The HR Legal Research Toolkit: 50 AI Prompts, a Research Workflow, and a Compliance Log for Multi-State HR
Employment law research used to mean a full day buried in state-by-state guidance, hoping you didn't miss a local ordinance. This toolkit is the system I actually use to get a working picture of a multi-state legal question in about ten minutes, then know exactly what to bring to legal counsel when it's time for the real conversation.What's inside:Where Do I Start? — A one-page decision guide that routes you to the right section based on your situation: a multi-state comparison question, a single-jurisdiction deep dive, a contract that needs a second look, or something urgent that doesn't fit the normal workflow.Setting Your Context — Two ways to build a reusable context block for your AI sessions: a meta-prompt that interviews you and writes it for you, or a fill-in worksheet if you'd rather do it yourself. Covers US states, Canadian provinces, and collective bargaining coverage so you're not repeating yourself in every prompt.Section 1: The Research Workflow — The three-stage process behind every prompt in this toolkit: AI First Pass, Internal Policy Check, Legal Review. Includes a "When to Call the Lawyer" decision checklist so you're not guessing whether a finding needs to go further.Section 2: Multi-State Comparison Prompts (20 prompts) — The questions that come up constantly: non-compete enforceability, pay transparency and salary posting rules, predictive scheduling, final pay timing, paid leave, background checks, drug testing, arbitration agreements, minimum wage and tip credit rules, at-will exceptions, required postings, and more.Section 3: Specific Compliance Deep-Dive Prompts (8 prompts) — For when you need real depth on one jurisdiction: opening a new location, hiring a remote employee in a new state, a specific leave law, wage and hour compliance, and a prompt built specifically for Canadian provincial research.Section 4: Compliance Watch List Prompts (6 prompts) — Stay ahead of legislative changes instead of reacting to them. Includes an annual all-states compliance scan and a prompt for building your own compliance calendar.Section 5: Research Log Template — A fillable log to document every research session: the question, the prompt used, what AI found, your internal policy check, and whether legal review was required. It's the audit trail that shows you did your diligence.Section 6: Contract Review Prompts (6 prompts) — Prompts for flagging risk in employment agreements and client contracts before they go to legal, including a prompt built specifically for co-employment and joint employer exposure.Section 7: Edge Case Prompts (10 prompts) — For the situations that don't fit a standard research flow: an agency inquiry, a threatened lawsuit, conflicting AI outputs, layoffs, and other non-routine moments.Quick Reference — Six cross-cutting tips for getting consistent results out of every prompt in the toolkit.Appendix: Before You Meet with Legal Counsel — A five-part checklist covering what to bring to that conversation: your research, the facts of the situation, your internal policy position, the timeline, and contract documents if relevant.Every prompt includes a callout explaining what it's for and what to watch for in the output. Several include a sample of what a well-structured AI response actually looks like, so you know what "good" looks like before you run it yourself.The toolkit also includes a full page covering Greg's 3 Rules for using AI in HR: own the output, protect employee data, and keep trying until it clicks.Who this is for:HR professionals, HR business partners, and people operations teams responsible for compliance across multiple US states or Canadian provinces, who want AI to do the first pass on legal research without losing the discipline of knowing when a lawyer needs to be in the room.What you'll need:Access to any enterprise AI tool (Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini for Workspace, Claude for Enterprise, or similar). These prompts are written for general framework research. Anything involving a real employee or a live legal matter belongs in a tool with appropriate data protections, not a personal AI account.Part of the HR AI Guy series on practical AI applications for HR professionals. New content every Sunday at thehraiguy.medium.com.
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