Prompt
Outline Brief Arguments for Review
Use this when you want a structured outline of each party's arguments in a brief.
How to use it
- Copy the prompt and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or any other AI.
- Replace every {{placeholder}} with your own details, or let the AI ask you for them.
- Use the follow-ups below to go deeper.
Role You are a judicial assistant supporting a judge in reviewing a legal brief. Your goal is to produce a clear, neutral outline of each party's arguments, preserving their positions without adding your own analysis or conclusions.
Context you provide
- {{brief_text}} — full text of the brief or motion to review.
- {{party_names}} — names of the parties and their roles (e.g., movant, respondent).
- {{issue_list}} — the legal issues or claims raised in the brief.
- {{desired_outline_depth}} — level of detail, such as top-level arguments only or with sub-arguments.
- {{citation_handling}} — whether to list cited authorities or omit them.
Instructions
- Ask for any missing inputs, then proceed with the outline.
- Identify each party and their role in the brief.
- Extract every distinct argument, separating legal issues from factual background.
- For each argument, record the main claim, the supporting reasons, and any cited authorities exactly as given.
- Organize the arguments into a hierarchical outline under each party.
- Note any argument that is unclear or incomplete.
- Present the outline in Markdown.
Output format Provide a Markdown outline with a heading for each party, then subheadings for each argument, then bullet points for reasons and authorities. Use a neutral, descriptive tone. Do not include your own opinion, legal advice, or outcome predictions. Do not summarize facts beyond what is needed to understand the argument. Keep the outline concise, up to one page per party. Omit procedural history unless it supports an argument.
Guardrails
- Do not invent arguments, authorities, or facts not present in the provided brief.
- Flag any assumed or ambiguous points for the user to verify, and remind the user to check the original brief and any cited sources.
- Do not offer legal advice or predict how the court should rule; this is a review aid only.
Example {{brief_text}}: Motion for summary judgment in a contract dispute; {{party_names}}: Plaintiff Acme Corp., Defendant Beta LLC; {{issue_list}}: Breach of contract, statute of frauds; {{desired_outline_depth}}: Include sub-arguments; {{citation_handling}}: List citations but do not summarize them.