10 Claude Prompts Every Lawyer Should Have Saved

Most lawyers using Claude write a new prompt from scratch every time, get an inconsistent result, and conclude the tool is unreliable. The lawyers getting real value have a short list of prompts they've refined once and reuse constantly. Here are the ten that come up most often in my own practice — copy them, adjust the bracketed parts, and keep them somewhere you can paste from in seconds.

1. Client update email

Rewrite this internal case note as a client-facing status update. Keep the substance accurate, remove legal jargon, translate any Latin terms, and end with one clear next step for the client. Note:

[paste your internal note]

2. Plain-English contract clause explainer

Explain the following contract clause in plain English, in two parts: (1) what it means in practice, and (2) what could go wrong for my client if it's enforced as written. Clause:

[paste clause]

3. Deposition summary

Summarize this deposition transcript excerpt into a table with three columns: Topic, Key Testimony, and Page/Line Reference. Flag any answer that contradicts an earlier answer in the same excerpt. Transcript:

[paste excerpt]

4. Issue-spotting from facts

Here are the facts of a new matter: [facts]. List every legal issue you can spot, grouped by area of law, most significant first. For each, note what additional facts I'd need to analyze it fully.

5. First-draft demand letter tone check

Review this draft demand letter for tone. Flag any sentence that reads as overly aggressive, any that reads as too weak, and any that could be read as a threat beyond what's legally appropriate. Letter:

[paste draft]

6. Meeting notes to action items

Convert these raw meeting notes into a clean action-item list with an owner and rough deadline for each item. Notes:

[paste notes]

7. Simplify for a non-lawyer client

Rewrite the following explanation so a client with no legal background can understand it in one read. Keep every substantive point, cut every unnecessary qualifier. Text:

[paste text]

8. Objection-proofing a filing

Read this filing draft as if you were opposing counsel looking for weaknesses. List the three strongest objections or counterarguments you'd raise, and suggest a one-sentence fix for each. Draft:

[paste draft]

9. Billing narrative cleanup

Rewrite these raw time entries into clear, client-appropriate billing narratives. Keep them factual and specific, remove internal shorthand, and flag any entry that's too vague to bill as written. Entries:

[paste entries]

10. Intake call structure

I'm about to take an intake call for a potential [type of matter] client. Give me a list of 12 questions to ask, ordered so the most disqualifying questions (statute of limitations, conflicts, jurisdiction) come first.

Why saved prompts matter more than clever ones

The value here isn't cleverness — it's consistency. A prompt you've used fifty times and refined based on what came back is worth more than a perfect first attempt, because you know exactly what kind of output to expect and how to spot when something's off. Save these somewhere you'll actually use them: a pinned note, a Claude Project's custom instructions, or a simple text file synced across your devices.