Claude Prompt: First Draft of a Legal Document Under English Law From Your Instructions
Turns your instructions into a first draft under the law of England and Wales in British legal English. Terms you did not supply stay blank, and statute text comes only from what you paste.
The Prompt
Variables (8)
| Variable | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| {{client_name}} | Client Name | Thornbury Logistics Ltd |
| {{document_type}} | Document Type | Services agreement |
| {{client_position}} | Client Position | Party drafting |
| {{instructions}} | Instructions Brief | Thornbury Logistics Ltd engages Calder Digital Ltd to build a booking portal. Fee: GBP 60,000 payable in three equal instalments. |
| {{special_requirements}} | Special Requirements | Include a Schedule listing the deliverables. |
| {{governing_text}} | Pasted Governing Text | None pasted. |
| {{attorney_notes}} | Attorney Notes | Client wants the draft by Friday. |
| {{drafting_posture}} | Drafting Posture for Alternatives | Balanced |
Expected Output
A reasoning pass in analysis tags, Part 1 attorney-only notes (conflicts, term register, cleared and held-back lists, coverage check, defined-term check, arithmetic, authority questions, declined requests, missing information, points for the client), Part 2 the draft with a closing list of commercial terms, then a Verification list.
Usage Notes
Use it for the first pass of an agreement or similar document governed by the law of England and Wales. Paste your instructions, any special requirements and the text of the statutes you rely on; none is supplied from memory. The posture choice only labels alternative wording and changes no term. Failure mode to watch: a clause the model thinks a document of this type needs but you never instructed; it is left out of the draft and listed under Missing information, not drafted. Read the document part line by line before it leaves the office. Not legal advice. The attorney remains responsible for verifying every fact, figure and authority before use.
Double-check before use
- Search the draft for any sentence that explains a discrepancy or an open point. In testing, such a note was once written inside an operative clause.
These are the places where this prompt was seen to slip when tested on sample cases with a small AI model.
Originally featured in: How to Build a Claude Legal Workflow: From Client Intake to Final Document
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* These prompts are drafting and analysis aids for licensed attorneys. They are not legal advice and do not replace professional judgment. AI output can contain errors, including invented citations and incorrect deadlines: verify every fact, figure, authority and deadline against primary sources before relying on it. Rules vary by jurisdiction, and you remain responsible for the final work product.