Turn a Dense Legal Document Into a Plain-English Client Explainer
Paste a dense legal document into Claude and get a topic-organized, plain-English explainer, with decision points and questions for the client included, that you review before sending.
When to use this
Your client signed a trust, lease, settlement agreement, or court order, but the language leaves them confused and they keep calling with questions. This workflow turns the binding document into a clear explainer organized by topic, quoting the source language for your review and flagging the choices the client must make and the questions they should raise. You review every line for accuracy before it goes out, because the explainer supplements, and never replaces, the controlling document.
Most clients do not struggle with the substance of their legal documents; they struggle with the language. A revocable trust, a commercial lease, a marital settlement agreement, or a custody order is written to be enforceable, not readable, and the gap between legally precise and easy to follow is where confused calls and second-guessing live.
Claude can help close that gap. Paste in the document, tell it who the client is, and it can produce a plain-English walkthrough organized the way a client thinks about their situation: what they own, what they owe, what they have to decide, and what they should ask you. A good explainer supports informed decisions and your duty to keep the client reasonably informed.
The catch is accuracy: simplifying can quietly shade meaning, and a client who relies on a loose paraphrase instead of the binding text can make a costly mistake. So the workflow has Claude quote the exact source language next to each plain-English point for your review, and you read the draft against the source, fix anything that drifts, and make clear to the client that the explainer is a companion to the document they signed, not a substitute.
The Workflow
Paste the document and identify the client
Start a single conversation. Paste the full text of the document in <document> tags, then tell Claude what kind of document it is, who your client is, and that the goal is a plain-English explainer for that specific reader. Giving Claude the client's role (settlor, tenant, the parent receiving primary custody) keeps the summary anchored to that person's perspective.
Prompt<document type="[TYPE OF DOCUMENT, e.g., revocable living trust / commercial lease / marital settlement agreement / custody order]" date="[DATE]"> [PASTE FULL DOCUMENT TEXT HERE] </document> I am a lawyer preparing a plain-English explainer of the document above for my client, who is [CLIENT ROLE, e.g., the settlor / the tenant / the parent with primary physical custody]. The client is [BRIEF CONTEXT, e.g., "recently widowed, not a lawyer"]. My goal is an accurate explainer the client can read alongside the signed document. Tell me, in one or two sentences, what this document does for my client and the single most important thing it changes for them, quoting the provision that supports your answer. Do not summarize the whole thing yet; confirm you understand the document and the client before we continue. If any part of the document appears to be missing (referenced exhibits or schedules not included), list it.
What you get: A short, accurate confirmation of what the document is and what it does for your client, with the supporting provision quoted, plus a note of any missing exhibits. This is your first accuracy checkpoint: if the framing is off, correct it before going further.
Generate a topic-organized plain-English summary
Ask Claude to walk through the document by topic, grouping related provisions the way the client experiences them rather than clause by clause. By default, have it produce a review version that puts the exact source language next to each plain-English point, so you can verify faithfulness quickly; you strip the quotes out for the client copy.
PromptNow write a plain-English summary of this document for my client. Requirements: - Organize it by topic (for example: what my client gets or keeps, what my client must do, money and payments, timing and deadlines, what happens if something goes wrong, how this can be changed or ended), not clause by clause. Use a clear heading for each topic. - Write so a non-lawyer can follow it. Short sentences. No legalese. - If a legal term is unavoidable, keep it and add a plain-English definition in parentheses the first time it appears. - REVIEW VERSION: after each plain-English point, add the section reference and the exact quoted language it summarizes, in the form [Source: Section X, "..."]. I will remove these before sending. - Be faithful to the document. Do not add, soften, or guess at anything that is not in the text. If something is unclear or not addressed, write "not specified in the document" rather than filling it in. - At the end, list any point where you had to simplify in a way that might lose a condition or exception.
What you get: A readable, topic-organized summary under clear headings, with each point paired to the quoted source language and a list of places where simplification may have lost nuance. Flag anywhere it reads as advice or adds facts the document does not contain.
Flag the decisions the client has to make
A document often leaves choices to the client: whether to fund the trust now, whether to exercise a renewal option, whether to accept a payment schedule. Have Claude pull those out into a short, explicit list so nothing time-sensitive gets buried in the prose.
PromptFrom this same document, list the points that require a decision or action from my client: things they must choose, do, sign, fund, elect, or respond to. For each one: (1) name the decision or action in plain English, (2) note any deadline or trigger stated in the document, (3) note the consequence the document attaches to it, and (4) give the section reference and quote the operative words. Only include items that are in the document; if a deadline or consequence is not stated, write "not specified in the document." Keep it to a clean bulleted list.
What you get: A focused list of decision and action items with any stated deadlines, consequences, and quoted source language. Items without a stated deadline are marked "not specified," not invented.
Add a short "questions to ask your attorney" list
Close the client-facing portion with a handful of useful questions the client should bring to you. This frames the explainer as a starting point for a conversation, reinforcing that you, not the summary, are the source of advice, and surfaces the issues most worth a phone call.
PromptFinally, draft a short list (5 or fewer) of "Questions to ask your attorney" that my client should consider after reading this. Focus on judgment calls, options, or risks raised by this specific document, not generic questions. Phrase them in the client's own voice. Then add one closing sentence reminding the client that this explainer is a plain-language summary to help them understand the document, that the signed document itself controls, and that they should talk to me before acting on anything.
What you get: Up to five specific, document-grounded questions in the client's voice, plus a closing line that positions the explainer as a companion to the binding document and directs the client back to you.
Review against the source, then send
Before anything goes to the client, read the review version against the original document. Use the quoted source language to confirm every statement tracks the text, that no simplification has shaded meaning, that defined terms are accurate, and that the decision points and deadlines match. Fix anything that drifted, remove the source quotes for the client copy, adjust tone to your voice, and only then send. Keep the controlling document attached so the client always has the binding version alongside the explainer.
What you get: A client-ready explainer you have personally verified against the source document. The original controlling document goes out with it, and the client understands the explainer is a plain-language aid, not a replacement for the document or for your advice.
Example Output
Illustrative example — names, facts, and figures are fictional.
Understanding Your Revocable Living Trust: A Plain-English Summary (fictional client) (This summary is a plain-language aid. Your signed Trust is the document that legally controls. Talk to me before acting on anything below.) WHAT THIS TRUST DOES FOR YOU - You created a revocable living trust (a container you set up to hold your property; "revocable" means you can change or cancel it while you are alive and competent). [Source: Art. 2.1, "The Settlor reserves the right to amend or revoke this Trust in whole or in part..."] - You are the trustee (the person who manages the trust) while you are able, so day to day, nothing about how you use your property changes. [Source: Art. 3.1, "The initial Trustee shall be the Settlor..."] WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR PROPERTY - Property you transfer into the trust passes to your beneficiaries at your death without going through probate (the court process for distributing assets). - Property you never transfer in is NOT covered by the trust and may still go through probate. WHO STEPS IN, AND WHEN - If you become incapacitated or pass away, your named successor trustee (your daughter, [Successor A]) takes over management. [Source: Art. 3.3] DECISIONS / ACTIONS FOR YOU - Fund the trust: re-title your home and accounts into the trust's name. Deadline: not specified in the document, but the trust only controls assets actually transferred in. QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR ATTORNEY - Which of my specific accounts should I move into the trust, and which should stay out? - Does my mortgage or insurance need anything before I re-title the house? - Should I update my beneficiary designations to match this plan? (Source quotes appear in the review version only and are removed before sending.)
Tips
- •Always attach the original document when you send the explainer, and label the explainer as a summary. The client should never be left relying on the paraphrase alone.
- •Keep the review version with quoted source language in your file. It shows how each plain-English statement maps to the text if the client later questions the explanation.
- •Keep the reading level concrete. If a passage still feels dense, tell Claude the client's situation (for example, "first-time homebuyer" or "recently widowed") and ask it to simplify further without losing accuracy.
- •Reuse the flow across practice areas: the same four prompts work for a trust, a lease, a settlement, or an order. Re-verify every time, since simplification risk is document-specific.
A note on confidentiality
The documents you explain are a client's executed instruments: trusts with asset lists and beneficiaries' names, leases with rent and guaranty terms, settlement agreements with payment figures and confidentiality clauses, and court orders that may concern children. Check whether a settlement agreement or order restricts disclosure before uploading it, replace beneficiaries' and children's names with roles, and remove account numbers and addresses the explainer doesn't need. Run client work on a commercial plan (Team or Enterprise) whose terms exclude your content from model training. On Pro or Max, disable model training in Privacy settings; a commercial plan's contract terms are the stronger answer for client work. Your duties under Model Rules 1.6 and 1.4 and ABA Formal Opinion 512 apply. Every output is a draft for attorney review: verify each statement against the source document before sending.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will simplifying the document change its legal meaning?
It can, which is why the review version quotes the source language and the final review step is required. Plain-English phrasing sometimes softens conditions, drops exceptions, or overstates certainty. Read Claude's draft against the source, correct any drift, and always send the controlling document alongside the explainer so the client has the binding text.
Is it safe to paste a client's document into Claude?
Use a commercial plan (Team or Enterprise), where your inputs are not used to train models by contract, or at minimum disable model training on Pro or Max. Check whether the document itself restricts disclosure, replace names you don't need with roles, and follow your jurisdiction's guidance on using AI with client information (see ABA Formal Opinion 512 and Model Rule 1.6).
Can I send the explainer to the client instead of the document?
No. The explainer is a comprehension aid that supplements the binding document; it does not replace it. Send both, label the explainer as a plain-language summary, and make clear that the signed document controls and that the client should talk to you before acting.
Prompts used in this workflow
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