Good legal AI should meet you where you work: in plain English, with your facts, deadlines, and objectives. You shouldn’t have to learn a new mini-language or memorize clever prompt templates to get dependable results. If you can brief a colleague, you can brief an AI—especially when that AI is purpose-built for legal tasks and gives you useful guidance as you type.
Why prompt engineering is overrated for lawyers
Most of us don’t speak in prompts—we think in matters, issues, records, and deadlines. The core ingredients of reliable legal AI outputs aren’t fancy wording; they’re clarity and specificity about what you need. That means:
- State the task: what you want back (e.g., a chronology, a demand letter draft, a research survey)
- Add context and constraints: jurisdiction, time frame, audience, tone
- Point to sources: attach documents or name the authorities to consult
- Define the format: table, outline, narrative, or checklist
When those fundamentals are present, you can write naturally and still get dependable, grounded answers. No hacks required.
A simple framework that works in plain English
Think of your request as a tight instruction to a junior associate. Five parts cover almost every legal workflow:
- Task: what to produce (e.g., 'Draft a demand letter' or 'Create a medical chronology')
- Scope: jurisdiction, dates, parties, or claims to include or exclude
- Sources: what to read (attachments, matter files, key statutes or regulations)
- Standards: how to reason (cite controlling authority; flag gaps or inconsistencies)
- Format: how to return it (table + narrative, outline with headings, bullet checklist)
You can express all of this in everyday language. The point isn’t to impress the model—it’s to brief it the way you brief people.
How Paxton keeps this effortless
Paxton is the all-in-one AI legal assistant designed specifically for drafting, document analysis, and research. We built it to work with the way lawyers already think and write. Paxton offers support and suggestions when you’re asking the tool to do things like build a medical chronology, draft a demand letter, or do legal research. Those suggestions help you add the right facts or constraints without changing how you naturally phrase your request.
If you’re curious about each capability, you can explore them here: drafting at https://www.paxton.ai/drafting, document analysis at https://www.paxton.ai/document-analysis, and research at https://www.paxton.ai/research. For coverage details across federal and all 50 states, see https://www.paxton.ai/coverage.
Three common legal tasks you can run with plain-English questions
1) Build a medical chronology from records
Objective: create a date-ordered, source-backed timeline that surfaces treatment phases and gaps.
Example you can paste as is (then tweak):
Create a medical chronology for the MVA matter. Use the attached ER records, imaging, PCP notes, and PT notes covering Jan–Oct 2024. Return a table plus a short narrative. Columns: date, provider, facility, chief complaint, key findings, diagnosis codes if present, treatment/meds, and source citation. Please flag treatment gaps and any inconsistencies you find.Why this works:
- Task is concrete (a chronology)
- Scope is clear (which records, which months)
- Fields are explicit (named columns)
- Standards are in plain English (flag gaps and inconsistencies)
- Format is specified (table + narrative)
Paxton’s document analysis is designed for this kind of work: upload the records, ask questions, and review responses with highlighted source passages so you can quickly verify. Learn more at https://www.paxton.ai/document-analysis.
2) Draft a demand letter grounded in facts
Objective: generate a professional draft with a clear statement of liability, a concise damages breakdown, and references to exhibits.
Example starting point:
Draft a demand letter to the carrier regarding a rear-end collision on Feb 10, 2025, in Texas. Facts: liability is not disputed per the officer’s report; imaging shows a C5–C6 disc bulge; 28 PT sessions; medical specials total $18,730; lost wages $7,200. Demand: $95,000. Include a short factual background, a liability section, a damages table, and a firm but professional tone. Reference the attached exhibits by number.Make it yours with one sentence:
- Add a response deadline (e.g., 14 days)
- Specify audience (claims adjuster vs. opposing counsel)
- Note any constraints (do not include settlement negotiations)
Paxton’s Quick-Start Drafting helps you get to a structured, editable draft fast—then you add your judgment and client-specific nuance.
3) Ask legal research questions in normal language
Objective: quickly surface controlling authority and relevant interpretations, with citations you can check.
Example you can use:
In New York, what is the current standard for summary judgment on the 'serious injury' threshold under Insurance Law § 5102(d) for rear-end collisions? Please provide controlling appellate cases from 2020 to present, clarify burdens of proof, and include short parentheticals with citations.Enhance with a single line when needed:
- Name the court level you want (e.g., Court of Appeals or a specific Appellate Division)
- Ask for both sides’ strongest arguments
- Request a short practice checklist for motions
Paxton’s research is built to return precise citations and highlight relevant sources so you can trust and verify. Explore it at https://www.paxton.ai/research, and see jurisdictional coverage at https://www.paxton.ai/coverage.
Five plain-English templates that cover most scenarios
Copy these, paste them into your matter, and edit the bracketed parts. No special syntax required.
- Task + Scope: Create [deliverable] covering [date range/jurisdiction] using [attached sources or authorities].
- Sections/Fields: Include sections/columns for [X, Y, Z].
- Authority: Cite controlling [cases/statutes/regulations] with accurate citations.
- Quality Bars: Flag [gaps/missing facts/inconsistencies] and note any assumptions.
- Format: Return as [table + narrative/outline/checklist], suitable to paste into our template.
If you’re not getting what you want, add one sentence
You don’t need to rewrite everything. Often, a single nudge gets the output into shape:
- Scope: Narrow to [court/agency] and [years].
- Transparency: List the sources used and highlight the relevant passages.
- Structure: Reformat as a two-column table with [field A] and [field B].
- Clarity: Separate facts from analysis; label each section.
- Perspective: Provide arguments for both sides.
Reliability starts with sources—and ends with your review
Great outputs come from grounded inputs. Paxton is designed to keep answers anchored in the law and your documents:
- Precise citations and sources: results are grounded with citations and highlighted source material so you can verify quickly
- Comprehensive coverage: access to federal and all 50 states, plus regulatory materials, helps you find what’s relevant to your question
- Document-driven analysis: upload contracts, medical records, or emails; Paxton analyzes and points you back to the pertinent text
Professional standards still apply: skim the highlights, check citations, and tailor the final output to your matter strategy.
Security and confidentiality, by design
Legal work is sensitive. Paxton operates with an enterprise-grade security posture to help protect your data, including SOC 2 and ISO 27001 alignment and HIPAA considerations, encryption in transit and at rest, robust access controls, and audited practices suitable for firms and legal departments. You can review our practices here: https://www.paxton.ai/platform/security.
Practical mini-checklists you can reuse
Medical chronology
- Attach the records; specify the date range to include
- List the columns you want (date, provider, facility, complaint, findings, codes if present, treatment/meds, source)
- Ask to flag gaps and any inconsistent statements
- Request a concise narrative summary in addition to the table
Demand letter
- Provide the core facts, jurisdiction, and damages figures
- Ask for clear sections: background, liability, damages, demand
- Include tone guidance and a response deadline
- Reference exhibits by number so you can attach them cleanly
Legal research
- Name the jurisdiction and court level; set a time window
- Ask for concise rule statements with citations
- Request brief parentheticals and highlighted source passages
- Optionally add a short practitioner checklist for motions
How Paxton’s suggestions help—without turning you into a prompt engineer
As you start typing in Paxton, you’ll see suggestions that steer you toward the essentials—like naming a jurisdiction for research, adding a date range for a chronology, or specifying a tone for a draft. The point isn’t to teach you a new language; it’s to make sure the basics are covered so you get reliable, review-ready results with the fewest keystrokes.
Because Paxton is purpose-built for legal work, its guidance aligns with common workflows rather than generic AI patterns. The result: fewer retries, clearer outputs, and less time wrestling with formatting.
Advanced but still plain English: add constraints when it matters
For matters that need tighter control, you can add simple constraints in natural language:
- Authority hierarchy: Prioritize [state supreme court] decisions over intermediate appellate decisions.
- Temporal scope: Limit to [2022–present] unless older authority is strictly necessary.
- Document scope: Use only the attached draft and the prior executed agreement for comparison.
- Style and audience: Aim for a neutral, partner-ready tone; avoid rhetorical flourishes.
- Output length: Keep the summary under [400 words] and provide a longer appendix if needed.
These are the same instructions you’d give a colleague—no special syntax required.
Common mistakes to avoid (and what to do instead)
- Vague tasking: Don’t say 'analyze this.' Instead, say 'identify termination rights and renewal provisions and summarize obligations by party.'
- Missing scope: Don’t omit jurisdiction or date constraints when they matter. Add 'New York, 2020 to present' or similar.
- No sources: When you have key documents, attach them. You’ll get faster, more accurate answers.
- Unspecified format: If you need a table, say so. Ask for 'table + narrative' or 'bulleted outline.'
- Over-engineering: Don’t overthink phrasing. Clear nouns and verbs beat clever templates.
Putting it all together: a one-minute blueprint
When in doubt, use this five-line scaffold:
Deliverable: [what you want]
Scope: [jurisdiction/time frame/claims/parties]
Sources: [attachments or authorities]
Standards: [how to reason; what to flag]
Format: [table/outline/narrative + any length or tone constraints]Drop your matter-specific details into those five lines, and you’ll be off to the races.
Where Paxton fits in your day-to-day
- Drafting: Jumpstart memos, emails, briefs, and letters with structured, editable outputs. See https://www.paxton.ai/drafting.
- Document analysis: Upload contracts or records; get targeted answers with highlighted sources. Explore https://www.paxton.ai/document-analysis.
- Research: Ask jurisdiction-specific questions and get precise citations and relevant sources. Visit https://www.paxton.ai/research.
FAQ: Plain-English questions about plain-English questions
Do I need templates to get good results?
No. Templates can save typing, but you can speak naturally. If something’s missing, add a single sentence to tighten scope or format.
How much detail is enough?
Include what would matter to a colleague: task, scope, sources, standards, and format. A few specific facts beat a long, vague prompt.
Will Paxton handle different jurisdictions?
Yes. Paxton provides access to federal and all 50 states, with precise citations and highlighted sources to support verification. See details at https://www.paxton.ai/coverage.
How do I verify outputs quickly?
Follow the links and highlights to check the underlying sources. Skim for context and make any judgment calls your matter requires.
Is my data protected?
Paxton prioritizes security and confidentiality, with SOC 2 and ISO-aligned practices, HIPAA considerations, encryption, and strong access controls. Learn more at https://www.paxton.ai/platform/security.
Try it now—no new language to learn
Open a matter, attach a few documents, and ask for exactly what you need in your own words. Paxton’s suggestions will help you cover the essentials, and the results will come back with citations and highlighted sources so you can review with confidence.
If you’re ready to explore Paxton’s drafting, document analysis, and research in one place, start here: https://www.paxton.ai or visit our plans at https://www.paxton.ai/pricing. No prompt engineering required—just the plain-English questions you already ask your team.
