Building a Prompt Library Your Firm Will Actually Use

Almost every firm now has at least one “prompt geek” — the person who has built a folder full of clever AI prompts for drafting notes, structuring chronologies or summarising email threads.

The problem is that these prompts often:

live in someone’s personal notebook or browser history;
are hard to find or trust; and
do not quite match the firm’s way of working.

What you really need is a prompt library that people will actually use: simple, governed and woven into the tools lawyers already live in.

This article sets out a practical approach to building a firm‑wide AI prompt library that supports real work rather than becoming yet another unused knowledge repository.

1. Treat prompts as precedents, not magic spells

The first mindset shift is to treat prompts like any other precedent or template. That means:

writing them in clear, maintainable language;
giving them owners and version numbers;
storing them in a place the firm already uses for know‑how.

A good prompt template includes:

a short description (“Summarise an email thread for the matter file and supervision”);
the actual prompt text, with placeholders for user input;
guidance on when to use it, and when not to;
examples of good outputs.

This makes prompts easier to understand, improve and audit than a pile of “secret hacks” passed around informally.

2. Start from 8–12 high‑value workflows

Rather than collecting every interesting prompt from the internet, start with your firm’s core workflows, such as:

email thread summaries;
attendance note structuring;
chronology building and updates;
short client updates;
simple internal memos;
task and deadline extraction;
first‑pass time entry suggestions.

For each workflow, design one or two prompts that reflect how your firm actually practises, for example:

how you structure an attendance note;
what headings a matter chronology should use;
your tone in client updates.

This keeps the library small, focused and obviously useful.

3. Use a consistent pattern for structure and safety

Effective prompts usually follow a pattern along the lines of:

Role and purpose – “You are assisting a solicitor in a UK law firm. Your job is to…”
Inputs – what the model will be given (emails, notes, documents) and what it should infer or ignore.
Output format – headings, bullet points, tables, word limits.
Safety and limits – what the model must not do (for example, “do not give legal advice or speculate on prospects”).

Building these elements in from the start helps you align prompts with:

your AI policy;
supervision responsibilities;
the need to avoid models “over‑reaching” into advice.

4. Make the library easy to find in the tools people use

A prompt library hidden in a PDF on the intranet will not change behaviour. Instead, integrate prompts into:

your case management system (for example, “AI actions” menus on matters);
document or email tools (for example, a dropdown of firm‑approved prompts);
any “copilot”‑style interface you use.

Each prompt should be:

discoverable by a short, meaningful name (“Summarise thread for file note”);
available at the point of need (while viewing an email, document or matter);
accompanied by a short explanation and any key warnings.

The less copy‑paste users have to do, the more likely they are to stick with the approved library instead of improvising.

5. Governance: who can add and change prompts?

To keep the library trustworthy, you need simple governance:

a small editorial group (for example, representatives from risk, IT and key practice areas);
a lightweight process for proposing, testing and approving new prompts;
version control and change logs for each template.

Day to day, that might look like:

fee‑earners suggesting improvements based on real work;
practice leads reviewing prompts for tone and legal accuracy;
the editorial group signing off changes and updating documentation.

You do not need heavyweight bureaucracy, but you do need enough structure that people can rely on prompts in front of clients and regulators.

6. Capture usage and feedback

A prompt library is only useful if it is alive. Build feedback loops by:

tracking which prompts are used most and least;
capturing simple ratings or comments from users (“helpful”, “too long”, “missed X”);
reviewing usage patterns by practice area.

This helps you:

retire prompts that nobody uses;
refine those that see heavy use;
prioritise new prompts where teams are improvising or struggling.

Combining usage data with supervision feedback turns the library into a learning system, not just a static document.

7. Teach people how to use prompts, not just where to click

Training should go beyond “here is the library”. Lawyers need to understand:

that prompts are starting points, not constraints on their judgment;
how to adapt prompts carefully for unusual situations;
when to escalate concerns about poor or biased outputs.

Short, practice‑specific sessions work best, for example:

“Using the chronology prompts in commercial litigation”;
“Prompt patterns for family updates and safeguarding sensitivity”;
“Time capture prompts in legal aid and fixed‑fee work”.

This reinforces that the library exists to support good legal work, not to replace thinking.

Where OrdoLux fits

OrdoLux is being designed so that approved prompts live where the work happens:

common AI actions (summaries, chronologies, task extraction, drafting short notes, time suggestions) are exposed as “skills” on each matter;
the underlying prompts can be managed centrally, versioned and aligned with your AI policy;
usage and feedback can be tied to specific matters and teams, helping you improve the library over time.

The aim is that your prompt library becomes an everyday part of running matters in OrdoLux — not a dusty document nobody can find.

This article is general information for practitioners — not legal advice or specific guidance on knowledge management or procurement.

Looking for legal case management software?

OrdoLux is legal case management software for UK solicitors, designed to make matter management, documents, time recording and AI assistance feel like one joined‑up system. Learn more on the OrdoLux website.