Practical prompt templates for more efficient legal work with AI
Summary & introduction
Generative AI can speed up legal work considerably, provided it’s used correctly. The decisive lever isn’t the tool itself, it’s the prompt.
Many lawyers first try AI with simple inputs such as “Summarise this” or “Check this”. The results then often remain superficial or hard to use.
The solution: structured, context-rich prompts that give the AI a clear brief.
In this article you’ll find 20 ready-to-use ChatGPT prompts for typical law firm tasks, each with a short explanation of why it works and how you can adapt it.
20 tried-and-tested ChatGPT prompts for law firms
1. Quick legal research
Prompt:
“You are a lawyer specialising in German law. Give me a brief overview of the legal position on [topic]. Name the most important provisions and typical points of dispute. Output as 5 bullet points.”
Why it works:
The role plus a clear structure produce concise, usable results instead of long treatises.
2. Case law & literature (with caution)
Prompt:
“Research relevant case law and literature on [topic]. Only give references if you’re certain of them; otherwise, suggest suitable search terms.”
Why it matters:
It reduces hallucinations and makes uncertainty transparent.
Tip:
Legal AI assistants such as BEAMON AI already include sources and access to research databases (for example from Otto Schmidt). These up-to-date secondary sources aren’t available in ChatGPT and other general-purpose tools. This reduces hallucinations even further.
3. Client-friendly explanation
Prompt:
“Explain [legal issue] so that a client with no legal background can understand it. Maximum 150 words, clear and without jargon.”
Benefit:
Ideal for quick emails or preparing for a conversation.
Tip:
Dedicated legal AI assistants already include prompt templates and let users create their own. That way you can write longer prompts and access them at any time.
4. Structuring an internal memo
Prompt:
“Write an internal memo on [facts] with the following structure: 1. Background, 2. Legal issues, 3. Risks, 4. Recommendation. Factual tone.”
Why it’s strong:
The structure forces the AI into clean legal reasoning.
5. Clause review (risk analysis)
Prompt:
“Review the following clause from the perspective of [party] for legal risks. Output as a table: Problem – Risk – Suggestion.”
Benefit:
Ready to use on a matter and easy to reuse.
Tip:
Playbooks improve the review considerably. Legal AI assistants such as BEAMON AI let you add legal playbooks to the review. This increases accuracy, prevents hallucinations and adds practical background knowledge.
6. Alternative contract clause
Prompt:
“Draft an alternative clause that is more favourable to [party] but still in line with market practice. Briefly explain your reasoning.”
Why it helps:
It combines creativity with a legal framework.
7. Summarising a document
Prompt:
“Summarise the following document in no more than 8 sentences. Focus on the key legal points and obligations.”
Tip:
Always define a focus, otherwise it becomes too general.
8. Creating an issues list
Prompt:
“Extract the central legal issues in dispute from the facts. Output as a prioritised list (high/medium/low).”
Added value:
Ideal for structuring a case quickly.
9. Arguments for and against
Prompt:
“Set out the strongest arguments for the claimant and the defendant on [point in dispute]. Present them separately.”
Why it matters:
It lets you switch perspective and develop a better strategy.
10. The judge’s perspective
Prompt:
“You are a judge. Review the submission for conclusiveness, structure and weaknesses. Give specific suggestions for improvement.”
Benefit:
Simulates a critical review from the outside.
Tip:
ChatGPT is generally very accommodating. The tool “wants to please”, which is why it sometimes lets nonsensical or inaccurate user input pass. You can prevent this by telling ChatGPT to be sceptical or precise. Dedicated legal AI assistants such as BEAMON AI are already set up to review critically and ask questions.
11. Comparing documents
Prompt:
“Compare document A and document B. List the differences in a table: Section – Difference – Significance.”
Result:
Differences you can take in at a glance, without manual work.
12. Benchmarking against market standard
Prompt:
“Compare this clause with market-standard terms. Which points are unusual or risky?”
Why it makes sense:
Helps with negotiations and quality assurance.
13. Writing a client email
Prompt:
“Write a short email to the client with the key findings on [topic]. Max. 10 lines, professional.”
Effect:
Saves a huge amount of time day to day.
14. Quality control (hallucination check)
Prompt:
“Review the answer above for uncertainties, missing sources or gaps in logic. List any open points.”
Best practice:
Always use a second AI round as a check.
15. Improving a prompt (meta-prompt)
Prompt:
“Here is my brief: [text]. Turn it into a professional prompt with role, context, task and output.”
Game changer:
The AI helps you with the prompting itself.
16. Drafting a contract
Prompt:
“Draft a simple services agreement under German law with the following parameters: [details]. Clear, easy to understand, without unnecessary clauses.”
Why it matters:
Structure plus parameters prevent generic results.
17. Creating a brief outline as a first step
Prompt:
“I want to write a brief, but the topic is complex. Create an outline for a brief on [topic] with a logical structure of argument that I can develop further later.”
Benefit:
An ideal starting point for complex cases. It helps you get past the fear of the blank page.
18. Consolidating long files
Prompt:
“Summarise the key points from the following sections from the perspective of [client / party A / company X / lawyer] and produce an overall synthesis.”
In practice:
Perfect for extensive documents.
Tip:
The more precisely you describe the use case, the more precise the results.
19. Sharpening the focus on risk
Prompt:
“Identify only the most significant legal risks in the following text. No summary, just risks.”
Why it’s good:
It deliberately limits the answer and increases relevance.
Tip:
This combines well with other prompts and makes sure results are good and precise. It prevents hallucinations and sloppy results.
20. Developing strategic options
Prompt:
“Outline possible strategic options for [situation] from the perspective of [party]. Briefly assess the opportunities and risks.”
Added value:
Supports tactical thinking.
Conclusion: good prompts are clear instructions
The examples show a clear pattern:
Good prompts aren’t longer; they’re clearer, more structured and richer in context
If you want to remember what really counts:
- Define the role
- Provide context
- Specify the task
- Set the output
Then a simple AI tool becomes a real instrument for legal work.
Read next
For the most common prompting mistakes and how to avoid them, read An introduction to prompting for lawyers.
For a step-by-step look at analysing contract clauses with AI, read ChatGPT for legal work: how lawyers can use it properly.
