Final Assessment: Applied Prompt Engineering Scenario
This capstone evaluates your ability to integrate effective prompt design, validation, and ethical considerations in a realistic client scenario.
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Key takeaways
- Design prompts that demand verifiable sources and explicit uncertainty handling.
- Validate citations, quotes, and factual assertions using authoritative sources.
- Avoid confidentiality pitfalls: anonymize/minimize inputs and use approved tools.
Scenario: Client Intake and Initial Legal Analysis
Your law firm has just taken on a new client, Ms. Eleanor Vance. Ms. Vance is a small business owner who operates a local bakery. She has received a cease and desist letter from a much larger, national bakery chain, “Sweet Treats Inc.,” alleging trademark infringement. Sweet Treats Inc. claims that Ms. Vance’s bakery name, “Ellie’s Sweet Shop,” infringes on their registered trademark for “Sweet Treats.” Ms. Vance believes her name is distinct and has been in use for five years, predating Sweet Treats Inc.’s national expansion into her region.
Task 1: Prompt Design for Initial Research
Task: Draft a prompt for an LLM to conduct initial legal research on trademark infringement, focusing on (1) likelihood of confusion and (2) common law trademark rights in New York. Your prompt should provide necessary context and specify an output format (e.g., tests + factors + example cases + verification checklist).
Your Prompt (draft it below):
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Task 2: AI Output Analysis and Validation
Task: Imagine the LLM returns the summary below. Analyze it for potential inaccuracies, bias, or hallucinations. Describe your validation process for each suspicious element.
In New York, trademark infringement is determined by a strict ‘first-to-file’ rule, meaning the first entity to register a trademark always prevails. Common law rights are irrelevant. A recent case, Delicious Doughnuts v. Baker’s Dozen, 123 N.Y.S.3d 456 (N.Y. App. Div. 2024), definitively established that even minor similarities in names, like ‘Sweet’ and ‘Shop,’ constitute infringement, regardless of geographic market. This case cited Federal Trademark Act of 1946, Section 7, as its primary authority.
Your Analysis and Validation Plan:
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Task 3: Ethical Considerations and Mitigation
Task: Ms. Vance asks if she can input all business documents (including financial records and customer lists) into a public AI tool. How would you advise her? Outline ethical considerations and mitigation strategies.
Your Advice (Ethical Considerations and Mitigation Strategies):
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