The verdict in three sentences
General counsel, boards and state entities weighing an international arbitration or corporate law firm in Dublin increasingly ask AI assistants like ChatGPT for names before they ask their network, and the answers already shape who reaches the beauty parade. Assistants name firms whose partners, seats, institutions and sector experience are stated plainly and confirmed elsewhere, and they skip or misdescribe firms whose public record is thin or inconsistent. Market budgets for this emerging work sit around EUR 3,000 to 8,000 for a diagnostic and EUR 2,500 to 9,000 per month for ongoing work (2026 ballpark), and progress is measured with a dated record of answers, never with a promise of being recommended.
The questions general counsel now put to AI assistants
Arbitration buyers write long, precise prompts. They mention the seat, the institution, the sector, the language and sometimes the opposing party's nationality. These examples are illustrative of the way such briefs are phrased, not a measured sample.
| Question asked to the assistant | Typical asker | Fact the firm must have published |
|---|---|---|
| Which Dublin firms act as counsel in ICC arbitrations seated in Ireland? | General counsel, European group | Institutions and seats handled, described factually |
| Which Irish law firms have experience in investment treaty arbitration under ICSID? | State entity, sovereign adviser | Treaty practice, partner profiles, public matters only |
| Who in Dublin handles construction disputes under FIDIC contracts? | Contractor's legal team | Sector focus, contract families, team |
| Which Dublin firms can run an arbitration in French and English? | Francophone corporate, African or Canadian group | Working languages of named partners |
| Can an Irish firm advise on enforcing an LCIA award against assets in Ireland? | In-house counsel abroad | Enforcement practice described generally |
| Which corporate law firms in Dublin advise aircraft leasing companies on disputes? | Lessor's general counsel | Sector page with real, public experience |
| What should a board ask before appointing arbitration counsel in Ireland? | Board member, first-time user | Clear process, fees approach, conflict checks |
What decides whether a firm is named
Talent and track record matter, but assistants can only repeat what is public and consistent. Four patterns explain most of the gap between firms that are named and firms that are not.
First, partner pages carry the weight. Buyers choose people, and assistants pick up named partners with their seats, institutions, languages and sectors. A partner page with two lines of biography gives nothing to quote.
Second, third-party confirmation: directory entries, published awards and articles, conference programmes and institution panels where a partner really sits. Never invent a ranking, an award or a case; assistants and opposing counsel both notice.
Third, consistency: the same firm name, address, practice names and partner list on the site, the professional registers, legal directories and professional networks.
Fourth, freshness and structure: dated insights on recent developments, and structured data describing the firm and its people.
| Public fact | Where it is usually checked | Common gap for Dublin firms |
|---|---|---|
| Partner seats and institutions | Partner page, institution lists | Listed as "international arbitration" with no detail |
| Working languages | Partner page | Languages missing or only in a CV PDF |
| Sector experience | Practice and sector pages | Generic sectors with no public context |
| Firm identity | Site, registers, directories | Former name or merged entity still visible |
| Recent thinking | Insights, conference programmes | Last article published two years ago |
| Contact and conflict process | Contact page | Only a generic form |
Lawyer advertising is regulated in Ireland, as it is in other jurisdictions such as England (SRA) and the United States (state bar rules). Solicitors' advertising rules and the Legal Services Regulatory Authority's framework should be checked by your compliance partner before publishing claims about experience. Data protection (GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018, the Data Protection Commission) and the European Accessibility Act also apply to the site. This is not legal advice.
What the work covers and what it costs on the market
In broad terms: a record of what assistants say today about the firm and its peers, an alignment of firm and partner facts across the site and third-party sources, factual pages written for buyers' real questions, and ongoing monitoring with corrections.
| Item | 2026 ballpark (EUR) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic of AI answers | 3,000 to 8,000 | 25 to 40 questions, 1 or 2 languages |
| Firm and partner facts alignment | 2,500 to 9,000 | Depends on number of partners and directories |
| Partner and practice page rewrite | 400 to 1,200 per page | Requires partner sign-off |
| Ongoing monthly work | 2,500 to 9,000 per month | Monitoring, content, corrections |
| French or other language versions | 0.12 to 0.25 per word | Third-party legal translation |
| Directory submissions support | 1,500 to 5,000 per cycle | Often handled internally |
These ranges come from typical agency quotes and public rate pages observed in 2026; the service is young and quotes vary widely. At Kolonell this work is priced on quote. For context on professional services, Kolonell built the website of TR Signing Group (trsigninggroup.com), a signing services company in New Jersey, where clear and factual service descriptions are central.
What the dated record looks like
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The same questions are asked on the same dates, and each answer is logged. A few rows of such a record might look like this:
| Date | Question (short) | Language | Firm named? | Accuracy | Sources shown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 March | ICC counsel, Irish seat | English | No | n/a | Directories |
| 3 March | Arbitration in French and English | French | Yes | Wrong partner listed | Old news item |
| 3 April | ICC counsel, Irish seat | English | Yes | Correct | Firm site, directory |
| 3 April | Arbitration in French and English | French | Yes | Correct | Firm site |
| 3 May | Aircraft leasing disputes | English | No | n/a | Competitor articles |
From the log come three numbers: share of answers naming the firm, share of those answers that are accurate, and the sources cited.
Mini case study
Illustrative example, fictional firm. Merrion Dispute Partners, a 40-lawyer firm in Dublin, tracks 32 questions in English and French, so 64 answers a month. In month one it is named in 5 of 64 answers (about 7.8%), two of them with a retired partner. It spends EUR 5,000 on a diagnostic and EUR 4,000 per month for six months, EUR 29,000 in total. By month six it is named in 14 of 64 answers (about 21.9%), all accurate. If one additional mandate worth EUR 150,000 in fees started from such a shortlist, the spend would be covered about 5.2 times; the record itself does not prove that link, which is why intake teams also ask new clients how they found the firm.
FAQ
Can an arbitration firm be guaranteed a recommendation by AI assistants like ChatGPT?
No. Nobody controls those answers, and a provider promising a recommendation is a warning sign. What can be improved is the accuracy and consistency of the facts assistants read, typically over 3 to 9 months.
Which pages matter most for a Dublin arbitration practice?
Partner pages first, then practice and sector pages. Ten to fifteen well-documented partner profiles usually do more than 50 short ones.
Does publishing matters raise confidentiality issues?
Yes: arbitration is often confidential, so only public matters or client-approved descriptions belong on the site. Your compliance partner decides; general descriptions such as seat, institution and sector are often enough.
Should we track questions in French?
If you act for francophone groups or states, yes, since assistants answer in the language of the question. Adding French typically doubles the record, for example from 32 to 64 answers a month.
What budget is realistic for a mid-sized firm?
On the 2026 market, EUR 2,500 to 5,000 per month after a diagnostic is a common starting range. Larger firms with many partners and languages spend more.
Find out how AI assistants describe your firm. We record what assistants say about your partners, seats and sectors on 25 to 40 real client questions, in English and French if needed. Request a diagnostic quote: reply within 48 hours.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
