The Konan & Spade Framework
The Law Firm GEO Authority Map
A framework built to answer one question: which sources actually decide whether an AI engine recommends a law firm? It scores every source not by reputation, but by what an AI can actually read. The methodology is universal. The sources are local.
Start here
The two modes of AI citation
Before scoring a single source, ask one thing about the query you want to win: does an authoritative tier list exist for this region and practice area? The answer decides everything that follows.
A ranking already exists
When a recognised ranking covers the region and practice area (Chambers, The Legal 500, IFLR1000), the AI defers to it. Absence from the list means absence from the answer, however good the SEO.
No ranking covers the niche
When no directory covers the niche, the AI builds its answer from traditional organic rankings. Classic SEO is back in charge.
Strategy is decided per keyword, not per firm. Most firms need both modes, in different proportions across their practice areas.
The headline
Category inversion
This single comparison is the argument. Rank each source category two ways, by reputation and by what an AI can actually read, and the order flips. The most prestigious, most expensive sources in legal are, for the purpose of being recommended by an AI, an elaborate way of talking to nobody.
Read it in one breath. Directories stay king. Your own canonical content rises. Paywalled prestige collapses to zero, because an AI cannot be cited from a source it cannot open.
How it is scored
Five dimensions, one disqualifying rule
Each source is rated 0 to 5 on five dimensions, then weighted:
If Accessibility is 2 or below (paywalled or private), the source is GEO-Invisible regardless of every other score. That single rule does most of the work, and it is the rule most marketing budgets ignore.
The full framework, the regional modules, and the audit worksheet are in the book.
The Law Firm GEO Authority Map is the Konan & Spade Framework, created by Pawan Khatri.