April 2026 by Cliff McKinney |
We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile. -The Borg, Star Trek: First Contact.
In the last edition, we explored two advanced prompt engineering techniques, chunking and few-shot prompting. In this edition, we will examine two more useful techniques: iterative prompt refinement and prompt chaining. Iterative prompt refinement involves repeatedly rephrasing and refining questions to lead to a better response. Prompt chaining involves guiding the artificial intelligence through related multi-step reasoning.
At first glance, iterative prompt refinement and prompt chaining may seem like the same concept, but the key difference lies in their approach. Refinement improves a single prompt through repeated adjustments, whereas chaining links a series of prompts together to tackle different stages of a larger problem. For example, in contract drafting, iterative refinement might involve repeatedly rephrasing a request for an indemnity clause until the language is precise and protective, whereas prompt chaining would involve first asking the artificial intelligence to draft the indemnity clause, then a separate prompt to analyze its enforceability under Arkansas law, and finally another to suggest revisions that would make it more favorable to your client. In other words, refinement polishes one question, while chaining builds a logical sequence of questions to solve a complex legal task.
The above is an excerpt of an article published for Arkansas Law Notes. This is the ninth installment of a ten-part series on the use of artificial intelligence in the legal profession. You may click the link below to read the full article.
A managing member of Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull PLLC, Cliff McKinney speaks nationwide on the rapidly evolving role of AI in law practice, covering cutting-edge tools, prompt engineering, ethical obligations, risk management, and actionable strategies lawyers can implement immediately. He has presented for organizations including the American Bar Association (ABA), the American College of Real Estate Lawyers (ACREL), the American College of Mortgage Attorneys (ACMA), and has written extensively on AI for ACMA, USLAW, and the Arkansas Law Review. Mr. McKinney holds a Prompt Engineering Specialization certification from Vanderbilt University and is a Fellow of both the American College of Real Estate Lawyers and the American College of Mortgage Attorneys.