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AI prompts for family law attorneys

Financial transparency and best-interests factors, in matters where the parties usually remain in each other's lives. Every prompt on this page carries that emphasis. Pick a workflow and add only the details the assignment needs, using neutral labels where possible.

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A complete example prompt

The Family law lens adds this practice context to every template: This work product supports a family law matter, where financial transparency and the statutory best-interests and equitable-distribution factors govern, and where the parties will often remain in each other's lives after judgment.

Here is one complete example: the “Sworn disclosures vs. the record” workflow with mixed / full case record as the source. Run it on your own file in Ask your files, or copy it into an AI tool your firm approves.

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Sworn disclosures vs. the record · Mixed / full case record

Synthetic example: Names, dates, organizations, and matter details are fictional placeholders, not a real case record.

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CONTEXT:
You are a litigation support analyst assisting family law counsel in a dissolution and parenting-time dispute matter. The attached materials are: (1) the certified deposition transcript of Jordan Lee, the other spouse, and (2) the witness's prior statements: the sworn financial affidavit, bank records, and co-parent communications. The issues that matter are: income and assets; parenting-time history; claimed expenses. This work product supports a family law matter, where financial transparency and the statutory best-interests and equitable-distribution factors govern, and where the parties will often remain in each other's lives after judgment.

INSTRUCTIONS:
Compare the deposition testimony against each prior statement, fact by fact. Identify every place the accounts diverge and classify each divergence as exactly one of:
- DIRECT CONTRADICTION — the statements cannot both be true.
- MATERIAL OMISSION — a fact asserted in one account is absent from the other where it would naturally appear.
- SHIFTED DETAIL — timing, sequence, distance, speed, or identity changed between accounts.
Then, for each DIRECT CONTRADICTION and SHIFTED DETAIL, draft a two-step cross-examination sequence: first a lock-in question committing the witness to the deposition testimony, then a confrontation question presenting the prior statement, each with its cite.

In this engagement, additionally: Focus on divergence between sworn financial disclosures and the documentary record, and between claimed parenting involvement and what the communications record actually shows.

TEMPLATE — format your output exactly as follows:
## Divergence map
| # | Topic | Deposition account (verbatim + cite) | Prior statement account (verbatim + source + cite) | Classification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
## Cross-examination sequences
For each qualifying divergence:
**Divergence #__ — [topic]**
- Lock-in: "[question]" (commits witness to: [depo cite])
- Confront: "[question]" (prior statement: [source + cite])
## Consistencies that hurt us
Briefly list facts the witness has stated consistently across all accounts, with cites — these are the points cross should avoid.

EVIDENCE REQUIREMENTS:
For every finding, identify the source document by name and cite page:line for transcripts, timestamps for audio/video, and Bates/page for documents. Every divergence requires two citations — one per source — and verbatim language from both. If a prior statement referenced in the materials list was not actually provided, say so explicitly rather than working from assumptions. Do not classify a divergence as a DIRECT CONTRADICTION unless the verbatim language supports it; when in doubt, classify down to SHIFTED DETAIL and flag it under "Borderline — attorney review."

Unless a section above specifies its own marker, write "not found in the record" wherever the provided record does not support a requested finding. Do not infer or fill gaps from outside knowledge.
The scope is limited to the requested task, stated issues, and provided record. Do not introduce outside subjects or sources.
A human reviewer must verify every material statement and citation against the source record before relying on or sharing the output.

Every template in the library assembles like this with the Family law lens: open the builder and add only the assignment details needed, using neutral labels where possible, or read the Attorney's Guide to AI Prompting for the method behind it.

What this lens changes in each task

Extract from the record
Prioritize admissions about income, assets, and liabilities, statements about parenting time and conduct, and — where the record preserves it — tone: how something was said to a co-parent often matters as much as what was said.
Build a chronology
Communications and conduct timelines dominate this practice: build them from texts, emails, and exchange records with exact dates and times wherever available, attributing every entry to its author.
Find contradictions
Focus on divergence between sworn financial disclosures and the documentary record, and between claimed parenting involvement and what the communications record actually shows.
Summarize the record
Organize around the governing factors as the record speaks to them, in a measured register — the likely audience is a judge or guardian ad litem, not a jury.
Draft from the record
Keep the tone measured and factual; inflammatory framing reliably backfires in family court, and specificity does the persuading.
Interrogate the file
Attribute every answer to its specific source and author; in this practice, who said it and when is usually the point.

Common questions

How can family law attorneys use AI with financial disclosures?

Family law attorneys and paralegals can use AI to compare a sworn financial affidavit against bank statements, tax returns, and other production, listing each divergence with a citation to both documents. The output is a review list, not a finding of hidden assets: the attorney checks each item and decides what to raise in discovery or at a hearing.

Can AI build a communications timeline from texts and emails?

Yes. AI can build a dated communications timeline from texts, emails, and exchange records, attributing every entry to its author with the exact date and time. In family law matters, who said what and when often shapes parenting issues, so a paralegal should confirm each entry against the original message before it appears in a filing.

What tone should an AI-drafted family law summary use?

An AI-drafted family law summary should be measured and factual, because the audience is usually a judge or guardian ad litem, not a jury. A good prompt tells the AI to avoid inflammatory characterization and let specific, cited facts carry the point. The attorney reviews the draft for tone and accuracy before it is filed or shared.

Worked examples for this practice

Each pairs one template with this practice’s emphasis, end to end.

More template guides

Read the general guide for each workflow below. To apply the Family law context to your own facts, use the builder actions above.