Laura
Jeffords
Greenberg
isn’t
just
an
innovative
legal
mind;
she’s
a
champion
of
transforming
how
legal
teams
operate
in
the
age
of
AI.
As
a
senior
legal
director
at
Copenhagen-based
WorkSum,
Laura
focuses
on
helping
startups
and
scale-ups
leverage
AI
and
streamline
their
processes.
In
a
recent
conversation,
she
shared
her
expertise
on
asynchronous
communication,
AI
adoption,
and
why
prompt
engineering
might
just
be
the
skill
every
lawyer
needs
to
master.
Watch
the
full
conversation
here:
The
Future
of
Legal:
Will
Prompting
Be
Required?
Asynchronous
Communication:
The
Foundation
Of
Efficiency
Laura’s
journey
into
asynchronous
communication
began
with
a
need
to
bridge
a
9-hour
time
difference
between
her
legal
team
in
California
and
her
location
in
Europe.
“I
couldn’t
just
walk
up
to
someone’s
desk
or
wait
a
couple
of
hours
for
a
response,”
she
explained.
This
forced
her
to
adopt
a
new
way
of
working
—
documenting
processes,
creating
knowledge
banks,
and
setting
clear
expectations.
Asynchronous
communication
isn’t
just
about
sending
emails
or
Slack
messages;
it’s
about
structuring
information
so
recipients
can
respond
meaningfully
on
their
own
time.
Laura
sees
this
as
foundational
for
high-performing
legal
teams,
as
it
minimizes
delays
and
builds
transparency.
“Your
communication
should
anticipate
questions
and
provide
context,”
she
said.
“The
goal
is
to
get
useful
answers
the
first
time.”
The
AI
Connection:
Why
Documentation
Is
Key
For
Laura,
the
meticulous
documentation
required
for
asynchronous
communication
also
lays
the
groundwork
for
successful
AI
adoption.
Generative
AI
thrives
on
context,
and
teams
that
document
their
processes
and
create
knowledge
repositories
are
better
positioned
to
leverage
their
capabilities.
“Without
context,
AI
can
only
give
you
generic
outputs,”
Laura
noted.
“But
if
you
provide
it
with
detailed,
company-specific
information
—
within
compliance
boundaries
—
it
can
deliver
tailored
results.”
This
includes
everything
from
generating
NDAs
to
creating
polished
communications
that
align
with
a
company’s
tone
of
voice.
Prompt
Engineering:
A
Skill
Every
Lawyer
Needs?
Prompt
engineering
—
the
art
of
crafting
effective
queries
for
AI
—
has
sparked
a
lively
debate.
Is
it
a
fleeting
skill
or
a
long-term
necessity?
While
the
jury’s
still
out,
Laura
argues
that
mastering
prompting
is
essential
for
lawyers
today.
Her
advice?
Use
the
WRAPS
framework
to
structure
your
prompts:
-
What:
Define
the
expected
output
(e.g.,
email,
contract,
policy). -
Role:
Specify
your
perspective
or
the
role
of
the
AI
(e.g.,
in-house
counsel
at
a
SaaS
company). -
Audience:
Identify
the
target
audience
for
the
output
(e.g.,
a
client,
CEO,
or
counterparty). -
Purpose:
Clarify
the
overarching
goal
(e.g.,
to
persuade,
educate,
or
negotiate). -
Scope:
Provide
any
additional
details
or
context
to
refine
the
result.
Laura
also
highlighted
the
importance
of
iterative
refinement,
what
she
calls
“wrapping
with
a
side
of
DIP”:
-
Discussion:
Engage
in
a
conversation
with
the
AI
to
refine
outputs. -
Interrogate:
Question
the
AI’s
suggestions
to
validate
their
accuracy. -
Pace:
Take
your
time
and
restart
when
necessary
to
avoid
getting
stuck
in
unproductive
loops.
Practical
Applications
For
In-House
Legal
Teams
When
it
comes
to
in-house
legal
teams,
Laura
sees
AI
as
a
game-changer
for
improving
efficiency
and
reducing
workload.
From
drafting
contracts
to
creating
internal
policies
and
even
helping
with
Excel
formulas,
AI
can
save
significant
time.
“For
tasks
like
structuring
a
brain
dump
into
polished
communication,
AI
is
invaluable,”
she
said.
Laura’s
favorite
use
case?
Training
AI
to
adopt
a
company’s
specific
tone
of
voice
for
consistent
messaging.
“It’s
a
huge
time-saver
and
ensures
alignment
across
all
communications,”
she
explained.
Creating
A
Culture
Of
Experimentation
One
of
Laura’s
key
insights
is
the
importance
of
fostering
a
culture
of
experimentation.
“Using
AI
isn’t
just
about
efficiency;
it’s
about
creativity,”
she
said.
Leaders
must
give
their
teams
the
time
and
psychological
safety
to
explore
AI’s
potential,
make
mistakes,
and
innovate.
She
emphasized
that
this
mindset
shift
requires
moving
away
from
traditional
legal
perfectionism.
“It’s
okay
to
fail
as
you
experiment
with
AI,”
Laura
said.
“What
matters
is
learning
from
those
failures
and
adapting.”
Key
Takeaway:
Start
Playing
And
Keep
Learning
Laura’s
message
is
clear:
don’t
wait
to
start
experimenting
with
AI.
Whether
you’re
exploring
basic
tools
like
ChatGPT
or
diving
into
more-advanced
use
cases,
the
time
to
learn
is
now.
Use
frameworks
to
guide
your
prompts
and
approach
AI
with
a
mindset
of
curiosity
and
continuous
improvement.
“AI
isn’t
going
anywhere,”
Laura
concluded.
“The
sooner
you
start
experimenting,
the
more
prepared
you’ll
be
to
leverage
its
full
potential.”
Watch
the
full
conversation
here:
The
Future
of
Legal:
Will
Prompting
Be
Required?
Olga
V.
Mack
is
a
Fellow
at
CodeX,
The
Stanford
Center
for
Legal
Informatics,
and
a
Generative
AI
Editor
at
law.MIT.
Olga
embraces
legal
innovation
and
had
dedicated
her
career
to
improving
and
shaping
the
future
of
law.
She
is
convinced
that
the
legal
profession
will
emerge
even
stronger,
more
resilient,
and
more
inclusive
than
before
by
embracing
technology.
Olga
is
also
an
award-winning
general
counsel,
operations
professional,
startup
advisor,
public
speaker,
adjunct
professor,
and
entrepreneur.
She
authored Get
on
Board:
Earning
Your
Ticket
to
a
Corporate
Board
Seat, Fundamentals
of
Smart
Contract
Security,
and Blockchain
Value:
Transforming
Business
Models,
Society,
and
Communities. She
is
working
on
three
books:
Visual
IQ
for
Lawyers
(ABA
2024), The
Rise
of
Product
Lawyers:
An
Analytical
Framework
to
Systematically
Advise
Your
Clients
Throughout
the
Product
Lifecycle
(Globe
Law
and
Business
2024),
and
Legal
Operations
in
the
Age
of
AI
and
Data
(Globe
Law
and
Business
2024).
You
can
follow
Olga
on
LinkedIn
and
Twitter
@olgavmack.