Chapter 1: Exercises

Below are five exercises designed to reinforce the core concepts covered in Chapter 1.

Each exercise is intended to be completed using the free version of ChatGPT (by OpenAI), available at https://chatgpt.com. The exercises build familiarity with prompt design, explore the capabilities and limitations of generative AI, and encourage reflective thinking about how this technology fits into the practice of law.

Exercise 1: Identifying the Evolutionary Stages of AI in Law

Purpose: To reinforce your understanding of how AI in legal services has progressed from rule-based systems to machine learning and then to generative AI.

Instructions:

  1. Initial Prompt: Ask the AI: Summarize the three major waves of AI in legal services (rule-based systems, machine learning, and generative AI) and explain how they differ in functionality.
  2. Refinement: If the first response is unclear, try refining your prompt to get a clearer explanation. For example: Please clarify how each wave changed the day-to-day work of a lawyer.

Reflection: In your notes, summarize how the tool described the progression. Does the explanation align with what you learned in the chapter? Which aspects did the AI emphasize or omit?

Purpose: To understand how generative AI “thinks” and responds to prompts about simple legal concepts covered in the chapter.

Instructions:

  1. Initial Prompt: Ask the AI: Explain what generative AI is and why it matters for legal professionals, using an example from legal research.
  2. Iterate the Prompt: Now, add constraints or a style element. For example: Explain what generative AI is and why it matters for legal professionals in a way that a first-year law student would understand. Include a simple example from legal research.

Reflection: Compare the first and second responses. Did the added guidance make the explanation clearer or more tailored? Note how adjusting your prompt changes the output.

Exercise 3: Tone and Audience Adjustment in Client Communication

Purpose: To get comfortable adjusting the tone and complexity of AI-generated text, a key skill in legal practice for client communication.

Instructions:

  1. Initial Prompt: Draft a brief, client-friendly explanation of the concept of ‘duty of care’ in negligence law.
  2. Refine the Audience or Style: Now rewrite this explanation in a more formal tone suitable for a conservative corporate client.
  3. Further Adjustment: Rewrite it again but this time make it as simple as possible for a high school student who has never studied law.

Reflection: Notice how the language, tone, and complexity shift with each prompt iteration. Which version do you find most effective and why?

Exercise 4: Exploring the Limitations of AI-Generated Content

Purpose: To critically evaluate the strengths and limitations of generative AI, as discussed in the chapter.

Instructions:

  1. Initial Prompt: Can a lawyer share a fee with a non-lawyer in New York?
  2. Assessment: Compare the AI’s explanation to the New York State Bar's Ethics Opinion 1271 on the issue. What details were accurate or missing?
  3. Test Factual Limits: Can you provide a citation to a specific legal opinion explaining non-lawyer fee sharing? Observe how the AI responds. Does it generate a plausible-sounding but inaccurate citation, or does it provide a source that is out of date?

Reflection: Note any inaccuracies or hallucinations. What does this tell you about relying solely on AI-generated text? How would you double-check such information in a real-world legal setting?

Exercise 5: Designing a Simple Workflow Integrating Generative AI

Purpose: To think strategically about where and how to integrate generative AI into a legal workflow, leveraging insights from the chapter.

Instructions:

  1. Scenario Prompt: Consider a small law firm handling routine contract drafting. Ask the AI: Outline a step-by-step workflow for drafting a standard NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) that shows at which stages generative AI could be used and why.
  2. Analysis: Look at the workflow the AI proposes. Does it align with the principle of using AI to assist, not replace, human judgment? Does it consider the need to keep a human in the loop to review and validate outputs?
  3. Refinement: Adjust this workflow to include a human lawyer’s final review and a note about verifying the AI’s drafting against a known legal template.

Reflection: In your notes, finalize a short “recipe” or workflow for integrating AI into contract drafting. Highlight where the human lawyer’s expertise remains essential.

Additional Reflection (Optional): After completing the exercises, write a short paragraph reflecting on your experience. Consider questions such as: Were the AI’s explanations consistent with the chapter’s content? How comfortable are you becoming with refining prompts? How might these skills help you as you move on to more complex exercises in subsequent chapters?By working through these exercises, you should begin to feel more comfortable interacting with generative AI, understand how prompts influence AI output, and recognize both the opportunities and limitations of using such tools in a legal context.