Best criminal defense lawyers in Tampa, FL, according to AI
We ask ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity and 8 more AI assistants the questions real customers ask — like “Who are the best criminal defense lawyers in Tampa, FL?” — and publish who they name. Here is this month's answer, ranked by how often they name each business.
As of October 1, 2026, The Rickman Law Firm is the criminal defense lawyer AI assistants most recommend in Tampa, FL, named by 6 of 12 assistants. The Brancato Law Firm and O'Brien Hatfield, P.A. rank next.
AI's top criminal defense lawyers in Tampa for October 2026
Every business below was named by the AI assistants themselves when we asked for criminal defense lawyers in Tampa, FL. The more assistants that name a business — and the more often — the higher it ranks.
- RankWho the AIs name most often, and most in agreement.
- AIs that name itHow many of the 12 assistants we asked put this business in their answer.
- vs last monthUp, down or new since the previous monthly edition.
Every criminal defense lawyer AI named (20)
Tap a name for that business's AI profile: rank history, which assistants name it, and who's just ahead.| Rank | Business & the AIs that name it | AIs that name it | Times named | vs last month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
ClaudeMicrosoft CopilotGeminiMeta AIMistralSiri
|
6 of 12 | 11 | ▲ 11 places up |
| 2 |
ChatGPTClaudeMicrosoft CopilotGeminiMeta AISiri
|
6 of 12 | 8 | ▼ 1 places down |
| 3 |
Google AI OverviewsClaudeMicrosoft CopilotGeminiMeta AI
|
5 of 12 | 6 | ▲ 5 places up |
| 4 |
Microsoft CopilotGeminiSiri
|
3 of 12 | 6 | same |
| 5 |
ClaudeMicrosoft CopilotGeminiMistral
|
4 of 12 | 5 | new |
| 6 |
ChatGPTClaudeGeminiPerplexity
|
4 of 12 | 4 | new |
| 7 |
ClaudeGemini
|
2 of 12 | 4 | ▼ 2 places down |
| 8 |
AlexaMeta AIPerplexity
|
3 of 12 | 3 | new |
| 9 |
ClaudeGeminiMeta AI
|
3 of 12 | 3 | ▼ 6 places down |
| 10 |
ClaudeMeta AI
|
2 of 12 | 3 | new |
| 11 |
The Hardy Law Firm thehardylawfirm.com ChatGPTMicrosoft Copilot
|
2 of 12 | 3 | new |
| 12 |
The Law Office of W.F. "Casey" Ebsary Jr. ClaudeMistral
|
2 of 12 | 3 | new |
| 13 |
Thomas & Paulk, P.A. Microsoft CopilotMeta AI
|
2 of 12 | 3 | new |
| 14 |
Baez Law Firm baezlawfirm.com DeepSeekMistral
|
2 of 12 | 2 | new |
| 15 |
Brunvand Wise, P.A. Microsoft CopilotMeta AI
|
2 of 12 | 2 | ▼ 10 places down |
| 16 |
Google AI OverviewsClaude
|
2 of 12 | 2 | ▼ 7 places down |
| 17 |
Hunt Law ChatGPTClaude
|
2 of 12 | 2 | new |
| 18 |
The Suarez Law Firm PA suarezlawfirm.com ChatGPTClaude
|
2 of 12 | 2 | ▼ 5 places down |
| 19 |
Trombley & Hanes Microsoft CopilotMeta AI
|
2 of 12 | 2 | new |
| 20 |
Mike G Law Meta AI
|
1 of 12 | 2 | new |
Asked the ways customers actually ask
The same assistants, the same week, three phrasings of one need — ranked separately. A business that wins “best” but loses “most affordable” is losing a different customer each time.
- 1The Brancato Law Firm
- 2Sammis Law Firm
- 3Hackworth Law
- 4Hunt Law
- 1The Rickman Law Firm
- 2Mayberry Law Firm
- 3Brunvand, Wise & Farinella Law Group
- 4The Brancato Law Firm
- 5The Law Office of W.F. "Casey" Ebsary Jr.
40 sources the assistants read
Every site behind this month's answers, ranked by share of all citations, with how many assistants relied on each. Earning a mention on the pages near the top is what moves a ranking — and nothing on this page can be bought.
- 01 lawyers.findlaw.comDirectory & reviews 8.3% 4 of 12 assistants
- 02 justia.comDirectory & reviews 6.9% 3 of 12 assistants
- 03 attorneys.superlawyers.comDirectory & reviews 6.9% 3 of 12 assistants
- 04 expertise.comDirectory & reviews 5.6% 3 of 12 assistants
- 05 djfernandezlaw.com 5.6% 3 of 12 assistants
- 06 yelp.comDirectory & reviews 4.2% 3 of 12 assistants
- 07 lawinfo.comDirectory & reviews 4.2% 2 of 12 assistants
- 08 avvo.comDirectory & reviews 4.2% 2 of 12 assistants
Show 17 more sourcesShow fewer
- 09 hauteliving.com 2.8% 2 of 12 assistants
-
10
brancatolawfirm.comRanked #2 · The Brancato Law Firm
2.8%
2 of 12 assistants
- 11 bestlawyers.comDirectory & reviews 2.8% 2 of 12 assistants
- 12 merriam-webster.comReference 2.8% 2 of 12 assistants
- 13 ontoplist.com 2.8% 2 of 12 assistants
- 14 lawyers.comDirectory & reviews 2.8% 1 of 12 assistants
- 15 floridabar.orgLicensing 2.8% 1 of 12 assistants
- 16 threebestrated.comDirectory & reviews 1.4% 1 of 12 assistants
- 17 attorneyatlawmagazine.com 1.4% 1 of 12 assistants
- 18 theblacklawcompany.com 1.4% 1 of 12 assistants
- 19 tampabaycriminaljustice.com 1.4% 1 of 12 assistants
- 20 criminaldefenselawfirmtampa.com 1.4% 1 of 12 assistants
- 21 hillsbarlrs.com 1.4% 1 of 12 assistants
- 22 hillsclerk.com 1.4% 1 of 12 assistants
- 23 thisiscriminal.com 1.4% 1 of 12 assistants
- 24 podcasts.apple.comDirectory & reviews 1.4% 1 of 12 assistants
- 25 uscourts.govLicensing 1.4% 1 of 12 assistants
+ 15 more sites cited less often, together 20.5% of citations.
No business can pay to be ranked · how this is measured
Is your business in this answer?
12 assistants answered “Who are the best criminal defense lawyers in Tampa, FL?” this month and named 20 criminal defense lawyers in Tampa, FL. Which side of that list you are on decides whether a customer asking that question ever hears your name.
On the list, and want to be higher?
Rank here is set by how many assistants repeat your name and which sources they read to decide it — the 25 sources above are the ones that shaped this answer. Our platform measures exactly that for one business: the same 12 assistants, daily instead of monthly, which of those sources you appear on and which you don't, and every fix tracked until the answer changes.
You're not on the list
Then for this question you were not in the answer at all — not ranked low, absent from the shortlist, with nothing to tell you it happened. That is the ordinary case: most criminal defense lawyers in Tampa, FL are never named. AI Pulse shows you what each assistant says about your business and what to change so it names you.
Common questions
Who is the best criminal defense lawyer in Tampa, FL, according to AI?
As of October 1, 2026, The Rickman Law Firm — named by 6 of 12 AI assistants, 11 times in all. The Brancato Law Firm and O'Brien Hatfield, P.A. rank next.
How many criminal defense lawyers did AI assistants name in Tampa, FL?
59 businesses were named across 36 answers from 12 assistants, on 3 phrasings of the question. 20 of them were named often enough to rank.
How often is this ranking updated?
Every month. This edition covers October 2026; the next one publishes in November 2026. Each business's move since the last edition is shown in the "vs last month" column.
How is this ranking measured?
Fixed, unbranded consumer questions — including "Who are the best criminal defense lawyers in Tampa, FL?" — are put to the same assistants every month. Named businesses are resolved to one entity, a name mentioned only once is dropped as unverifiable, and a cell publishes nothing until enough answers accumulate. No business can pay to appear or to rank higher.
The questions we ask
The prompt set is fixed and unbranded, so month-over-month movement means the assistants changed their answer — not that we changed the question.
- Who are the best criminal defense lawyers in Tampa, FL?
- I need a criminal defense lawyer in Tampa, FL. Who do you recommend?
- Best affordable criminal defense lawyer near Tampa?
More Tampa rankings
Every category we track in Tampa, FL, measured the same way.
Criminal Defense Lawyers in other cities
Move up this list
This page measures a whole market once a month, for free. Our software measures a single business across the same 12 assistants daily — which ones name you, which sources they trust to decide it, what to fix next, and whether the answer actually moved.
AI Pulse: all 12 AI assistants, every feature, cancel anytime.