At LexBlog, we’ve always viewed the author or publisher of a legal blog post as a signal of authority—not just for the individual post, but for the entire publication on which the author publishes.
When a blog post is clearly published by one or two legal professionals, it conveys something vital: expertise, authorship, and a willingness to have a voice and, in some cases, to take a stand in a niche. That’s the beginning of trust.
Contrast that with the increasingly common law firm blog post that lists no author, lists the law firm as the publisher or attributes the post to a list of five or six lawyers. The post wasn’t written by five lawyers. It was marketing to get each lawyer’s name in lights versus insight that establishes trust and authority.
Why the Author Signal Works
When a post comes from a named lawyer or two, it feels personal. That personal attribution:
- Builds trust and engagement
- Creates followers—clients, prospective clients, peers, and influencers
- Encourages citing and linking—whether in legal commentary, blog posts, or on social media
- Boosts SEO, as linking from reputable thought leaders increases a page’s search engine authority
In the AI Era, the Stakes Rise
AI, and specifically large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT or Gemini, are reshaping how people search for and consume legal information. Instead of starting at Google, many people, including legal professionals, are starting with a question—and receiving a summarized answer in an ongoing “conversation” on AI.
Where do these answers come from?
They come from content that has signals of credibility and authorship. Often credible law blogs when relevant to the query.
As content floods the Internet, some even AI created, often without authorship or expertise—signaling authority becomes critical. Having your blog insight included in response to a prompt with citation of your blog as a source by an LLM will increasingly depend on:
- Is there an author?
- Is the author credible?
- Is the publication itself a trusted source?
The signals that help a reader decide whether to trust you are now the same signals that help an LLM decide whether to use your work at all.
What the Research Shows
A recent study published in EPJ Data Science explored how LLMs evaluate credibility in online content. Among the key findings:
Examples of credibility signals include the analysis of article titles, writing style, rhetorical structure, linguistic features, emotional language, biases, and logical fallacies and inferences. Additionally, credibility signals comprise meta-information that extends beyond the textual content of the article, such as the author’s reputation and external references. (Emphasis added)
We’ll continue to advise legal professionals and law firms to treat every blog post like a bylined article or professional commentary. Put individual authors on it.
Build your credibility. Not only will people read and cite you—they will find you and your blog posts in an AI response and follow the link back to you.