Is it safe to use ChatGPT with privileged client information?

Not on the free or personal plans. Anonymise facts, strip client names and dates, or use a legal-grade tool with contractual confidentiality and no training on inputs. For contract review specifically, Harvey and Spellbook are built for this and handle privilege properly.

Can I use these prompts for actual contract drafting?

Use them for first drafts, issue lists and clause libraries — never for the final version that goes to the counterparty. Spellbook plugs into Word and drafts inside your own precedent, which is usually safer than round-tripping through a chat window.

Does this meet SRA and GDPR obligations?

The prompts themselves are fine, but the tool you run them in must have a signed DPA, a no-training commitment on your data, and an audit trail. Lexis+ AI and Harvey are designed against that bar; ChatGPT Team meets a lower bar suitable for anonymised research.

How do I get better first-pass contract reviews?

Give the model the deal context in one paragraph, then a numbered issues list you care about (e.g. liability, IP, termination, data). The contract prompt in the Contracts category is structured this way — pair it with Definely if you need clause-by-clause reference lookups inside Word.

What about automating repetitive client comms?

The client comms and intake prompts here cover most one-offs. For fully productised intake flows (onboarding, conflict checks, document collection), Josef is purpose-built and cheaper than building it in a chatbot.

All guides

Legal · Prompts10 prompts

ChatGPT Prompts for Lawyers

ChatGPT prompts UK lawyers can actually use in practice

Practical ChatGPT prompts for solicitors, barristers and in-house counsel. Contract review, client comms, first-draft memos and admin — with guardrails for confidentiality and SRA compliance. Nothing here is legal advice; always review model output before it leaves your desk.

Pair these prompts with the right tools

See our curated AI Tools for Lawyers directory

View the stack →

All10 Admin1 Client comms2 Contracts2 Data protection1 Disputes1 In-house1 Intake1 Research1

The prompts

The first two are free — copy, paste, fill the {placeholders}. Unlock the rest with your email below (free, no spam).

First-pass contract review

Contracts

You are a senior commercial solicitor in England and Wales. Review the contract below on behalf of {party}. Produce: (1) a plain-English summary in under 200 words, (2) a risk table (clause, issue, risk rating H/M/L, suggested redline), (3) missing clauses you'd expect for this type of deal, (4) 5 questions to ask the client before responding. Contract: {paste}.

Redline a clause with rationale

Contracts

Redline the clause below to shift risk toward {counterparty}. Return the original, your proposed wording, and a one-paragraph negotiation rationale a partner could send to opposing counsel. Clause: {paste}.

Client-friendly explanation of a legal conceptLocked

Client comms

Explain {legal concept, e.g. warranties vs indemnities} to a non-lawyer commercial director in under 250 words. Use one analogy, one worked example, and end with 'what this means for you' in 3 bullets. British English.

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Draft a letter before actionLocked

Disputes

Draft a letter before action for a UK debt claim of £{amount} arising from {facts}. Comply with the Practice Direction on Pre-Action Conduct. Include background, the claim, interest calculation placeholder, what we require, a 14-day response deadline, and consequences of non-response. Flag any assumptions I need to confirm.

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Case law summary for a research noteLocked

Research

Summarise the following judgment for an internal research note: parties, court, year, key facts, issue, held, reasoning in 3 bullets, ratio, and relevance to {your matter}. Under 400 words. Judgment: {paste}. Do not invent citations — mark unknown fields as [check].

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Attendance note from meeting bulletsLocked

Admin

Convert these meeting bullets into a formal attendance note: date, attendees, matter reference {ref}, discussion, advice given, actions with owners and deadlines, next steps. Neutral third-person, past tense, chargeable-time friendly. Bullets: {paste}.

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GDPR data subject access request response outlineLocked

Data protection

Draft the structure of a response to a UK GDPR DSAR from {requester type}. Cover identity verification, scope clarification, statutory deadline, exemptions to consider (legal professional privilege, third-party data, management forecasts), redaction approach, and a covering letter template. Do not fill in facts — use placeholders.

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Board memo on a legal riskLocked

In-house

Write a one-page board memo on {legal risk}. Structure: issue, background, legal position under English law, commercial impact, options (do nothing / mitigate / escalate) with pros and cons, recommendation. Executive tone, no Latin, no hedging.

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Client intake questionnaireLocked

Intake

Design an intake questionnaire for a new {matter type} instruction. 15 questions grouped into: about you, the other side, the facts, documents you hold, outcome you want, budget and timeline. Include conflict-check and source-of-funds questions required for SRA compliance.

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Fee estimate explainer for a clientLocked

Client comms

Draft a client-facing fee estimate letter for {matter}. Explain scope, assumptions, hourly rates of the team, estimated hours per phase, disbursements, VAT, what's excluded, and what would change the estimate. Warm but precise. British English.

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Recommended tools for these prompts

These prompts work in any chat model, but pair them with the right specialist tool and you'll cut hours per week. Every pick comes from our AI Tools for Lawyers stack.

See the full stack →

Harvey
Paid
GPT-4 class assistant trained on legal work; used by Allen & Overy and PwC Legal.
Best for
Big-firm research & drafting
Read our review →See in Lawyers & Legal Ops stack
Spellbook
Paid
AI contract drafting and review inside Microsoft Word.
Best for
Transactional lawyers in Word
Read our review →See in Lawyers & Legal Ops stack
Robin AI
Paid
UK-built contract review copilot with plain-English explanations.
Best for
In-house contract review
Read our review →See in Lawyers & Legal Ops stack
Lexis+ AI
Paid
Generative legal research tied to Lexis's UK case law database.
Best for
UK legal research with citations
Read our review →See in Lawyers & Legal Ops stack
Definely
Paid
Reads defined terms and cross-references in complex contracts instantly.
Best for
Reviewing long-form contracts
Read our review →See in Lawyers & Legal Ops stack
Josef
Paid
No-code legal chatbots and document automation for repeatable work.
Best for
Client intake & self-service
Read our review →See in Lawyers & Legal Ops stack

Free download

Get the full Legal prompt pack as a PDF

Every prompt on this page, formatted for copy-paste, plus 5 bonus prompts we don't publish here. One email, no spam, unsubscribe anytime.

Delivered with our shortlist of the best AI tools for lawyers & legal ops.

Frequently asked questions

The questions we hear most from legal teams running these prompts in the UK.

Is it safe to use ChatGPT with privileged client information?: Not on the free or personal plans. Anonymise facts, strip client names and dates, or use a legal-grade tool with contractual confidentiality and no training on inputs. For contract review specifically, Harvey and Spellbook are built for this and handle privilege properly.
See Harvey in the Lawyers & Legal Ops stack →Read our Harvey review
Can I use these prompts for actual contract drafting?: Use them for first drafts, issue lists and clause libraries — never for the final version that goes to the counterparty. Spellbook plugs into Word and drafts inside your own precedent, which is usually safer than round-tripping through a chat window.
See Spellbook in the Lawyers & Legal Ops stack →Read our Spellbook review
Does this meet SRA and GDPR obligations?: The prompts themselves are fine, but the tool you run them in must have a signed DPA, a no-training commitment on your data, and an audit trail. Lexis+ AI and Harvey are designed against that bar; ChatGPT Team meets a lower bar suitable for anonymised research.
See Lexis+ AI in the Lawyers & Legal Ops stack →Read our Lexis+ AI review
How do I get better first-pass contract reviews?: Give the model the deal context in one paragraph, then a numbered issues list you care about (e.g. liability, IP, termination, data). The contract prompt in the Contracts category is structured this way — pair it with Definely if you need clause-by-clause reference lookups inside Word.
Jump to Contracts prompts →
What about automating repetitive client comms?: The client comms and intake prompts here cover most one-offs. For fully productised intake flows (onboarding, conflict checks, document collection), Josef is purpose-built and cheaper than building it in a chatbot.
See Josef in the Lawyers & Legal Ops stack →Read our Josef review

ChatGPT Prompts for Lawyers

The prompts

First-pass contract review

Redline a clause with rationale

Client-friendly explanation of a legal conceptLocked

Draft a letter before actionLocked

Case law summary for a research noteLocked

Attendance note from meeting bulletsLocked

GDPR data subject access request response outlineLocked

Board memo on a legal riskLocked

Client intake questionnaireLocked

Fee estimate explainer for a clientLocked

Recommended tools for these prompts

Harvey

Spellbook

Robin AI

Lexis+ AI

Definely

Josef

Get the full Legal prompt pack as a PDF

Frequently asked questions

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