brought to you by Reputation Ink.

Founded by Michelle Calcote King, Reputation Ink is a marketing and public relations agency that serves B2B professional services firms of all shapes and sizes across the United States, including corporate law firms and architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) firms.

Reputation Ink understands how sophisticated corporate buyers find and select professional services firms. For more than a decade, they have helped firms grow through thought leadership-fueled strategies, including public relations, content marketing, video marketing, social media, podcasting, marketing strategy services, creative services and more.

To learn more, visit www.rep-ink.com or email them at [e-mail] today.