The verdict in three sentences
For an international arbitration firm in Miami, AI assistants like ChatGPT have become a shortlisting step: a general counsel in São Paulo or Madrid asks which firms handle ICC arbitrations seated in Miami before calling a single contact. A firm shows up when the public information about it is consistent, factual and confirmed by third parties, and it is missing when its own site stays vague about seats, languages and sectors. On the market the work runs at roughly $2,500 to $10,000 a month as a 2026 ballpark, and it is measured with a dated record of the answers to the same questions, never with a promise of being recommended.
What buyers ask AI assistants in 2026
Miami has established itself as a seat for disputes between Latin America, the United States and Europe. Clients are general counsel of industrial groups, boards, funds and sometimes states or public entities. Their questions are precise and often asked in English, Spanish or Portuguese.
| Question asked to an AI assistant | Who asks it | What the assistant must find about you |
|---|---|---|
| Which Miami firms handle ICC arbitrations in Spanish? | General counsel, Colombia | seats, institutions, working languages |
| Firm for an investment treaty claim against a Latin American state | Infrastructure fund | investment arbitration experience described factually |
| Miami lawyers for construction and energy disputes | European construction group | separate sector pages |
| How much does an administered international arbitration in Miami cost? | CEO of a family business | an honest page on cost drivers |
| Who can enforce an arbitral award in Florida? | Foreign creditor | a page on award enforcement |
| Portuguese-speaking corporate partners in Miami | Brazilian group | complete, current partner profiles |
| ICC or ICSID for a mining dispute? | Board of directors | explanatory content signed by a partner |
These questions are illustrative but representative of what firms in the sector report. None of them contains your firm's name: it is the assistant's answer that brings you in, or leaves you out.
Why some firms appear and others do not
AI assistants like ChatGPT build their answers from what is published and repeated consistently. Arbitration firms are often penalized by their own discretion: confidential matters, thin partner pages, a site in one language only.
| Signal | Firm often cited | Firm often missing |
|---|---|---|
| Consistency | same seats, languages and sectors everywhere | site, directories and profiles contradict each other |
| Third-party mentions | publications, conferences, publicly announced arbitrator appointments | no trace outside the site |
| Factual pages | one page per dispute type and per sector | one generic "Disputes" page |
| Structured data | markup for the firm, lawyers and offices | none |
| Freshness | dated articles on recent case law | latest news from 2023 |
| Languages | real content in Spanish and Portuguese | one machine-translated page |
Lawyer advertising rules frame what you can publish: the ABA Model Rules and the Florida Bar's rules apply to communications about your services, in particular past results and claimed specializations. This is not legal advice. Never publish a matter, a client or an amount without the parties' written consent and a compliance review. An assistant can only cite what is public, and confidential work must not become a shortcut to visibility.
What the work covers and what it costs
In broad terms, the work covers a diagnostic of what AI assistants currently say about your firm, clearer pages describing your practices, consistent public profiles, signed and dated expert content, and tracking over time. It is an emerging market: prices vary widely and no serious provider can promise that an assistant will recommend you.
| Item | 2026 ballpark (USD) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Initial diagnostic | 3,000 to 10,000 | record of current answers, information gaps |
| Monthly program, boutique firm | 2,500 to 5,000 per month | content, profile consistency, tracking |
| Monthly program, multi-office firm | 5,000 to 10,000 per month | several languages and practices |
| Specialist media relations | 4,000 to 12,000 per month | third-party mentions |
| Multilingual legal copywriting | 0.15 to 0.35 per word | market assumption |
| Tracking tools | 100 to 500 per month | depends on the number of questions tracked |
These ranges come from typical quotes by US agencies and consultants and are indicative only. At Kolonell this kind of engagement is on quote, after a diagnostic of the firm.
How to measure without fooling yourself
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The only credible measure is a dated record: the same list of 30 to 50 questions, asked every month under the same conditions, in English, Spanish and Portuguese. Track three indicators: the share of answers that mention the firm, the accuracy of what is said (seats, languages, partners) and the sources cited. Site traffic and inbound enquiries complete the picture, because assistants do not always send a measurable visit.
Mini case study
Illustrative example: Bayside Arbitration Partners, a 14-lawyer firm in Brickell working in English, Spanish and Portuguese. The managing partner has 30 representative questions recorded. First record: the firm appears in 4 answers out of 30, or 13.3%, and one answer wrongly gives it an office in Bogotá. Budget considered: a $5,000 diagnostic, then six months at $3,500, so 5,000 + 21,000 = $26,000, excluding legal copywriting (market assumption). The internal decision criterion: fix the factual error and follow the share of answers month by month, with no promised target.
FAQ
Does an arbitration firm really need to be visible in AI assistants?
Mandates still come mainly through networks. But when a general counsel compares 3 or 4 firms, an inaccurate or silent answer can drop you from the list before the first call.
How long before anything changes?
Allow 3 to 6 months in general for clarified pages and third-party mentions to show in the answers. A monthly record of 30 to 50 questions lets you see the trend without overreading it.
Can we publish matters we won to get cited?
Only with the client's written consent and within the Florida Bar's advertising rules. A page describing your 5 or 6 dispute types without naming clients is often more useful.
Do we need content in Spanish and Portuguese?
If a large share of your clients is Latin American, yes. A question asked in Spanish finds Spanish sources first, and one machine-translated page is not enough.
Can an agency guarantee that ChatGPT will recommend us?
No. No serious provider promises that: the work improves the accuracy and consistency of information, then measures the share of answers that mention you.
Find out how AI assistants describe your firm. We record what AI assistants like ChatGPT say today about your seats, languages and sectors, then price what is worth fixing. 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.
