Legal + Tech at ABA TECHSHOW 2026

Last week we spent the day at ABA TECHSHOW in Chicago, with over 100 exhibitors showcasing the latest in technology for the legal community, which included countless companies leveraging the latest in AI to bring innovation to law firms. Oh, and there were puppies! (The Clio Puppy Lounge was packed because who doesn’t love a puppy snuggle?!)

One of the sessions we attended was ‘Fire Your Marketing Agency: How AI is Doing It Better for Less.’ The title of the session obviously piqued our interest; while Marketing and PR are not synonymous, they are complementary and our curiosity around how AI could do what we do better led us to grab a seat.

For the legal profession, ranking across SEO and GEO is incredibly important. When someone is searching for a lawyer, it’s typically because they need one now. They don’t have time to sort through hundreds of options. And now, more consumers are shifting from a traditional Google search with keywords such as “divorce attorney in my city” to a more robust search on AI platforms like ChatGPT or Gemini like they’re asking a friend.

However, showing up on these platforms takes more than just keeping your website updated. Media footprints are directly impacting how AI platforms are describing and recommending companies, including someone asking for an attorney recommendation.

As it stands now, AI-generated search results don’t include paid or sponsored links. In other words, AI-generated search results prioritize earned media and owned content. As search traffic to LLMs continues to grow, earned media will only further increase as a top strategy for businesses, and quite frankly, AI can’t do that better for less.

Our client Fount was in attendance, exhibiting to showcase its AI platform designed for law firms to automate visitor engagement, lead qualification, and client intake. Fount was built by Pearl.com to help solo professionals and smaller law firms grow with the right leads. Raph Vernassal, GM of Fount, summed it up perfectly a few weeks agon when he said, “Law is a profession. But a law firm is a business. And understanding both is a massive advantage.”

We loved the energy at this year’s ABA TECHSHOW and can’t wait to follow along as the industry shifts to adapt to the latest technology. Can’t wait to see what’s next!