OpenAI is giving digital advertisements something they have rarely had before: a voice. According to Search Engine Land, the company is testing Sponsored Agents that let someone click an ad in ChatGPT and begin a clearly labeled conversation with a business-sponsored agent.
Instead of going directly to a website, that person can ask questions, explain what they need, and learn more about the advertiser before deciding what to do next. Digiday described the format as an early example of advertising designed specifically for the way people use AI.
Sponsored Agents are currently being tested with select advertisers in the United States. Their effectiveness for law firms remains an open question. Still, the format raises an interesting possibility: could a useful conversation begin building trust before a prospective client visits a firm’s website or calls its office?
The Advertisement Can Continue the Conversation
Traditional digital advertisements capture attention and encourage someone to click. A Sponsored Agent could give an interested person a chance to keep asking questions after that first click.
If law firms gain access to the format, a prospective client might ask whether a firm handles a particular type of case, serves their location, or offers consultations. Clear answers could help that person decide whether to visit the firm’s website or make contact.
Jim Ellis, Marketing Director at Legends Legal Marketing, believes this could make advertising more useful to prospective clients.
“An advertisement usually has only a few seconds to make an impression,” Ellis said. “A Sponsored Agent gives the prospective client space to ask questions and learn more about the firm. That could turn a brief moment of attention into a meaningful introduction. But it is still early for ChatGPT Ads, and we do not yet know how effective those conversations will be at bringing in qualified clients.”
That distinction matters. An interesting conversation alone would not tell a firm whether the ad is working. The question is whether it helps the right people understand the firm and take a useful next step.
Every Answer Becomes Part of the Brand
A law firm’s brand is shaped by every interaction a prospective client has with it.
The website matters. Attorney biographies matter. Reviews, videos, social media, intake calls, and email responses all contribute to the impression the firm creates. Sponsored Agents could add another touchpoint.
Search Engine Watch reported that advertisers remain responsible for their Sponsored Agents’ answers. That would make the conversation part of both the advertising campaign and the experience someone has with the firm.
Caroline Yun, Marketing Director at Legends Legal Marketing, says firms should think carefully about how those conversations sound.
“Every answer should sound like it comes from the same firm someone sees on the website, in a video, or during a consultation,” Yun said. “When the tone, information, and message feel consistent, the prospective client gets a much clearer sense of who the firm is and what working with that team may feel like.”
For a law firm, accuracy would matter as much as tone. A helpful answer should explain what the firm does without promising an outcome, guessing at facts, or suggesting that an attorney-client relationship has already begun.
Legal Clients Want Clarity Before They Make Contact
Choosing an attorney can feel like a major decision. Prospective clients may want to understand what a legal process involves, what information to prepare, and whether a firm handles matters like theirs. Many want some clarity before they feel ready to call.
Conversational advertising could help answer those early questions.
“A prospective client may be interested in a firm but still have several questions before making contact,” Ellis said. “A Sponsored Agent could help provide that clarity immediately and create a smoother transition from researching the issue to speaking with the firm.”
The opportunity will depend on where ads are permitted to appear. OpenAI’s advertising policies allow legal services advertising in the United States under specific requirements, while restricting ad placement near sensitive conversations. A firm cannot assume its ad will appear beside every question related to its practice area.
Where the format is available, a useful conversation could help someone reach the firm’s website with a better understanding of its services and a clearer idea of what to ask.
Conversational Ads Could Strengthen the Client Journey
Legal marketing is rarely built around one interaction.
A prospective client may see a social media post, read an article, watch an attorney video, search the firm’s name, review its website, and speak with the intake team before making a decision. Sponsored Agents could eventually become another part of that journey.
A conversation might point someone toward a relevant practice area page, an attorney biography, a helpful article, or the firm’s contact information. If the information is accurate and consistent, the next interaction could be more productive.
Yun believes that gives law firms a reason to look at the whole experience, rather than the advertisement alone.
“The strongest marketing experiences feel connected,” Yun said. “The message in the advertisement should match the conversation, the website, and the way the intake team communicates. When every part of the journey reinforces the same values and expectations, trust has an opportunity to grow at every step.”
The conversation may introduce the firm. Its website, content, and intake team then need to deliver on that introduction.
The Firm’s Voice Could Become a Competitive Advantage
If conversational advertising becomes more widely available, the quality of the interaction could become an important point of difference.
Law firms know the questions prospective clients ask most often. Attorneys can explain the firm’s services and approach. Intake teams can identify where people tend to feel confused or uncertain. Those insights could help a firm prepare useful answers and recognize where a Sponsored Agent should direct someone to a person instead.
“Law firms already know the questions prospective clients ask most often,” Ellis said. “That knowledge can help create conversations that feel useful and relevant from the beginning. The firm is bringing its experience with real clients into a new advertising environment.”
A firm’s existing knowledge could help shape the conversation. It would also need to check the answers carefully and keep them current. A confident answer that is inaccurate could damage trust before the first human interaction ever happens.
Trust Could Begin Before the First Consultation
Law firms have always built trust through communication. A clear answer can reduce uncertainty. A thoughtful explanation can make an unfamiliar process easier to understand. A consistent message can help someone know what to expect.
Sponsored Agents could create another opportunity to provide that clarity.
“Technology can make it easier for law firms to provide information at the exact moment someone is looking for it,” Yun said. “When the experience feels clear, helpful, and consistent with the firm’s brand, it can give the prospective client greater confidence about moving forward.”
That is the potential of the format. Whether it actually improves the client experience, produces qualified consultations, or leads to signed cases will require testing.
Law Firm Advertising Is Becoming a Dialogue
Sponsored Agents show what an advertisement might be able to do beyond introducing a business. In a successful interaction, the agent could answer appropriate questions, provide information about the firm, and help someone find the next step.
“The future of advertising is still taking shape, and we do not yet know how effective ChatGPT Ads will be for law firms,” Ellis said. “But Sponsored Agents show us one direction platforms are exploring: giving people a chance to ask questions before they contact a business. If that conversation helps someone understand a firm, it could make the first consultation more productive.”
ChatGPT Ads may give law firms a new way to begin conversations with prospective clients. For now, the measure of success is still familiar: whether those interactions help the right people get useful information and connect with a firm that can assist them.
Available for Media Interviews
Jim Ellis and Caroline Yun are available for interviews and commentary on conversational advertising, legal marketing, law firm branding, client experience, and emerging marketing technology affecting the legal industry.
For media inquiries or interview requests, contact Legends.