---
title: "AI prompts for everyday legal work: ready-to-use examples"
url: https://notionforlawyers.com/post/ai-prompts-for-legal-work
updated: 2026-10-17
author: Raghav Handa
---

# AI prompts for everyday legal work: ready-to-use examples

Good AI prompts for legal work give the model a role, the task, the context, the format you want and a rule against inventing facts. Use the templates below for summaries, client emails, issue lists and file notes, anonymise inputs, and check every output against the source before use.

## Key takeaways

- Strong prompts state task, context, format and limits.
- Tell the model not to invent facts or citations, and to flag gaps.
- Anonymise client information unless your tool's terms and duties allow otherwise.
- The output is a draft; you remain responsible for it.

## The anatomy of a good prompt

1. Role: who the model should act as (for example, a careful paralegal).
2. Task: one clear job.
3. Context: the facts and documents, anonymised.
4. Format: bullets, table, word limit.
5. Guardrails: no invented facts, mark uncertainty.


## Five prompts to copy

Summarise a document: Act as a careful paralegal. Summarise the document below in no more than [200] words for a [practice area] lawyer. Then list the key dates, parties and obligations in a table. Use only information in the text; write NOT STATED where something is missing. Text: [paste anonymised text]

Client update email: Draft a plain-English email to a client about [stage of matter]. Facts: [bullet facts]. Tone: [warm, professional]. Length: under [150] words. Do not give a prediction of outcome. End with the next step and who does it.

Issues list: Based on the facts below, list the legal questions a [practice area] lawyer in [jurisdiction] should consider, as questions only. Do not state the law or cite any case. Facts: [paste]

File note: Turn these rough notes into a file note with headings: Date, Attendees, Discussion, Decisions, Actions (owner, date). Do not add content. Notes: [paste]

Plain-English rewrite: Rewrite this paragraph for a lay reader at about a [secondary school] reading level without changing the legal meaning. List any word you changed that could alter meaning. Paragraph: [paste]

Verify before use: AI can produce fluent text that is wrong or invented. Check every fact, quotation and citation against the primary source, and follow your bar or regulator's guidance on confidentiality and supervision.


## Habits that make prompts safer

- Ask for questions or issues rather than 'the law' when you cannot verify the answer.
- Never accept a citation you have not looked up yourself.
- Keep a record of which tool and prompt produced a draft.
- Save prompts that work in a shared place for the team.

For a structured way to store and reuse prompts by stage, see the prompt library article.


## Storing prompts with LawyerOS

You can keep prompts as pages in a Notion database. LawyerOS Pro with AI ($39) includes a Custom AI Agents page covering how to set up Notion agents. LawyerOS does not include its own AI model.

- Prompt library by stage: https://notionforlawyers.com/post/ai-prompt-library-legal-research-drafting-review
- Custom AI agents for lawyers: https://notionforlawyers.com/post/custom-ai-agents-for-lawyers


## FAQ

### Can I paste client documents into AI?

Only if the tool's terms and your professional duties permit it. Anonymise by default.

### Can AI cite cases for me?

Do not rely on it to. Look up every authority in a trusted source.

### Which model should I use?

Test a few on your own anonymised work and compare accuracy and review time.

### Are these prompts legal advice?

No. They are drafting aids; you supply the legal judgment.