Writing effective prompts
The quality of Parachute’s AI output depends heavily on how you ask. A well-structured prompt can be the difference between a generic first draft and a document that’s ready for review. This guide covers practical techniques for getting the most out of Parachute.
Every strong prompt has three components:
- Request - what you want Parachute to do
- Context - background information that shapes the response
- Output - the format and style you want the result in
Weak:
“Draft a privacy policy.”
Strong:
“Draft a privacy policy for an Australian SaaS company with 50 employees. We process customer personal information including names, emails, and payment details. We use AWS for hosting and Stripe for payments. The policy should comply with the Australian Privacy Act and include sections on data collection, use, disclosure, storage, and breach notification. Use plain language suitable for a non-technical audience.”
The strong prompt gives Parachute everything it needs to generate a relevant, jurisdiction-specific document on the first attempt.
Parachute considers your firm’s configured jurisdictions, but always specify when your prompt involves a particular jurisdiction - especially for cross-border work.
Less effective:
“What are the data breach notification requirements?”
More effective:
“What are the mandatory data breach notification requirements under the Australian Privacy Act’s Notifiable Data Breaches scheme? Include timeframes, thresholds, and who must be notified.”
The more Parachute knows about the situation, the more tailored the output. Include relevant details like:
- Industry and size of the business
- Type of data they handle
- Regulatory frameworks that apply
- Any specific risks or concerns
- Who the document is for (internal team, customers, regulators)
Example:
“Review this employment contract for a mid-size retail company in Victoria with 120 employees. Flag any clauses that don’t comply with the Fair Work Act 2009 and modern award requirements for retail workers.”
If you need a specific structure, say so. Parachute will follow your formatting instructions.
- “Present this as a table with columns for obligation, source regulation, and risk level”
- “Structure this as a memo with an executive summary, analysis, and recommendations”
- “Give me a bullet-point summary, not a full document”
- “Use plain language - this is for a client who isn’t legally trained”
This is the single most impactful habit. Each thread should focus on one piece of work:
- One contract review per thread
- One policy draft per thread
- One legal question per thread
When you mix topics in a single thread, the AI’s context becomes diluted and responses lose focus. Start a new thread for each distinct task. See tips and tricks for more on thread management.
You don’t need to get everything right in one prompt. Start with a solid first request, then refine:
- “Draft an information security policy for our firm”
- “Add a section on remote work and BYOD policies”
- “Make the incident response section more detailed - include escalation procedures and timeframes”
- “Simplify the language in section 3 - our staff aren’t technical”
This iterative approach often produces better results than trying to specify everything upfront.
Use @ in the chat to reference specific documents from your knowledge base. This grounds the AI’s response in your firm’s actual policies and precedents.
Example:
“Review this new privacy policy against @existing-privacy-policy and flag any inconsistencies or gaps.”
The more complete your knowledge base, the more useful this becomes.
Match the AI mode to the complexity of your task:
| Task | Recommended mode |
|---|---|
| Quick question about a regulation | Paralegal (1 credit) |
| Summarise a contract | Paralegal (1 credit) |
| Detailed contract review with risk analysis | Lawyer (3 credits) |
| Draft a complex multi-jurisdictional policy | Senior Associate (15 credits) |
| Simple template-based document | Paralegal (1 credit) |
If you’re unsure, use Auto and Parachute will select the appropriate mode based on your request.
Too vague: “Help me with this legal matter” - what matter? For whom? In which jurisdiction?
Too much at once: “Draft a privacy policy, terms of service, and data retention policy” - split these into separate threads.
Assuming context: “Update the policy” - which policy? What needs updating? Always be explicit, even if it feels redundant.
Ignoring the knowledge base: If you’ve uploaded your firm’s precedents and templates, reference them. The AI produces much better output when grounded in your existing documentation.
- Tips and tricks - more best practices for using Parachute effectively
- AI modes - understand when to use each mode
- Knowledge base - build a stronger knowledge base for better AI output
- AI document drafting - how document generation works
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