A Guide to AI Prompts for Legal Research in the Philippines

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is quickly becoming a part of everyday life in the legal profession, even here in the Philippines. Instead of seeing AI as a competitor, lawyers can consider it a helpful ally that can enhance what they do. 

By embracing AI, you're working smarter, not harder, and navigating the complexities of legal practice with greater confidence in today's fast-paced world. In this guide, we’ll dive into how to use AI prompts effectively to boost your legal research, specifically for lawyers and law students in the Philippines. 

We'll share practical tips on quickly finding the most relevant and accurate information, highlighting some popular AI tools, and helping you avoid common pitfalls. Stick with us to discover how AI can change how you gather and utilize legal information!

What are AI Prompts in legal research?

AI prompts are the queries or instructions you give AI-powered legal research tools to retrieve relevant information. 

For the Philippine legal context, these prompts must be tailored to local laws, jurisprudence, and regulatory frameworks. 

For example, a prompt might be: “What are the essential requisites of a contract under the Civil Code of the Philippines?” This prompt guides the AI to focus specifically on Philippine contract law, ensuring contextually relevant answers.

Why Prompts Matter in AI tools?

Prompts are crucial in AI tools as they establish effective communication between the user and the AI system. Without clear prompts, the AI may produce broad or irrelevant answers, wasting time and potentially leading to inaccurate conclusions.

The quality of AI responses depends significantly on how detailed and relevant the prompts are. To get the best results, it’s helpful to include important legal terms, specify the jurisdiction, and clarify the format you want—such as a summary or a detailed case overview. 

Clear and precise prompts can speed up research by reducing the need to review a lot of information and providing quick and customized insights. This ultimately saves time and increases accuracy when preparing legal arguments or studying for exams.

In sum, prompts matter in AI tools because:

• They focus AI responses on specific legal questions and the Philippine jurisdiction.

• Better prompts produce more relevant, accurate, and actionable outputs.

• Clear prompts help save time and improve legal research efficiency.

What Do You Need Before Using AI for Legal Research?

Before diving into AI-powered legal research, it’s important to set yourself up for success by preparing a few key things:

1. Basic Understanding of the Legal Topic

Having foundational knowledge about the legal issue you want to explore helps you craft better AI prompts and evaluate the AI’s responses critically. Even a general grasp of relevant laws or terminology allows you to spot inaccuracies and know when to ask for more detailed explanations.

2. Access to a Trusted Legal AI Tool

Use a reliable AI platform that specializes in Philippine law, such as Digest AI. These tools are built on extensive databases of local statutes, Philippine Supreme Court rulings, and legal doctrines, ensuring that your research is anchored on authoritative sources.

3. Clear Research Goal

Define what you want to achieve with your AI research—whether it’s summarizing case law, understanding procedural steps, or studying for the bar exam. A clear goal guides your prompts and helps maintain focus, resulting in efficient and relevant outputs tailored to your needs.

Why Writing the Right Prompts Matters

The quality of your AI research results depends heavily on the precision of your prompts. Vague or overly broad prompts can return generic or inaccurate information, while well-structured prompts deliver focused, dependable answers. 

By avoiding common pitfalls like unclear questions or missing jurisdiction details, you enhance the relevance and usability of AI outputs. For instance:

• Poor Prompt: “What is contract law?”

• Improved Prompt: “What are the essential elements of a valid contract under Philippine law?”
  The improved prompt directs the AI to provide a detailed, jurisdiction-specific response.

Core Elements of Effective Legal Prompts

To get the best results in Philippine legal AI research, your prompts should:

• Be specific about the issue or question, e.g., “grounds for rescission of contract under the Philippine Civil Code.”

• Use precise legal terminology to clarify the context, such as “qualified theft under the Revised Penal Code.”

• Specify jurisdiction (Philippine law) to avoid irrelevant foreign law results.

• Optionally, specify the output format you want, like a case digest, list, or step-by-step guide.

Example prompt:
“Explain the process of filing an illegal dismissal case with the NLRC under Philippine labor law.”

How to Write Better AI Prompts for Legal Research

Writing effective AI prompts is key to getting accurate and practical legal research results. Follow these steps to craft better prompts:

1. Define Your Legal Question Clearly and Specifically

Be direct about the legal issue or inquiry you want to explore, avoiding vague or broad queries.

Example prompt: “What are the legal requirements for a valid partnership agreement under Philippine law?”

Pro tip: A clear and specific question helps the AI focus on the exact legal topic and reduces irrelevant or generic answers.

2. Include Relevant Legal Terms and the Philippine Jurisdiction Explicitly

To ensure jurisdiction-appropriate responses, incorporate specific legal terminology and state that the question relates to Philippine law.

Example prompt: “Explain the doctrine of ‘force majeure’ as applied in Philippine contracts under the Civil Code.”

Pro tip: Mentioning both the precise legal concept and jurisdiction helps refine the AI’s search to authoritative Philippine sources.

3. Specify What Type of Answer You Want: Summary, List, Procedural Steps, or Case Analysis

Guide the AI by requesting a preferred output style or format that suits your immediate research needs.

Example prompt: “Provide a step-by-step guide on how to file a petition for certiorari in the Philippine Supreme Court.”

Pro tip: Clear format instructions help organize the AI’s response and make it easier to apply or understand.

4. Test and Refine Your Prompt If the Result Is Too Broad or Unrelated

Review the AI’s output, then tweak your prompt by adding more details or adjusting wording to enhance accuracy.

Example prompt: “Explain labor law in the Philippines.”

Refined prompt: “Summarize the key provisions of the Philippine Labor Code related to employee termination and include relevant landmark cases.”

Pro tip: Refining prompts is a regular part of the process. Iteration helps you achieve concise, jurisdiction-specific answers that meet your research goals.

Sample Prompts (Poor vs. Improved)

How Digest AI Enhances Your Legal Research Workflow

Digest AI is an advanced AI-powered chatbot designed specifically for Filipino legal professionals and students. It taps into a vast database of Philippine Supreme Court rulings, statutes, and legal doctrines to provide quick, reliable answers 24/7.

Key Features:

• Instant legal explanations and clarifications tailored to Philippine law.

• Case digests and statute lookups on demand.

• Supports bar exam preparation, legal drafting, and case analysis.

By using Digest AI with well-crafted prompts, lawyers and students can dramatically reduce research time and improve the quality of their legal arguments and study materials.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are some good AI prompts?

Good prompts are clear and specific, and the jurisdiction is stated. For example:
“What are the penalties for cyber libel under the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 in the Philippines?”

2. How to prompt AI for research?

Be specific about the topic, include key legal terms, specify the Philippine jurisdiction, and request the format you want (e.g., list, summary).

3. Which ChatGPT model is best for legal research?

Models like GPT-4 provide advanced understanding and nuanced responses but rely on your prompt clarity to deliver accurate legal insights.

4. How is AI used in legal?

AI speeds up research, automates document review, drafts legal documents, predicts case outcomes, and supports legal education.

5. How to write amazing AI prompts?

Focus on clarity, context, specificity, and appropriate legal terminology. Refine prompts based on AI responses to improve accuracy.

Key Takeaways

• AI prompts are key inputs that guide AI tools to provide precise Philippine legal research results.

• Well-crafted prompts improve the accuracy and relevance of legal AI responses.

• Effective prompts include clear legal issues, jurisdiction context, and specify output formats.

• Digest AI is a powerful tool tailored for Filipino lawyers and students. It leverages Philippine Supreme Court rulings and laws.

• Learning to write better AI prompts can drastically boost research efficiency and legal practice outcomes.

Embrace AI to Revolutionize Your Legal Research

AI is here to stay and can truly transform how Filipino lawyers and law students conduct legal research. You can navigate complex information faster and more accurately by leveraging AI legal tools. 

Don't forget to complement your AI research with updated Philippine laws and Supreme Court decisions to strengthen your arguments. Keep exploring resources like law school reviewers to sharpen your knowledge and skills continually. 

Indeed, it’s about time to embrace AI not as a challenge but as your essential research partner in the Philippine legal field.