This article by Seattle attorney Lisa Ann Sharpe in the AAML Newsletter will be of interest to my readers.

Transform Your Practice with AI — And Why Prompting Matters

Two years ago, “Sarah” was a senior associate at a family law firm in Seattle. It was the end of a long week, and she was still at her desk — eyes glazed over, flipping through bank statements, trying to trace community versus separate property on a short deadline. Her paralegal was out, the client had just dropped 40 new pages of records, and trial prep was looming.

At 11 p.m., hunched over a spreadsheet and sipping lukewarm coffee, Sarah thought “This is unsustainable.”

Fast forward to today: Sarah uses artificial intelligence (AI) to generate first drafts, summarize depositions, spot inconsistencies in contracts, and even brainstorm trial themes. AI became her junior associate that never sleeps.

But here’s the catch: not all lawyers are seeing the same results. Why? Because it’s not just about using AI — it’s about how you prompt it. The C.R.E.A.T.E. formula is one method that can be leveraged to develop effective AI prompts. Learn more below.

The C.R.E.A.T.E. Formula for Prompts 

Context: Define the AI’s Role. Start by setting the scene. Give the AI the background it needs: jurisdiction, practice area, role of the user. Like a good associate, the AI needs to understand the file before it can work on it.

“You are a Seattle-based divorce lawyer helping a client with a high-net-worth prenuptial agreement involving trust income and real estate holdings.”

Role: Assign a Persona to the AI. Assign a persona to the AI. Should it act like a junior associate, a trial consultant, a CPA or a legal writing coach? Giving it a role anchors its tone and output.

“Act as a family law attorney preparing a client for deposition regarding parenting time and financial disclosures.”

Common AI roles for family law attorneys:

• Experienced family law lawyer
• Therapist
• Marketing manager
• Financial analyst with expertise in divorce asset division
• Court-appointed mediator

Examples: Provide Examples for the End Goal. Be specific about what you want, for example:

• A compelling email to opposing counsel.
• A checklist or top 10 list with behavioral tips
• A list of talking points for a call.
• A draft of an oral argument.
• A memo to a client with instructions on responding to discovery.

Ask: Make a Clear and Concrete Request. Define the format and say what you want.

“Model this in the format of a persuasive letter with bullet points for each argument.”

“Summarize this 20-page GAL report into 5 key themes that support our client’s request for primary custody.” 

• Summary: Summarize this legal case in plain English.
• Table: Create a table comparing community property laws in different states.
• List: Provide a checklist for mediation preparation.
• Spreadsheet: Generate a spreadsheet tracking child support calculations.

Tone: Add Context or Explain Reasoning. Specify the tone: formal, persuasive, client-friendly or plain language. Tone matters just as much as content.

“Use a respectful but firm tone suitable for a letter to opposing counsel disputing a spousal support request.” 

• Tone: Assertive and court-ready
• Tone: Direct and strategic
• Tone: Persuasive and structured

Edit or Expand. Refine what you get. Ask AI to revise, expand on certain points, or clarify ambiguity. Prompting is iterative—each round gets sharper.

“Now revise the second paragraph to cite Washington case law and clarify the issue of separate vs. community property.” 

*Disclaimer on the Use of AI in Legal Practice. AI tools, including language models like ChatGPT, can assist with drafting, summarizing and brainstorming legal content. However:

• AI-generated legal research and case citations may include inaccuracies or “hallucinations.” It is always the attorney’s responsibility to verify the accuracy of legal authorities, statutes, and case law before relying on or submitting any content to a court, client, or opposing counsel.
• Do not enter confidential or private client information into publicly accessible AI platforms unless you are certain the platform complies with your jurisdiction’s rules on client confidentiality, data protection, and privilege.
• AI is a tool, not a substitute for legal judgment. Always apply your own expertise, analysis, and ethical standards to review and revise any output.

Use AI to enhance your work, not to replace your professional responsibility.

K.O.’s Comment: I’m eager to hear how other Tennessee family-law attorneys are using AI in their practices at this stage of AI’s development.

In my office, we use Copilot Pro and, at this point, I find it underwhelming. It saves me a little time with tedious tasks such as finding a missing email that is a needle in a haystack, locating testimony on a particular topic in a transcript, locating the relevant portion of a rule of procedure that I know exists but don’t want to dig through the rule book to find (for example: “What rule of civil procedure in Tennessee says a lawyer must serve opposing counsel with a subpoena to a third party?”). For legal research, broad concepts are acceptable, but drilling down to specifics is consistently unreliable. It will quote specific language that sounds perfect, but when I try to look it up in the caselaw, I discover the quoted language doesn’t exist. I’ll reply with, “I can’t find that language in the opinion. Tell me exactly where I can find it.” It will then apologize, admit it made a mistake, and concede that the thing it got me excited about doesn’t exist after all.

What are your experiences with AI? How are you using it? Please share your experiences in the comments below.

Source: Transform Your Practice with AI — And Why Prompting Matters (American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, 2025).

This article was originally published by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) and is republished with permission.

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