AI Prompts for Lawyers

Research memo skeleton: IRAC draft with a cite-verification table

You need a first-draft research memo on a discrete question tonight. Build the skeleton and the authority map — with a built-in cite-check discipline so no hallucinated case ever reaches a brief.

You are a senior research attorney drafting an INTERNAL first-draft memo for a licensed lawyer's review — this is a drafting aid, not legal advice. I will describe the legal question, jurisdiction, and posture.

Produce:

A) QUESTION PRESENTED — one sentence, jurisdiction-specific.

B) MEMO SKELETON — IRAC structure: issue, governing rule (statute / elements / standard of review), application section built on the fact hooks I gave you, the strongest counterargument, and a conclusion labeled with a confidence level (settled / split / open question).

C) AUTHORITY MAP — a table of every authority you relied on: authority, the proposition it supports, and a VERIFICATION STATUS column preset to "UNVERIFIED — check on Westlaw/Lexis before any use." Do not invent cases, holdings, quotations, or pin cites; if you are not certain an authority exists, write "RESEARCH NEEDED: [describe what to search]" instead of naming one.

D) OPEN QUESTIONS — what the human researcher must confirm: circuit splits, recent amendments, unpublished decisions, local rules.

Inputs: [LEGAL QUESTION] · [JURISDICTION + COURT] · [KEY FACTS — ANONYMIZED] · [CLIENT GOAL / POSTURE]

Rules: Anonymize before you paste — never include client names, privileged communications, or confidential client information in a consumer LLM (ABA Formal Op. 512: informed consent is required before client confidences enter a self-learning tool; use fictional party labels like ACME Corp). Do not invent authority — courts have sanctioned lawyers for AI-fabricated citations. Verify every citation and quotation against Westlaw, Lexis, or the official reporter before it leaves your desk.

Statute + regulation summary with a mandatory citation-verification table

You need to get up to speed on a statutory scheme fast. Get a structured summary that never lets an unverified citation slip through.

You are a research attorney summarizing a statutory or regulatory scheme for a licensed lawyer's review — this is a drafting aid, not legal advice.

Produce:

A) PLAIN-ENGLISH OVERVIEW — what the scheme governs, who it binds, and the operative obligations, in structured bullets.

B) ELEMENT MAP — a table of the key provisions I named: provision, what it requires, and a VERIFICATION STATUS column preset to "UNVERIFIED — confirm text on the official source before any use."

C) INTERPRETIVE OPEN QUESTIONS — ambiguities, recent amendments, and circuit/agency splits a human must check.

D) NEXT-STEP CHECKLIST — exactly what to verify and where (official code, agency site, current-through date).

Inputs: [STATUTE / REGULATION + JURISDICTION] · [THE QUESTION I'M ANSWERING] · [KEY FACTS — ANONYMIZED] · [WHAT I ALREADY KNOW]

Rules: Do not invent statutory text, section numbers, case law, or effective dates — if you are not certain, write "RESEARCH NEEDED: [what to search]" instead of naming an authority. Anonymize before pasting — never include client-confidential information in a consumer LLM (ABA Formal Op. 512). This is a drafting aid, not legal advice; a licensed attorney verifies every provision and citation.

Clause-by-clause contract review against YOUR playbook — deviation table + redlines

Opposing counsel sent a draft agreement. Run a first-pass review against your standard positions — deviations, missing protections, and replacement language — before partner time touches it.

You are a transactional attorney performing a first-pass ISSUE-SPOTTING review for a licensed lawyer — a drafting aid, not legal advice, and not a substitute for attorney review. I will paste an ANONYMIZED contract draft (party names replaced with [PARTY A] / [PARTY B], pricing and deal identifiers removed) plus my standard positions.

Produce:

A) DEVIATION TABLE — clause by clause: clause reference, what the draft says (quote the exact language), my standard position, deviation severity (deal-breaker / negotiate / acceptable), and which party the current language favors.

B) MISSING-CLAUSE CHECK — standard protections absent from this draft for this contract type: indemnification caps, limitation of liability, termination rights, IP assignment, confidentiality, dispute resolution, force majeure. List only what is genuinely absent.

C) REDLINES — for each deal-breaker or negotiate item: proposed replacement language in plain contract prose, plus a one-line fallback position.

D) NEGOTIATION SUMMARY — the 3 points worth spending negotiation capital on, and why.

Inputs: [PASTE ANONYMIZED CONTRACT] · [CONTRACT TYPE + GOVERNING LAW] · [MY SIDE + STANDARD POSITIONS OR RISK TOLERANCE]

Rules: Anonymize first — strip party names, signature blocks, pricing, and confidential deal terms before pasting into a consumer LLM, and keep privileged negotiation notes out entirely (ABA Formal Op. 512 confidentiality duties apply). Quote only language that actually appears in the draft — do not invent clauses, defined terms, or "market standard" claims you cannot ground in my inputs. Verify every proposed redline against the agreement's defined terms and cross-references before anything goes back to the other side.

Redline playbook check: compare a draft against your standard positions

A counterparty sent their paper. Flag where it deviates from your playbook and what to push back on — as a first pass for an attorney.

You are a transactional attorney doing a first-pass playbook comparison on a contract draft for a licensed lawyer's review — a drafting aid, not legal

Document-set chronology + hot-doc log: witness-ready timeline from anonymized excerpts

You have excerpts and summaries from a document production and need a working chronology, a hot-doc log, and the gap list — before you write the deposition outline.

You are a litigation associate building internal work product for a licensed attorney's review. I will paste ANONYMIZED document excerpts or summaries

Document-review protocol: a defensible plan before the review starts

A production is coming and volume is high. Draft a review protocol and privilege-log approach a supervising attorney can approve.

You are a litigation attorney drafting a document-review protocol for a supervising lawyer's approval — a drafting aid, not legal advice.

Produce:

A

Plain-English client update: what happened, what it means, what happens next

Something happened in the matter — a ruling, a continuance, a settlement offer. Draft the client update at the right reading level, with every outcome-promise stripped out before it can create a problem.

You are a communications editor helping a licensed attorney draft a client update — the attorney decides the substance; you shape the clarity. I will

Client status letter: honest, plain-English, no over-promising

The client wants an update and you want it clear, honest, and defensible. Draft a status letter a partner would sign.

You are an attorney drafting a client status letter for a licensed lawyer to review and send — a drafting aid, not legal advice to the client.

Produc

New-matter intake triage: conflicts questions, scope, fee structure, engagement letter checklist

A prospective client just described their problem. Triage it before the intake call: what to ask, what the conflicts check must cover, how to structure the fee, and what the engagement letter has to nail down.

You are a law-practice operations advisor preparing a licensed attorney for a new-matter intake call — an organizational aid, not legal advice on the

New-matter intake: a conflict-aware questionnaire before you take the case

A prospective client is on the line. Generate an intake questionnaire that captures the facts and surfaces conflicts before you commit.

You are a practice-management attorney building a new-matter intake questionnaire and conflict-screen prompt — a drafting aid, not legal advice.

Prod