For the same search, the first firm AI named changed from one day to the next 56% of the time.
How often does the firm AI recommends first change?
Often. For the same search, the first firm AI named changed from one day to the next 56% of the time (664 of 1,193 consecutive-day comparisons across ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews). A single check tells a firm very little about where it stands.
Key takeaways
- The first firm AI named changed from one day to the next in 56% of comparisons (664 of 1,193). It stayed the same in 44% (529).
- A single check is a snapshot. Track AI visibility as a rate over weeks, across a fixed set of searches and several platforms.
- We have not explained why answers move. Our next study will track how sources change over time.
What did we find?
This article draws on the same 1,645 AI answers as our Legal 500 research, collected between 4 September and 3 October 2026.
- The first firm AI named changed from one day to the next in 56% of comparisons (664 of 1,193).
- It stayed the same in 44% (529 of 1,193).
- The comparisons cover ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews. Gemini and Copilot are excluded because they were tracked only from 25 September.
- The period was 4 September to 3 October 2026, for 15 high-value legal searches.
What did we measure?
We measured how often the first firm AI named for a search changed from one day to the next. For each search, we compared the first firm named on one day with the first firm named on the next, across ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews.
That gave 1,193 consecutive-day comparisons across ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews. The first firm named changed in 664 of them, or 56%.
| Result | Comparisons | Share |
|---|---|---|
| First firm named changed | 664 | 56% |
| First firm named stayed the same | 529 | 44% |
| Total consecutive-day comparisons | 1,193 | 100% |
Table 1. How often the first firm AI named changed from one day to the next.
Figure 1. How often the first firm AI named changed from one day to the next.
Why does the first name matter?
The first name matters because a prospective client reading an AI answer may focus on the first name it gives. We have not measured how people read AI answers, so this is our view, not a finding.
What the data does show is that the name at the top is not fixed. For the same search, it changed more often than it stayed.
Why does the answer move?
The first name AI gives moves often, but our data does not show why, and we have not tried to explain it here.
AI answers vary from day to day. Our next study is designed to track how the sources behind an answer change over time, which may help explain the movement.
What does this do to a firm’s own check?
A single check limits what a firm can learn about its AI visibility. If you search once and see your firm named first, that result may be different tomorrow. If you search once and see a competitor named instead, that may also change.
The same logic applies to our own work. Our check of 705 barrister-search answers covered three days, so we describe the result as no evidence of spread, not as proof. We cover it in what happens when a source AI relies on gets it wrong.
What should a firm track instead?
A firm should track AI visibility as a rate over time, not a position on one day:
- How often the firm is named across a fixed set of searches.
- Which platforms name it, and which do not.
- Where it appears in the answer.
- Which sources each answer drew on.
- How all of that changes week to week.
That turns a snapshot into a trend. It also shows whether a change came from the firm’s own work or from the movement we saw in the data.
My view: a snapshot is weather, not climate
I am wary of any AI visibility report built on a single day. The data I have looked at moves too much for a snapshot to mean much.
I would rather tell a firm it was named in most answers across a month than that it was first on a Tuesday. The first is a position it can build on. The second is weather.
The same discipline applies to us. Our barrister check covered three days, so I describe it as no evidence of spread. A longer run would let us say more.
Sean O’Dwyer Curran
What are we testing next?
The next study is built for exactly this question. The next study uses 50 searches defined before any data is collected, split between specialist, ‘best’ and ‘who should I instruct’ wording. We will measure Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners side by side, across the same five AI platforms, and track how sources change over time. We will publish the results when the study is complete.
Methodology
- Period: 4 September to 3 October 2026.
- Answers analysed: 1,645.
- Searches: 15 high-intent legal searches. 10 asked who was best, top, leading, recommended or who to instruct. 5 asked who specialised in, or had expertise in, an area.
- Practice area: mainly high-value family law and family Bar searches, London and UK-wide.
- Platforms for the day-to-day comparison: ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and Perplexity, daily. Gemini and Copilot, tracked daily from 25 September 2026, are excluded.
- Data: AI answers collected with Searchable. Search demand and site traffic estimates from Ahrefs (UK).
- Day-to-day change: for each search, the first firm named on one day was compared with the first firm named on the next, across the three platforms. 1,193 consecutive-day comparisons.
- Search selection: drawn from Fabled Labs’ ongoing AI search tracking and reported in aggregate. No client is identified.
- Limitations: the searches focus on family law. The 56% combines three platforms and is not split by platform here. We have not analysed why answers change. AI answers vary from day to day.
Frequently asked questions
How often does the first firm AI names change?
In our data, 56% of the time from one day to the next (664 of 1,193 consecutive-day comparisons across ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews). It stayed the same 44% of the time.
Do all AI platforms change as often?
We have not split the 56% by platform in this article. Gemini and Copilot are excluded because they were tracked only from 25 September.
Why does AI recommend different lawyers on different days?
Our data shows that it does, not why. AI answers vary from day to day, and our next study will track how sources change over time.
How often should a law firm check what AI says about it?
We have not set a minimum. Our main dataset covers 30 days, and a single check is not enough. Track a fixed set of searches across several platforms, over weeks.
Is being named first a stable position?
Not in our data. The first firm named changed from one day to the next 56% of the time, so first place on one day is not a stable position.
Final word
A single AI check is a photograph, not a film. In our data, the first firm named moved more often than it stayed. Firms that want to know where they stand need to measure across searches, platforms and weeks, and to look at the sources behind each answer.
Sources
- Fabled Labs analysis of AI answer data collected with Searchable, 4 September to 3 October 2026.
This article reports research by Fabled Labs based on AI answers collected between 4 September and 3 October 2026. AI outputs change frequently, and results may differ for other searches, locations and dates. Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners are independent publications. Fabled Labs is not affiliated with either, and this article does not comment on the merits of any ranking or firm. This article is for information only and is not legal advice.