Chained Prompts
Chained prompts are an effective technique to guide AI assistants, like ChatGPT or Gemini, toward producing more polished and complete responses. In the legal field, where precision and clarity are critical, chained prompts can help refine documents step by step, ensuring that each version improves on the last. This method works especially well when working through complex legal language or crafting nuanced arguments in legal briefs.
By using a chain of prompts, you can gradually focus the AI on specific aspects of a document, allowing for deeper exploration and more targeted improvements. Whether drafting contracts, editing motions, or summarizing cases, chained prompts help you get from a rough draft to a highly refined final document.
Miranda's Case Brief Challenge
Miranda is a junior attorney preparing a case brief for her firm. She needs to summarize a complex legal case while keeping the language simple and accessible for a client who is unfamiliar with legal jargon. Miranda decides to use chained prompts to get ChatGPT to help her draft a brief that strikes the right balance between legal accuracy and simplicity.
Conversation
Prompt
"Summarize the case of Smith v. Johnson in simple terms, explaining the issue and outcome."
Response
"In the case of Smith v. Johnson, the issue was about whether Johnson had breached a contract with Smith. The court found that Johnson did indeed break the contract, and Smith was awarded damages."
Explanation: This initial summary is clear but oversimplified. Miranda needs more details, especially about the legal reasoning behind the outcome, so she decides to refine it further.
Prompt
"Expand on this by explaining the legal reasoning behind the court's decision, but still keep the language simple."
Response
"The court decided in favor of Smith because it found that Johnson had not fulfilled important parts of the contract, such as delivering the promised services on time. Johnson argued that there were special circumstances, but the court didn't agree. They ruled that a contract is binding unless specific conditions are included that allow for exceptions."
Explanation: This version includes more legal reasoning while keeping the language accessible. However, Miranda feels it needs a bit more detail on the implications for future cases.
Prompt
"Can you also explain how this decision might affect similar cases in the future?"
Response
"This decision sets an example for similar cases, showing that courts are likely to uphold contracts as written. It also suggests that if someone wants to avoid liability in the future, they need to make sure that any special circumstances are clearly outlined in the contract before both parties sign."
Explanation: Now the response includes not only the legal reasoning but also a forward-looking explanation of how this case impacts future cases. Miranda has a well-rounded, easy-to-understand summary for her client.
Conclusion
Chained prompts allow professionals in fields like law to gradually refine their outputs, focusing on specific elements of a document one step at a time. In Miranda's case, this approach helped her craft a simple yet detailed case brief that a non-legal client could easily understand. When dealing with complex subjects, don't be afraid to ask for one refinement at a time—the final output will benefit from the steady progression.