TCDLAi Prompt Design Guide | AI for the Defense

The idea

The five uppercase letters build the draft. The lowercase i is where you stay a lawyer. Run the letters in order when a task matters, and the model stays focused while you stay in control.

Target the legal issue

Frame the precise legal question. Be exact about the charge and the jurisdiction.

"Analyze the elements of [charge] under Texas law."

"Summarize the key defenses to [charge] in [county] court."

Compile relevant facts and evidence

Give the model the facts to organize and prioritize. Never let it add facts you did not provide.

"List and rank the top five pieces of evidence by likely impact."

"Identify inconsistencies across the witness statements I paste."

Define applicable laws and precedents

Point the model to the statutes and precedents it must work from. This is where grounding happens.

"Using only the statute text I paste, summarize what the State must prove."

"From the opinion I provide, state the holding and the facts it turned on."

List potential defense strategies

Ask for approaches, each tied to a fact and a legal basis.

"Generate three defense strategies for [charge and key facts], each tied to a fact."

"Compare the pros and cons of an alibi defense versus self-defense here."

Analyze and articulate arguments

Guide the model to evaluate strategies and shape persuasive arguments.

"Draft an opening-statement outline from the strongest defense angle."

"Anticipate and counter the top three likely prosecution arguments."

Inspect and improve the results

Critically assess the output and refine. This step is yours, and it is the one that protects you.

"For each claim, quote the exact fact or source that supports it, or mark it UNSUPPORTED."

"Identify where your answer lacks specificity or may be wrong on Texas law."

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The verification rule. If you cannot pull the opinion or statute yourself from a real database, you do not have a citation. You have a hypothesis that still needs proof.