The SetpointHQ Index · Professional services and law
Professional services and law: the advisers are the easiest to find.
The 2 strongest sectors in the Index, and the technical gaps that still cost the leaders places. 15 firms, 5 dimensions, 1 September 2026.
Ask an AI assistant where to build a career in consulting, accounting or law and the answer comes back fast and confident. Of the 14 sectors in The SetpointHQ Index, professional services and law are the 2 the assistants find easiest to talk about. That doesn’t mean every firm is getting the answer it deserves.
This report covers the 15 professional services and law firms in The SetpointHQ Index, our monthly study of how 100 UK employer brands surface when candidates ask ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity where to work. Figures are from the 1 September 2026 run. If the difference between ranking and being cited is new to you, start with SEO versus GEO.
The 2 strongest sectors in the Index
Professional services posts the highest sector median in the Index at 63.0, and law is second at 58.8, both well above the 54.9 median across all 100 brands. BCG ranks 1st of the 100 at 78.4. A&O Shearman is 6th, Bain 7th and Capgemini UK 8th, so 4 of the Index’s top 8 come from these 2 sectors.
The reason is citation. These firms are written about constantly: rankings, graduate guides, trade press, forums where students compare offers. That third-party trail is exactly what assistants lean on when they decide which employers to name.
The scores
| Employer | Sector | Index rank | Composite | Prompts naming it | Citation | Schema | Knowledge graph | Crawl | Social |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BCG | Professional services | 1 | 78.4 | 85% | 73.8 | 70 | 98 | 75 | 84 |
| Bain & Company | Professional services | 7 | 67.0 | 80% | 72.5 | 0 | 91.3 | 100 | 86 |
| Capgemini UK | Professional services | 8 | 67.0 | 60% | 43.8 | 65 | 99.1 | 75 | 84 |
| Accenture UK | Professional services | 11 | 66.0 | 60% | 47.8 | 65 | 100 | 68 | 74 |
| KPMG | Professional services | 16 | 63.0 | 55% | 51.3 | 35 | 94.9 | 85 | 74 |
| EY | Professional services | 21 | 61.1 | 60% | 51.3 | 35 | 93.9 | 75 | 72 |
| PwC | Professional services | 22 | 61.1 | 60% | 55.0 | 25 | 98.8 | 75 | 72 |
| Deloitte | Professional services | 37 | 56.9 | 80% | 67.5 | 25 | 97.8 | 15 | 76 |
| PA Consulting | Professional services | 59 | 52.6 | 40% | 30.0 | 45 | 71.9 | 75 | 74 |
| A&O Shearman | Law | 6 | 68.7 | 62.5% | 56.3 | 70 | 57.2 | 100 | 76 |
| Linklaters | Law | 17 | 62.5 | 50% | 43.8 | 50 | 83.1 | 85 | 80 |
| Clifford Chance | Law | 31 | 58.9 | 50% | 43.8 | 30 | 85.2 | 85 | 80 |
| Freshfields | Law | 33 | 58.7 | 50% | 50.0 | 25 | 82.1 | 85 | 74 |
| Slaughter and May | Law | 35 | 57.2 | 37.5% | 37.5 | 40 | 75.4 | 83 | 82 |
| Birketts | Law | 46 | 55.6 | 50% | 62.5 | 30 | 46.7 | 60 | 78 |
Scores out of 100, The SetpointHQ Index, 1 September 2026 run. “Prompts naming it” is the share of candidate research prompts in which the assistants named the firm; the law cohort was probed with a shorter prompt set. “Citation” is the weighted citation dimension score. Each name links to the firm’s full Index profile.
Citation carries this sector
The median professional services firm is named in 60% of candidate prompts. Across all 100 brands in the Index the median is 30%. BCG is named in 85%, Bain and Deloitte in 80%. When a candidate asks which consultancies to apply to, these names come up almost by default.
In most sectors the problem is being named at all. In professional services the assistants name you, then your own site gives them little to work with.
Where the leaders leak points
The technical dimensions are where the gaps open up, and they are the ones a firm can fix without waiting for anyone to write about it.
- Deloitte is named in 80% of prompts and has the third-highest citation score in professional services at 67.5. Its crawlability scores 15 out of 100, which pulls its composite down to 56.9 and its rank to 37th. No other firm in the group loses as much to a single dimension.
- Bain & Company ranks 7th of 100 with a schema score of 0. Citation at 72.5 and perfect crawlability carry it. Structured data on its careers pages is the most obvious gain available to any firm in this report.
- PwC and Freshfields both score 25 on schema, Clifford Chance and Birketts 30. The machine-readable layer is the weak point across law.
- A&O Shearman leads law at 68.7 with schema at 70, but its knowledge graph score is only 57.2, the lowest of the Magic Circle. The likely cause is the 2024 merger that created the firm: the entity records assistants rely on have not fully caught up with the new name.
Schema is the cheapest gap to close on the whole scorecard. The free schema templates cover JobPosting and Organization, and the same fix moved Standard Chartered from 7th to 3rd in banking between July and September.
One finding per firm
- BCG (78.4, rank 1). The Index leader, named in 17 of 20 prompts, with strong scores on every dimension.
- Bain & Company (67.0, rank 7). Top-10 overall on citation alone, with no readable schema.
- Capgemini UK (67.0, rank 8). Near-perfect knowledge graph (99.1) and schema at 65: the most balanced profile after BCG.
- Accenture UK (66.0, rank 11). A perfect knowledge graph score, held back by crawlability at 68.
- KPMG (63.0, rank 16). The strongest crawlability of the Big 4 at 85, with schema at 35.
- EY (61.1, rank 21). Level with PwC on composite, named in 60% of prompts.
- PwC (61.1, rank 22). Citation at 55.0 and schema at 25: known, but thinly structured.
- Deloitte (56.9, rank 37). Named in 80% of prompts, and crawlability at 15, the biggest single leak in the sector.
- PA Consulting (52.6, rank 59). The only firm in the group below the Index median, named in 40% of prompts.
- A&O Shearman (68.7, rank 6). Leads law, with the lowest knowledge graph score in the group at 57.2.
- Linklaters (62.5, rank 17). The most rounded law profile, with schema at 50.
- Clifford Chance (58.9, rank 31). Strong recognition, schema at 30.
- Freshfields (58.7, rank 33). Citation at 50.0, schema at 25.
- Slaughter and May (57.2, rank 35). The lowest citation score in law at 37.5.
- Birketts (55.6, rank 46). The one regional firm in the group, with the highest citation score in law at 62.5, ahead of every Magic Circle firm.
How the Index measures this
The SetpointHQ Index scores 100 UK employer brands monthly across 5 dimensions (citation, schema, knowledge graph, crawlability and social) by probing 4 AI assistants with the questions candidates actually ask. The rubric is published and versioned in the methodology. We have published the same analysis for banking, fintech, retail and consumer goods and social care.
Common questions
Which UK professional services firm is most visible to AI assistants?
BCG ranks 1st of all 100 brands in The SetpointHQ Index at 78.4 in the 1 September 2026 run, and is named in 17 of 20 candidate research prompts.
How visible are UK law firms to AI assistants?
Law is the 2nd-strongest of 14 sectors in the Index, with a median composite of 58.8 against 54.9 across all 100 brands. A&O Shearman leads at 68.7. Schema, the structured data on careers pages, is the weakest dimension across the group.
Why does Deloitte score lower than its reputation suggests?
Deloitte is named in 80% of candidate prompts, but its crawlability scores 15 out of 100, meaning AI crawlers struggle to reach its careers content. That pulls its composite to 56.9 and its rank to 37th.
What is the fastest way for a firm to improve its AI visibility score?
Schema. Adding proper Organization and JobPosting structured data is a technical fix, not a brand rebuild. In banking, Standard Chartered raised its schema score from 5 to 45 and moved from 7th to 3rd in its sector in 2 months.
How does The SetpointHQ Index work?
It scores 100 UK employer brands every month across citation, schema, knowledge graph, crawlability and social, by probing ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity with the questions candidates actually ask. The methodology is published and versioned.
Where does your firm land?
The £999 Recruitment Marketing Audit scores your whole hiring system, AI visibility included, and returns a prioritised 90-day plan within 7 working days.
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Source: The SetpointHQ Index, 100 UK employer brands, scored monthly across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity. 1 September 2026 run, rubric 2026.06.5.