How to reply Faster to a Client Asking for a Case Update: ChatGPT for Small Law Firms: step-by-step guide with screenshots

Step 1: Open the thread

Here's the inbox for Harbor Street Law, a small law firm. Carla runs a flower shop, and she's suing an event venue that never paid her. Her thread has four messages and a lot of worry.

Step 2: Expand all messages

Gmail folds up the older messages, so only the newest one is open. You want the whole story, so click Expand all, the double-arrow icon at the top right.

Step 3: Copy the thread

Read it through once. Carla wants to know if the venue answered, when her court date is, and whether she'll win, and she wants to text you screenshots. Check your firm's rules for AI tools first, and leave out anything the reply doesn't need. Here, just click the messages.

Step 4: Switch to ChatGPT

Now switch over to ChatGPT.

Step 5: Click the message box

You're in a fresh chat. You'll give ChatGPT three things in one message: the thread, the facts, and what a good reply looks like.

Step 6: Paste the thread

First, the thread. One line tells ChatGPT what it's looking at, then the emails, oldest first.

Here is an email thread between my law firm and a client, oldest message first.

Carla Mendes (Tue, Sep 8): Hi Owen, just checking in. Did Lakeshore get the papers yet? When do we go to court? Wedding season is over and I'd really like this done before the holidays. Thanks, Carla

Owen at Harbor Street Law (Thu, Sep 10): Hi Carla, yes. We filed your complaint on Aug 18, and Lakeshore was served on Aug 27. Their answer is due Sep 18. We'll let you know what they file. - Owen

Carla Mendes (Mon, Sep 21): It's past the 18th. Did they answer? If they didn't, doesn't that mean we win automatically? Also I found texts where their manager says they know they owe me. Can I just text you the screenshots?

Carla Mendes (10:07 AM): Nobody has answered me in a week. Did they respond or not?? When is our court date? Are we going to win? I need to know if I'm getting my $8,400 before the holidays, because I have to decide about hiring for December. Can someone just text me back at this point?

Step 7: Add the facts

Next, the facts. ChatGPT can't see the court file, your calendar, or your firm's rules about what goes in writing, so spell them out. Number them, so you can check them later.

Facts (only say what is here):
1. We filed Carla's complaint against Lakeshore Event Hall in Franklin County Court on Aug 18, for the $8,400 unpaid on her signed contract. Lakeshore was served on Aug 27.
2. Lakeshore's answer was due Sep 18. On Sep 16 their new lawyer asked for two more weeks, and Attorney Hale agreed. That's a routine courtesy. Their answer is now due Oct 2. They haven't filed anything yet.
3. A missed deadline is not an automatic win. If they don't answer by Oct 2, Attorney Hale will talk with Carla about next steps, which could include asking the court for a default judgment. The judge decides.
4. The only date the court has set: a case management conference on Tuesday, Nov 17, at 9:30 a.m., by video. It's a scheduling hearing, not a trial. No trial date has been set. Attorney Hale will attend; Carla may join but doesn't have to.
5. We can't predict the outcome, whether Lakeshore will settle, or when or whether Carla will be paid. Firm policy: no predictions and no legal advice by email.
6. Firm policy: we don't discuss case details or accept evidence by text message or social media. She should upload the screenshots to the secure client portal under Documents and keep the original texts on her phone.
7. Attorney Hale can call Carla on Mon Oct 5 at 11 a.m. or Tue Oct 6 at 4 p.m. to talk through her questions.
8. We missed Carla's Sep 21 email, and we didn't tell her when the deadline changed. That's on us.
9. Sign it: Owen Park, Paralegal, Harbor Street Law.

Step 8: Say what a good reply looks like

Last, tell it what a good reply looks like: the tone, the three questions to answer, and a word limit. And one rule that matters most: don't invent details or promise anything that isn't in the facts.

Write my reply to Carla. Tone: calm, warm and professional, like a small law firm that knows her. Apologize once for missing her Sep 21 email. Answer all three of her questions clearly: whether Lakeshore has responded, when her court date is, and whether she'll win and be paid before the holidays. Also tell her how to send the screenshots. No legal advice. Keep it under 200 words. No subject line, since it's a reply in the same thread. Don't invent details or promise anything that isn't in the facts.

Step 9: Send it

Thread, facts, and instructions, all in one message.

Step 10: Read the draft, then click the message box

That's a friendly first draft. It apologizes, gives the new deadline, and keeps the screenshots out of text messages. But read it the way an attorney would: you win by default, the judge will hear your case, your case looks strong. None of that is in your facts. A draft can sound kind and still predict an outcome.

Step 11: Ask ChatGPT to check its promises

Ask ChatGPT to check its own work: every promise in the reply, next to the fact that backs it up.

Check that reply against my facts. Make a table of every promise or claim in it and the fact that backs it up. Flag anything the facts don't support.

Step 12: Send the check

Step 13: Read the table, then click the message box

Five of the eight claims match a fact. Three don't: the automatic win, a scheduling conference described as the day the judge hears the case, and a guess about getting paid. At a law firm, those are the lines that cause real trouble. Still compare the table with your own facts, since you know the case.

Step 14: Ask for specific changes

Now ask for specific changes, not just make it better. Use all three suggested wordings, add the line about keeping the original text messages, and keep every other fact exactly the same.

Use all three of those wordings, and add the line about keeping the original texts. Then make the whole reply a little warmer and easier to scan, still under 200 words. Keep every other fact exactly the same. Reply with just the email.

Step 15: Send the fix

Step 16: Copy the reply

Read it once more. The deadline is clear, the November date is described honestly, and nothing predicts how the case will end. It even acknowledges her December worry and offers a call instead.

Step 17: Go back to Gmail

Back to Gmail.

Step 18: Click Reply

Under Carla's last message, click Reply. Your answer stays in the same thread, which is why you told ChatGPT to skip the subject line.

Step 19: Paste the reply

Hi Carla,

I'm sorry we missed your Sep 21 email and didn't tell you when the deadline changed. That's on us.

Where things stand:
• We filed your complaint on Aug 18, and Lakeshore was served on Aug 27.
• Their lawyer asked for a routine two-week extension, so their answer is now due Oct 2. They haven't filed anything yet.
• Missing that deadline isn't an automatic win. If they don't answer, Attorney Hale will talk with you about next steps, which could include asking the court for a default judgment. The judge decides.
• The only date the court has set is a case management conference on Tuesday, Nov 17, at 9:30 a.m., by video. It's a scheduling hearing, not a trial, and no trial date is set.

I know December is on your mind. We can't predict how the case will turn out or when you'll be paid, but Attorney Hale can call you Mon Oct 5 at 11 a.m. or Tue Oct 6 at 4 p.m. Just reply with a time.

Please don't text the screenshots. Upload them to the client portal under Documents, and keep the originals on your phone.

Owen Park, Paralegal
Harbor Street Law

Step 20: Read it, then send

One last read before it goes out. ChatGPT wrote the draft, but your firm's name is on it, so check the deadline, the November date, and that nothing predicts the outcome. If an attorney at your firm signs off on client updates, this is where they read it. Everything's right.