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- Protocol: Case Law Retrieval
Protocol: Case Law Retrieval
Status: Active | Issued: February 2025 | Version: 1.0
AI Transparency & Explainability in Legal Decisions
Issued by: Use AI – The Standard for AI in Law
Purpose:
This step-by-step guide helps legal professionals streamline case law research with ChatGPT, cutting hours of manual review. With real-world examples and visual aids, it ensures even AI newcomers can efficiently retrieve, summarize, and analyze rulings—allowing lawyers to focus on strategy, not paperwork.
Pictured responses are shortened for learning. Full protocol use with ChatGPT provides detailed, comprehensive answers.
Getting Started
Before retrieving case law, ensure you have access to ChatGPT.
How to Access ChatGPT:
Go to https://chat.openai.com
Sign up or log in with your OpenAI account.
Once logged in, you'll see a chat interface where you can enter legal research questions.
Free vs. Paid Versions of ChatGPT
ChatGPT offers both a free and a paid version with enhanced features:
Feature | Free Version | ChatGPT Plus ($20/month) |
|---|---|---|
Model Access | GPT-3.5 | GPT-4 |
Speed & Performance | Standard | Faster response times |
Availability | Limited during high traffic | Priority access |
Context Length | Shorter memory span | Longer context for analysis |
If you require advanced legal research capabilities, the paid version (ChatGPT Plus) offers more sophisticated reasoning and a better memory for complex case analysis
Step 1: Start Here – Define Your Legal Issue or Case Type
Objective: The goal of this step is to clearly define the legal issue, ensuring the retrieval of the most relevant case law and legal principles.
Detail: Clearly define the legal issue to refine searches and retrieve the most relevant case law.
Prompt:
"Identify key case law related to [your legal issue], focusing on precedents and legal principles that apply."
Example:
What are the key legal principles and precedents related to breach of contract when a supplier fails to deliver goods on time, particularly regarding recoverable damages? Please identify relevant case law, legal standards, and statutory protections that apply.
Expected Outcomes:
Identification of key legal terms and concepts.
Search refinement for case law on contract breaches.
Step 2: Next, Query ChatGPT for Relevant Case Law Summaries
Objective: The goal of this step is to use structured prompts to efficiently retrieve concise, legally relevant case law summaries, highlighting key rulings, legal principles, and applicable statutes.
Detail: Use structured prompts to efficiently retrieve case law summaries that are legally relevant.
Prompt:
"Provide a summary of major U.S. case law on [your legal issue], including key rulings and legal principles. Cite and attach the case law link or PDF."
Example:
Provide a summary of major U.S. case law on breach of contract due to failure to deliver goods on time, including key rulings and legal principles. Cite and attach the case law link or PDF.
Expected Outcomes:
Concise summaries of relevant case law.
Clear understanding of legal principles applied in precedent cases.
Step 3: Extract Key Legal Principles and Precedents from the Query
Objective: The goal of this step is to identify and summarize key legal principles from relevant case law, explaining how these principles influence current rulings to help apply them effectively in legal analysis.
Detail: Once case summaries are retrieved, extract key legal principles and analyze their application.
Prompt:
"Summarize the key legal principles from the following cases and explain how they influence current rulings."
