New Study Will Reveal What Corporate Counsel Really Want From Law Firm Content
NEW YORK – July 14, 2025 — As generative AI reshapes how legal information is discovered and evaluated, LIMELIGHT, a leading strategic communications agency for the legal industry, is partnering with JD Supra to launch a new research initiative: Trust, Relevance, and AI: What Corporate Counsel Want from Law Firm Thought Leadership.
The study, now in the field, seeks to uncover how general counsel and senior in-house legal leaders engage with law firm content, how AI is changing those behaviors, and what makes thought leadership credible, or instantly ignorable.
“We’re living through a pivotal shift in how legal expertise is discovered, evaluated, and trusted,” said Kenny Gary, CEO and founding partner at LIMELIGHT. “Law firm content is no longer just about SEO. It’s about earning trust, being AI-visible, and driving real business outcomes.”
The research explores four key areas:
- Engagement habits: What formats in-house legal teams prefer—and how frequently they engage
- Trust signals: What builds or erodes credibility in authorship and insight
- Content value drivers: What makes content actionable and share-worthy
- AI’s role: How tools like ChatGPT are influencing legal research and vendor selection
AI Is Reshaping the Buyer Journey
According to a 2024 LexisNexis report, nearly half of in-house legal teams have experimented with generative AI, and 25% are using it regularly to research legal topics. That means content discoverable and favored by AI platforms may soon carry as much weight as Google rankings.
“This study is about understanding the evolving expectations of legal buyers,” said Adrian Lurssen, Co-Founder and VP of Strategic Development at JD Supra. “Firms need to consider how AI and content saturation are influencing trust and decision-making. We’re gathering data to help them do just that.”
Credibility Is the New Currency
With inboxes overflowing and content fatigue rising, legal decision-makers are increasingly selective. LIMELIGHT’s initiative follows new findings from Edelman and LinkedIn that show 70% of C-suite executives have questioned continuing a vendor relationship based on poor thought leadership.
“In today’s market, your content is the first meeting—not a follow-up,” added Erin Harrison, chief client officer and founding partner at LIMELIGHT. “Firms need to build credibility from the first click, not just the first conversation.”
About LIMELIGHT
With nearly 25 years of experience working inside and across professional services, technology and financial services companies, LIMELIGHT advises law firms, legal service providers, financial institutions and the technology companies that fuel them – including legaltech, fintech, regtech, and insurtech. LIMELIGHT offers a full range of lifecycle marketing and communications services, including strategic planning, media relations, crisis communications, content creation, surveys, paid and organic digital and social media marketing, event planning and logistics, and video production. Learn more at www.limelightgrowth.com.
About JD Supra
JD Supra delivers thought leadership and content distribution for the legal and professional services industries, helping firms reach in-house counsel and business leaders with targeted, high-impact insights. Learn more at www.jdsupra.com.
Media Contact:
Erin Harrison
LIMELIGHT
erin@limelightgrowth.com