The library · Law firms · Email
Ask a client for a referral
Most private client work arrives by word of mouth. People are happy to recommend a solicitor, and rarely think to.
The prompt
I work in marketing at a law firm. Help me ask a happy client for a referral. Context: Most private client work arrives by word of mouth. People are happy to recommend a solicitor, and rarely think to. Before you start, ask me for anything missing from this list: - The client and what we did for them - The kind of person we would like to meet - Any house rules on referral rewards Then: 1. Thank them for something specific. 2. Describe who we help in one sentence they could repeat. 3. Make the ask easy: one line they can forward. Give me: - The email - A forwardable two-line introduction Rules: - Use only the facts I give you. Where something is missing, write [detail needed]. Never invent a number, a name, a quote or a source. - Give general legal information only. Never write anything that reads as advice on a person's own situation, and never suggest an outcome is likely or guaranteed. - Write in plain English, in our voice if I have given you a sample. - Do not tell me what the rules or regulations say. If something may be restricted, flag it and I will check. Finish with a list headed "Check before this goes out". Include these, plus anything else our compliance officer or the partner who approves marketing should see: - Any reward or arrangement for referrals, and how it must be disclosed - That the request reveals nothing about the client's matter to others
Paste it into Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini or Copilot. It will ask you for what it needs.
Check before this goes out
- Any reward or arrangement for referrals, and how it must be disclosed
- That the request reveals nothing about the client's matter to others
The prompt gives you a first draft. Someone qualified still approves anything a client will read.
More for email
Is AI already loose in your firm?
Ten questions, three minutes. The AI Exposure Check shows where you're exposed and what to fix first.
Take the free check →