These ten prompts took me from blank page to usable first draft on actual client matters — intake calls, demand letters, deposition prep, and everything in between. Save them now; tweak the variables later.
Every solo lawyer I talk to has the same complaint: too many tasks, not enough time, and AI tools that sound impressive until you actually try them on a real matter. The prompts below were built for ChatGPT (GPT-4o) and tested across family law, employment, and small-business transactional matters. They are not magic. They produce first drafts, not final work product. But a solid first draft that takes three minutes instead of forty-five minutes is the whole point.
A few ground rules before you start. Never paste full client names, Social Security numbers, or identifying case details into a public AI tool. Use placeholders like [CLIENT], [OPPOSING PARTY], and [MATTER TYPE]. If your firm uses Microsoft Copilot or a privacy-partitioned ChatGPT Enterprise account, you have more flexibility — but check your bar’s current guidance on client data and AI tools before you do anything. These prompts work best as templates you adapt, not scripts you run verbatim.
1. Intake Call Summary into a Structured Brief
When to use it: Right after an intake call. You have rough notes or a transcript from a call-recording tool like Otter.ai or Fireflies. You need a clean, structured brief to open a new matter file.
What to expect: A structured output with labeled sections — parties, key facts, potential claims, open questions, and recommended next steps. The model is good at pulling signal from messy notes. It will occasionally hallucinate a “fact” that wasn’t in your notes, so read it against your source before filing it anywhere.
You are a legal assistant helping a solo attorney organize intake notes.
Below are rough notes from a new client intake call. Convert them into a structured brief with these sections:
1. Parties (client name placeholder, opposing party placeholder, any other relevant persons)
2. Core Facts (bullet list, chronological where possible)
3. Potential Claims or Issues (list only — do not evaluate likelihood)
4. Documents Mentioned or Needed
5. Open Questions for Follow-Up
6. Suggested Next Steps
Do not add facts not present in the notes. Flag anything unclear with [UNCLEAR].
Intake notes:
[PASTE YOUR NOTES HERE]Tweaks: Add a sixth section called “Conflicts Check Names” and ask the model to pull every person and entity name mentioned — that feeds directly into prompt #2. If you handle a specific practice area, add “Practice area: [AREA]” so the model can weight its issue-spotting accordingly.
2. First-Pass Conflict Check from a Party List
When to use it: You’ve got a new matter and a list of parties. You want a quick cross-reference against your existing client list before your conflicts-check software runs its full scan — or if you don’t have dedicated conflicts software.
What to expect: The model will flag name matches, near-matches, and related entities. This is a first pass, not a complete conflicts check. Your malpractice carrier and bar rules require a real process — this prompt helps you surface obvious problems faster.
You are a legal assistant running a first-pass conflicts check for a solo attorney.
New matter parties:
[LIST ALL PARTIES, ENTITIES, AND KEY PERSONS FROM THE NEW MATTER]
Existing client and adverse party list:
[PASTE YOUR CURRENT CLIENT/ADVERSE PARTY LIST — USE PLACEHOLDERS IF NEEDED]
Tasks:
1. Flag any exact name matches between the two lists.
2. Flag any likely near-matches (similar names, abbreviations, DBAs).
3. Flag any entities that share a name root with a listed party.
4. List any names from the new matter that do NOT appear on the existing list (for your records).
Format the output as a table with columns: New Matter Party | Match Found | Match Type | Notes.Tweaks: This prompt only works as well as the list you feed it. Keep a running CSV of client and adverse party names in a note or document you can paste quickly. If your existing list is long, break it into chunks — GPT-4o handles roughly 25,000 words of context, but accuracy degrades near the ceiling.
3. Demand Letter Draft from a Fact Pattern
When to use it: You have a settled fact pattern and a clear demand amount. You need a professional demand letter drafted before you spend thirty minutes staring at a blank template.
What to expect: A complete letter with opening statement of representation, fact recitation, legal basis section (labeled as general — you’ll fill in controlling authority), demand, and deadline. The model writes competent prose. It will not cite your jurisdiction’s specific statutes correctly without prompting, so always check cites before sending.
You are a legal assistant drafting a demand letter for a solo attorney.
Facts:
[SUMMARIZE THE CORE FACTS — WHO DID WHAT, WHEN, AND WHAT HARM RESULTED]
Jurisdiction: [STATE]
Practice area: [E.G., EMPLOYMENT / PERSONAL INJURY / CONTRACT]
Demand amount: $[AMOUNT] or [DESCRIBE RELIEF SOUGHT]
Response deadline: [NUMBER] days
Draft a professional demand letter. Use formal tone. Include:
- Opening paragraph identifying the attorney and client (use [ATTORNEY NAME] and [CLIENT] as placeholders)
- Factual background section
- Legal basis section — flag where jurisdiction-specific statutes or case law should be inserted with [INSERT AUTHORITY]
- Clear statement of demand
- Response deadline and consequence of non-response
Do not invent legal citations. Use [INSERT AUTHORITY] wherever a cite is needed.Tweaks: Add “Tone: [firm but professional / aggressive / conciliatory]” to the prompt to shift the letter’s posture. For employment matters, add the employer’s size if known — it affects which statutes apply and the model will note that in the [INSERT AUTHORITY] placeholders.
4. Deposition Outline from Case Documents
When to use it: You have a deponent, a set of documents, and not enough time to build a line-by-line outline from scratch. Paste in the relevant excerpts — discovery responses, prior statements, key emails — and let the model draft your question framework.
What to expect: A topical outline with suggested question areas, document tie-ins, and impeachment flags. The model is strong on organizing themes and weak on jurisdiction-specific deposition procedure. Expect to add foundation questions and objection-anticipation notes yourself.
You are a legal assistant helping a solo attorney prepare for a deposition.
Deponent: [ROLE — E.G., "Defendant employer's HR director" — no real names]
Matter type: [E.G., wrongful termination / breach of contract]
Key issues in dispute: [LIST 3-5 CORE DISPUTED FACTS OR LEGAL ELEMENTS]
Documents provided (paste excerpts below):
[PASTE RELEVANT EXCERPTS — REDACT IDENTIFYING INFO AS NEEDED]
Create a deposition outline organized by topic. For each topic:
1. State the goal of that topic section (what you are trying to establish or undermine)
2. List 5-8 suggested open-ended questions
3. Note any document the attorney should introduce during that section
4. Flag any prior statements in the documents that could be used for impeachment
Do not suggest legal strategy. Flag factual inconsistencies in the documents with [INCONSISTENCY NOTE].Tweaks: If you have a prior deposition transcript from the same witness in another matter, paste selected excerpts and add “Flag any statements inconsistent with the documents above.” The model handles cross-document comparison reasonably well within a single context window.
5. Engagement Letter Customization
When to use it: You have a master engagement letter template and need to adapt it for a specific matter type, fee arrangement, or client situation without rewriting the whole thing manually.
What to expect: The model will insert the right variables, flag clauses that may not fit the matter type, and suggest additions you might have missed. It will not flag jurisdiction-specific requirements you haven’t told it about — you still need to know what your state bar requires in an engagement letter.
You are a legal assistant helping a solo attorney customize an engagement letter.
Base template:
[PASTE YOUR ENGAGEMENT LETTER TEMPLATE]
Matter details:
- Matter type: [E.G., estate planning / civil litigation / business formation]
- Fee arrangement: [E.G., flat fee $X / hourly at $X / contingency at X%]
- Scope of representation: [DESCRIBE WHAT IS AND IS NOT INCLUDED]
- Any special terms: [LIST ANY CLIENT-SPECIFIC ARRANGEMENTS]
Tasks:
1. Insert the matter-specific details into the appropriate places in the template.
2. Flag any clauses in the template that may not fit this matter type with [REVIEW THIS CLAUSE].
3. Suggest any standard clauses that appear to be missing for this matter type, labeled [SUGGESTED ADDITION].
4. Do not change any clause language without flagging the change clearly.
Output: The revised letter with all changes marked in [BRACKETS].Tweaks: Run this with Claude Sonnet 3.5 if you want more conservative, flag-heavy output — Claude tends to over-flag, which is actually useful for compliance review. GPT-4o tends to write more fluently but flag less aggressively.
6. Chronology Builder from Emails and Notes
When to use it: You have a pile of emails, text summaries, and scattered notes and need a clean timeline. Works for breach-of-contract disputes, employment matters, domestic cases — anywhere a clear sequence of events matters.
What to expect: A date-ordered table or list with source attribution. The model is good at pulling dates and sequencing events. It will occasionally misread ambiguous date formats (MM/DD vs. DD/MM) — flag that in the prompt if your documents mix formats.
You are a legal assistant building a factual chronology for a solo attorney.
Below are excerpts from emails, notes, and documents related to a single matter. Extract every datable event and build a chronology.
Output format: A table with columns — Date | Event Description | Source | Significance Flag
Rules:
- Use the exact date from the source if available. If only a month/year is given, note that.
- If a date is ambiguous or inferred, mark it [INFERRED DATE].
- Significance Flag: mark events as [KEY] if they appear directly relevant to the core dispute; mark [BACKGROUND] for context events.
- Do not add events not supported by the source material.
- If two events appear to conflict in the record, flag both with [CONFLICT].
Source material:
[PASTE EMAILS, NOTES, AND EXCERPTS HERE — REDACT IDENTIFYING INFO]Tweaks: For long document sets, run this in batches by time period and then ask the model to merge and de-duplicate the resulting tables. Ask it to “merge the following two chronology tables, removing duplicate entries and resolving conflicts where the same event appears twice with different dates.”
7. Settlement Agreement Plain-Language Summary for the Client
When to use it: You’ve negotiated a settlement and need to explain it to a client who is not a lawyer. You want a summary that covers what they’re agreeing to, what they’re giving up, and what happens next — without the legalese.
What to expect: A clean, readable summary organized by what the client receives, what the client must do, what the client cannot do after signing, and key dates. The model handles plain-language conversion well. Do not send this summary to the client in place of the actual agreement — it’s a companion document you review with them.
You are a legal assistant helping a solo attorney explain a settlement agreement to a client in plain language.
Settlement agreement text:
[PASTE THE SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT — REDACT NAMES IF NEEDED]
Write a plain-language summary for the client. Use simple sentences. No legal jargon without a plain-English explanation in parentheses.
Organize the summary into these sections:
1. What You Are Getting (payments, actions, other relief)
2. What You Must Do (release of claims, confidentiality obligations, other duties)
3. What You Cannot Do After Signing (restrictions, non-disparagement, non-compete if applicable)
4. Important Dates and Deadlines
5. What Happens If Either Side Doesn't Follow Through
End with a short paragraph reminding the client to ask their attorney any questions before signing.
Do not interpret ambiguous clauses — flag them with [ASK YOUR ATTORNEY ABOUT THIS].Tweaks: Adjust reading level with “Write at a 7th-grade reading level” or “Write for a sophisticated business client.” The model handles both well. If the agreement is long, paste it in sections and ask for section-by-section summaries first, then ask for a consolidated summary.
8. Interrogatory Response First Draft
When to use it: Opposing counsel has served interrogatories. You have your client’s answers in rough form — notes from a call, a client-filled questionnaire, bullet points. You need a properly formatted first draft before you do the real lawyering.
What to expect: Formally formatted responses with proper headers, general objections section, and individual responses. The model will draft objections only if you give it grounds — it won’t invent them. You will need to review every objection for jurisdictional validity and every substantive response for accuracy. This prompt saves formatting time, not judgment time.
You are a legal assistant helping a solo attorney draft interrogatory responses.
Jurisdiction: [STATE / FEDERAL — DISTRICT IF FEDERAL]
Case type: [E.G., employment discrimination / breach of contract]
Interrogatories served:
[PASTE THE INTERROGATORIES]
Client's rough answers (as provided — do not treat these as verified):
[PASTE THE CLIENT'S NOTES OR QUESTIONNAIRE ANSWERS]
Draft formal interrogatory responses. Follow this structure:
- Standard caption and introduction (use [CASE CAPTION] placeholder)
- General Objections section — include only objections supported by these grounds: [LIST ANY GROUNDS YOU WANT INCLUDED, E.G., "overbroad," "unduly burdensome," "attorney-client privilege"]
- Individual responses keyed to each interrogatory number
- Where the client's answer is incomplete, draft the response to reflect what was provided and add [ATTORNEY: CONFIRM/SUPPLEMENT]
- Where no client answer was provided, write [NO RESPONSE PROVIDED — ATTORNEY ACTION REQUIRED]
Do not add substantive information the client did not provide.Tweaks: If you want the model to draft privilege-specific objections, add the privilege basis and a brief description of what you’re protecting. Never let the model guess at privilege — it will get it wrong.
9. Objection-Letter Style Review of Opposing Counsel Correspondence
When to use it: Opposing counsel sent a letter with factual characterizations, legal positions, or demands. You want a structured breakdown before you respond — what they claimed, what’s disputable, what’s accurate, and what they may be setting up.
What to expect: A point-by-point analysis of the letter’s claims, flagging factual assertions, legal conclusions, and rhetorical moves separately. This is a thinking tool, not a draft response. It’s genuinely useful for clearing your head before you pick up the phone or start typing.
You are a legal assistant helping a solo attorney analyze a letter from opposing counsel.
Letter from opposing counsel:
[PASTE THE LETTER]
Your client's matter context (brief summary only):
[2-3 SENTENCES ON THE MATTER — NO PRIVILEGED DETAIL]
Analyze the letter with the following breakdown:
1. Factual Claims — List each factual assertion made in the letter. For each, note whether it appears accurate, disputable, or unverifiable based on the context provided.
2. Legal Positions — Identify any legal conclusions or theories asserted. Flag these as [LEGAL POSITION — ATTORNEY REVIEW NEEDED].
3. Implicit Threats or Posturing — Note any implied threats, deadlines, or strategic positioning.
4. Demands — List all explicit demands, including response deadlines.
5. Suggested Response Points — For each factual claim marked disputable, note what a response might address. Do not draft the response itself.
Do not evaluate the legal merit of positions — flag them for attorney review.Tweaks: This prompt works well as a second pass after you’ve already read the letter yourself. Run it after forming your own initial reaction and compare the model’s breakdown to your instincts — the gaps are usually informative.
10. End-of-Week Matter Status Email to a Client
When to use it: Friday afternoon. You have five active matters and five clients who haven’t heard from you since Tuesday. You have notes on what happened this week. You need five short emails in twenty minutes.
What to expect: A professional, warm, appropriately brief client update email. The model writes competent client-facing prose without the wooden formality of a form letter. You’ll still need to fact-check every line against your actual matter status — the model only knows what you tell it.
You are a legal assistant helping a solo attorney write a client status update email.
Matter context:
- Matter type: [E.G., pending litigation / contract negotiation / estate plan]
- Current stage: [E.G., discovery / drafting / awaiting opposing party response]
- What happened this week: [BRIEF BULLET POINTS]
- What is happening next: [NEXT 1-2 STEPS]
- Any action needed from client: [YES/NO — IF YES, DESCRIBE]
- Tone: [PROFESSIONAL AND WARM / FORMAL / CASUAL — CLIENT'S PREFERENCE]
Write a brief client update email (150-250 words).
- Address the client as [CLIENT FIRST NAME].
- Sign as [ATTORNEY NAME].
- Do not include specific dollar amounts, legal conclusions, or strategic assessments.
- End with a clear statement of what the client should do next, if anything.
- Do not use legal jargon without a plain-English explanation.Tweaks: Build a simple text file with your five active matters’ bullet-point status each Friday afternoon and run this prompt five times in a row. Takes about fifteen minutes total once you have the habit. Some attorneys batch this in a single prompt asking for all five emails at once — results are slightly lower quality but still usable.
Notes on Using These Prompts
Model Choice: GPT-4o vs. Claude Sonnet 3.5
I ran all ten prompts on both GPT-4o (via ChatGPT Plus) and Claude Sonnet 3.5 (via Claude.ai Pro). Short verdict: GPT-4o produces more fluent, polished prose — better for the demand letter, the client email, and the plain-language settlement summary. Claude Sonnet 3.5 is more conservative and flags more aggressively — better for the engagement letter review and the interrogatory draft, where over-flagging is a feature, not a bug. For the conflict check and chronology, they perform comparably. Neither is accurate enough on jurisdiction-specific legal cites to skip your own review.
Customization Variables to Build In
Every prompt above has bracket variables. The ones worth standardizing across your practice:
- [JURISDICTION] — Add this to every prompt. It doesn’t guarantee accurate statutory cites, but it steers the model’s general framing correctly.
- [PRACTICE AREA] — Narrows the model’s issue-spotting. Without it, you get generic output.
- [TONE] — Matters more than you’d expect on client-facing documents. Define your client communication style once and paste it in.
- [ATTORNEY REVIEW NEEDED] — Keep this flag language consistent across all prompts so you know at a glance what the model flagged when you’re editing.
Where These Prompts Break
The conflict check breaks when your existing client list is inconsistently formatted — the model can’t catch what it can’t parse. The deposition outline breaks on highly technical expert matters where the model lacks domain context. The demand letter breaks when the legal theory is novel or jurisdiction-specific enough that [INSERT AUTHORITY] placeholders dominate the whole legal basis section — at that point, you’re writing from scratch anyway. The interrogatory draft breaks when client answers are vague or contradictory, because the model fills gaps with plausible-sounding content it doesn’t actually know. Every prompt breaks on long documents that exceed the context window — split them.
One Hard Rule
These prompts produce first drafts. You edit, verify, and sign. If a line in the output doesn’t match your actual knowledge of the matter, cut it. The model doesn’t know your client. You do.
Save these to a note, a doc, or a snippet manager like TextExpander or Raycast Snippets. The ten minutes you spend organizing them now will pay back within the first week you use them.
Related reading
- The 5-Prompt Sequence for First-Pass Contract Review with Claude or GPT
- 10 Claude Prompts for Faster Discovery Document Review
- 7 Demand Letter Drafting Prompts That Actually Save Time
- The AI-Powered Client Intake Workflow Every Solo Lawyer Should Steal
- Document Automation with Claude and Microsoft Word: A Walkthrough for Small Firms
