Effective Client Communication in the AI Era

Here is my recent Daily Record column. My past Daily Record articles can be accessed here.

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Effective Client Communication in the AI Era

Time is a precious resource. There never seems to be enough of it, especially when you’re running a busy law practice. Keeping up can be a challenge, and when you’re facing looming deadlines, other important tasks, including updating clients, can fall by the wayside.

The result is often insufficient client communication, which is one of the top complaints leading to disciplinary and legal malpractice actions against lawyers. According to the Washington State Bar Association’s 2024 Discipline System Annual Report, inadequate client communication was the fourth most common reason for attorney discipline. Similarly, the 2016-2019 ABA Profile of Legal Malpractice Claims study found that 17% of malpractice claims arose from client relationship failures.

The good news is that modern technology—including generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools—can be a great resource for lawyers struggling to keep clients in the loop. AI, whether standalone or built into the legal software your firm relies on, can rapidly draft client correspondence for you, including letters, emails, and text messages. Lawyers have already figured out how helpful AI can be for supporting effective client communication. According to the 8am 2026 Legal Industry Report, 58% of survey respondents report using general-use generative AI platforms like Claude and ChatGPT for drafting correspondence, and 43% use legal-specific tools for that purpose. 

The problem is that AI-generated text doesn’t always hit the mark, leading to an unsettling, “Uncanny Valley” effect. Oftentimes, you’ll find you can’t quite put your finger on it, but you just know it was machine-drafted. 

Not surprisingly, AI tools lean into writing patterns, just as humans do. And, as AI-created writing proliferates, it’s easier than ever to identify the “tells” that give away its origin. Certain words, phrases, and structural elements repeatedly crop up. By identifying and eliminating them, you can improve the quality of client communications while still benefiting from the significant AI-drafting efficiencies.

The simplest way to accomplish this is to create a writing prompt that describes your preferred approach. By providing clear directives for all client correspondence drafting, you’re better able to control the quality of AI output.

Here is a suggested prompt that you can revise to your liking: “Prompt Template – Neutral Approachable Writing Task: Rewrite / Draft the text in neutral English. Tone: Clear, concise, factual, and approachable. Use matter-of-fact language and sentence structure that is primarily simple and direct (e.g., noun followed by verb). AVOID: em dashes and “not this but that” phrasing. Do NOT use the following over-emphatic or formulaic words (unless quoting a source): worth noting that, delve, pivotal, sharp, quietly, nuanced, crucial testament, underscore, propel, unwavering, heartfelt, embrace, foster, ignite, empower, amplify, catalyst, leverage, epitome, cornerstone, harness, noteworthy, unprecedented, profound, journey. Preferred style: Use plain alternatives (e.g., shows, indicates, supports, argues, demonstrates, develops). Output format: – Use bullet points or numbered lists if summarizing. – Otherwise, present in coherent but not too lengthy paragraphs. – Keep sentences varied in structure and avoid repetitive phrasing.”

Once you’ve drafted a prompt that fits your needs, there are a few ways you can implement it. First, you can save it as a text shortcut in your computer's built-in keyboard settings. For example, on a Mac, go to System Settings > Keyboard > Text Replacements. Typing the short trigger (either a few letters or a word) instantly expands to the full template in any app or AI tool you use.

Additionally, most AI tools, including Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini, offer custom instructions or a system prompt field where you can paste your writing prompt once, and it will be applied automatically. Or if your firm uses a legal-specific AI tool, there may be ways to add the writing instructions so they live in the system prompt and run silently on every request. Finally, another option is to add it to your Notes app, so that it’s readily accessible and can be quickly copied and pasted into a query whenever you start a new session with any tool.

Taking these small steps to improve AI output increases your productivity and improves client trust. However, efficiency should never come at the expense of professional oversight or human touch. Even with a custom prompt, you must always review and edit the final output to ensure it is accurate and appropriate for the specific situation. This approach allows you to leverage modern tools to eliminate "AI-isms" while maintaining the personal connection and high standards your clients expect and deserve.

Nicole Black is a Rochester, New York attorney, author, journalist, and Principal Legal Insight Strategist at 8am, the team behind MyCase, LawPay, CasePeer, and DocketWise.She is the nationally-recognized author of "Cloud Computing for Lawyers" (2012) and co-authors "Social Media for Lawyers: The Next Frontier" (2010), both published by the American Bar Association. She also co-authors "Criminal Law in New York," a Thomson Reuters treatise. She writes regular columns for Above the Law, ABA Journal, and The Daily Record, has authored hundreds of articles for other publications, and regularly speaks at conferences regarding the intersection of law and emerging technologies. She is an ABA Legal Rebel, and is listed on the Fastcase 50 and ABA LTRC Women in Legal Tech. She can be contacted at niki.black@mycase.com.