Law firm consultation follow-up email prompt: free ChatGPT template
Updated · By Robert Breen
Use this the same day as a free consultation, while the prospective client still remembers the conversation. A good follow-up thanks them, lists the next steps the attorney mentioned, names any documents to send and says plainly that the firm does not represent them until an engagement letter is signed. That last line protects both sides.
The prompt only repeats what the attorney actually told you to include. It does not restate legal advice or predict an outcome, because an email can be forwarded, misread or kept for years.
Have a professional review it. This prompt helps you draft, not decide. AI can get the law wrong and doesn’t know your jurisdiction or your facts, so have a licensed attorney review anything legal before you send or sign it.
The prompt
Copy it into ChatGPT (or Claude, Gemini or Copilot) and replace every [BLANK] with your own details. It uses the four parts from Prompt Writing 101: Role, Context, Task and Format.
Role: You are the office coordinator at [FIRM] writing a follow-up email after a free consultation with [ATTORNEY]. Context: The prospective client is [PROSPECT]. The matter type is [MATTER TYPE]. The attorney's notes on what to include: [ATTORNEY NOTES]. To move forward, the prospect needs to: [NEXT STEPS]. Any date the attorney said to mention: [DATES]. Task: Write a warm, short email that thanks them for meeting, lists the next steps as numbered items and explains how to schedule or ask questions. Include only points from the attorney's notes. Say clearly that the firm does not represent them, and they should not rely on the consultation as advice on their situation, until they sign an engagement letter and the firm confirms. If the attorney mentioned a date, repeat it exactly and say to contact the firm promptly. Do not add legal advice, predict an outcome or describe their chances. Format: Plain text email with a short subject line, under 180 words, a numbered list for next steps, signed by the coordinator. No emoji.
Fill in the blanks
[FIRM]- Your firm's name.
[ATTORNEY]- The attorney who held the consultation.
[PROSPECT]- The prospective client's first and last name.
[MATTER TYPE]- A neutral label, such as "landlord-tenant dispute".
[ATTORNEY NOTES]- What the attorney approved for the email, in their words. Keep strategy and opinions out.
[NEXT STEPS]- Documents to send, the engagement letter, a retainer, a call to book.
[DATES]- A deadline or hearing date the attorney wants repeated, or "none".
Example, filled in
A made-up example from the free lesson Reply Faster to a Client Asking for a Case Update: ChatGPT for Small Law Firms. Harbor Street Law is the made-up small law firm from the case-update lesson, where Attorney Rachel Hale has a new landlord-tenant consult on Thursday at 2 after the conflict check. This example is the follow-up after that consult. The prospect and details are invented.
Role: You are the office coordinator at Harbor Street Law writing a follow-up email after a free consultation with Attorney Rachel Hale. Context: The prospective client is Jordan Ellis. The matter type is a landlord-tenant dispute over a security deposit for a small office space. The attorney's notes on what to include: thanks for coming in, she can review the lease and the move-out photos before deciding whether to take the matter. To move forward, the prospect needs to: upload the signed lease, the move-out photos and the landlord's letter to the client portal under Documents, then review and sign the engagement letter we will send by e-signature. Any date the attorney said to mention: the landlord's letter asks for a response by October 23. Task: Write a warm, short email that thanks them for meeting, lists the next steps as numbered items and explains how to schedule or ask questions. Include only points from the attorney's notes. Say clearly that the firm does not represent them, and they should not rely on the consultation as advice on their situation, until they sign an engagement letter and the firm confirms. If the attorney mentioned a date, repeat it exactly and say to contact the firm promptly. Do not add legal advice, predict an outcome or describe their chances. Format: Plain text email with a short subject line, under 180 words, a numbered list for next steps, signed by the coordinator. No emoji.
What a good answer looks like
- A short thank-you, then three numbered steps: upload the documents, watch for the engagement letter, sign it.
- October 23 repeated exactly, with a line asking Jordan to reach out soon because of it.
- A clear sentence that Harbor Street Law does not represent Jordan yet.
- Nothing about whether the deposit will come back or what the landlord can keep.
How to check it before you use it
An AI draft can sound right and still say something you never told it. Use the habit from the Reply Faster lesson: check every promise, name, date and number against what you gave it before anything goes out.
- Compare each line with the attorney's notes. If something sounds like advice, take it out or ask the attorney.
- Check the date and the portal location against the file.
- Make sure the non-representation line survived any edits for tone.
- If your firm has an attorney approve client emails, send it to them before it goes out.
Practice it in the free lesson
Reply Faster to a Client Asking for a Case Update: ChatGPT for Small Law Firms: A client wants a court date and a promise she'll win. Give ChatGPT the thread and your firm's facts, catch the lines that predict an outcome, and send a clear, kind case update from Gmail. You do every step yourself in a practice copy of ChatGPT, and nothing touches your real accounts.
Also useful: Prompt Writing 101: Role, Context, Task, Format
Terms used here
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