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Examples of Questions to Ask an AI Tool in Your Legal Job Search

AI can be a powerful research tool in your legal job search toolbox, but it’s important to understand how best to use AI to maximize its effectiveness and minimize potential pitfalls. There are a few simple things you can do when using AI to research the legal job market, improve your application materials, or prepare for interviews that will improve the quality and reliability of your results.

One of the most important things you can do is frame your queries to the AI tool in ways that maximize effectiveness and optimize your results. For example, you will get better results from an AI tool if you ask targeted questions, include as many details and as much reference information as possible, name specific sources for AI to pull from in its answers, and ask follow-up questions to clarify its answers.

Below are some examples of questions that you can use in specific instances as a starting point to help you more effectively use an AI tool in your legal job search. 

When Researching Employers

  • “Create a list of all the U.S. law firms, nonprofits, and government agencies that do energy regulation work.”
  • “What U.S. law firms have the highest associate satisfaction and have offices in New York or Washington D.C.?”
  • “Create a list of U.S. law firms in markets/cities with a population less than 1,000,000 people that have top ranked appellate practices.”
  • “Create a list of the top 20 U.S. law firms in the northeast that have a litigation practice and hire new law school graduates.”
  • “What are the top 10 public defender offices in the U.S. based on the strength of their training programs, volume of work, and overall reputation?”
  • “What non-profits and governmental agencies in the United States do work nationally and/or internationally to combat climate change?”
  • “Create a list of judges in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit who have issued published decisions in antitrust cases in the past five years.” 
  • “Tell me about law firm X. How do they compare to their top competitors such as ABC law firm on key metrics like total annual revenue, profits per partner, corporate clients, innovation, work culture, etc.?”
  • “What meaningful differences should a law student who wants to do merger and acquisitions work [or any other type of work you’re interested in] know about law firm X and law firm Y?”
  • “What are the 10 largest legal aid agencies in X city and what types of work does each agency do?”

When Researching an Area of Legal Practice 

  • “What does an M&A attorney at a big law firm do in a typical work day?”
  • “What does a legal aid attorney do in a typical work day?”
  • “What does a day of work as a judicial intern typically look like?”
  • “What do Funds attorneys say is the best part of their job?”
  • “What types of cases does a civil rights attorney working in the area of criminal justice most commonly file?”

To Get Help Editing Your Application Materials

  • “Taking the role of a recruiter for X legal employer, provide feedback on this resume [insert resume content minus your personal details] for this job description [insert job description text].”
  • “Based on this job description [insert job description], generate 5 suggestions for improving this bullet point [insert bullet point].”
  • “How can I incorporate these skillsets and experience [insert keywords] into this resume [insert resume text] and cover letter [insert cover letter text] for this position [insert job description].”
  • “Review my resume [insert resume text] and cover letter [insert cover letter text] and identify any words or phrases that may be viewed [negatively/positively] by the employer hiring for this position [insert job description text].”

To Help You Prepare for Interviews

  • “What challenging questions can I expect to be asked when interviewing with XYZ law firm/non-profit?”
  • “Evaluate my answer to Question A in light of the following job description: [insert text of the job description, text of Question A, and text of your planned answer].”

To Help You Prepare for an Informational Interview 

  • “I will be talking to an M&A lawyer at [law firm] who has 6 years of experience. Analyze their LinkedIn profile [insert text of LinkedIn profile] and their law firm bio [insert text of bio] and come up with three questions I can ask during an informational interview.”
  • “Provide a list of the best questions to ask in an informational interview with a lawyer at a mid-size plaintiff’s law firm.”
  • “What are good questions to ask a [practice area] attorney working at legal aid in X city to find out more about what they do?”