Crafting Effective AI Prompts for Trial Lawyers
First of all, you should understand that crafting prompts is as much an art as a science. This is one reason why it is not particularly helpful to rely on prompts that other people have generated because in art there are no right or wrong answers, just as one perron’s idea of bad art may be another person’s idea of good art. Also the prompt has to work for you, and we all have different ways of doing things.
That being said we can all agree that artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the legal landscape, offering trial lawyers powerful tools to streamline their workflows and enhance their case preparation. However, the effectiveness of these tools at least so far, largely hinges on the quality of the prompts we provide. A well-crafted prompt acts as a precise instruction manual for the AI, guiding it to generate relevant, accurate, and useful output. This article will delve into the art of crafting effective AI prompts tailored for the needs of a trial lawyer, covering both one-shot prompts and adaptable templates.
Understanding Different Prompt Types
As you’ve observed, AI prompts in legal practice fall into several categories. One-shot prompts are designed for a specific, immediate task, and usually it is not the type of task that the attorney has to reply regularly. These prompts are typically detailed and directly address the immediate need.
On the other hand, template prompts are designed for repeated use across similar situations. These serve as a foundational structure that can be adapted with case-specific details. A template for summarizing documents, for example, would contain the core instructions on how to summarize and cite sources, but would require the user to input the specific document each time.
Essential Elements of a Good Prompt Template
To create a robust and effective prompt template, consider incorporating the following key elements:
1. Clear Task Definition: Begin by explicitly stating what you want the AI to do. Use action verbs like “summarize,” “abstract,” “analyze,” “brainstorm,” or “identify.” For instance, instead of “Tell me about this document,” a better start is “Summarize the key findings of the attached medical report.”
2. Output Specifications: Define the desired format and style of the AI’s output. This includes:
- Citation Style: If you need citations, specify how they should be formatted and where they should appear (e.g., in footnotes, parenthetically, with page numbers). For example: “Abstract the attached deposition transcript, citing the page numbers for each key statement in parentheses after the statement.” Based upon my experience, you may have to be even more explicit and instruct it to :put the citations at the end of each entry in the case record, don’t use drop down menus becaue I need to print the document out and bring it to court, and do not add your citations to the end of the docuent”
- Anonymization: Instruct the AI on how to refer to parties and witnesses. “When summarizing the testimony, refer to the claimant as ‘the Plaintiff’ and the respondent as ‘the Defendant.’ Use only the first names of witnesses.”
- Structure and Organization: Specify the desired structure of the output. Do you want bullet points, numbered paragraphs, unnumbered paragraphs, a chronological order (and whether it should be ascending or descending), or specific sections? For example: “Analyze the provided witness statements and identify potential inconsistencies. Present your analysis in unnumbered paragraphs, organizing the inconsistencies chronologically from the earliest to the most recent.”
3. Contextual Information: Provide the AI with necessary background information to understand the task and the material. This might include:
- Case Type: Mentioning the area of law (e.g., personal injury, breach of contract) can help the AI tailor its analysis.
- Key Issues: Briefly outline the central legal or factual questions in the case.
- Specific Focus Areas: If you want the AI to concentrate on particular aspects of a document or testimony, clearly state them. For example, when reviewing a contract, you might instruct the AI to “focus on the clauses related to termination and liability.”
4. Constraints and Limitations: Guide the AI by specifying what to avoid or exclude. This can prevent irrelevant or unwanted information. For example: “When summarizing the legal precedents, do not include cases from jurisdictions outside of New York State, unless specifically discussing federal law.”
5. Source Material Instructions: Clearly indicate how the AI will access the documents or information it needs to process. This might involve pasting text directly into the prompt or, with some platforms, uploading files.
Refining Your Prompts Through Iteration
The other reason why It is unnecessary for you to obtain prompts crafted by others is that prompts are meant to be continually improved based upon your experience and experimentation.
Crafting the perfect prompt almost always involves some trial and error. Don’t be afraid to refine your prompts based on the AI’s initial output. If the results aren’t quite what you’re looking for, adjust your instructions, add more detail, or rephrase your request. This iterative process will help you understand how to best communicate with the AI and achieve the desired outcomes. You can even ask the ai to craft prompts that you will use on it, to improve the results. Understand that the prompt doesn’t just have to work, it has to work for you.