Going through legal information can be a tiresome task and is one that not everyone manages to do with ease. Understanding legal information can be complex as it is often difficult to read and can be time consuming to filter through. Lately, I have been experimenting with the use of ChatGPT as a legal review tool and will demonstrate in this blog how ChatGPT can be used as a powerful tool to assist in reviewing legal documents like privacy policies, contracts, and other legal materials. Whether you need help identifying risky clauses, summarising complex language, or comparing versions of a contract, ChatGPT can help you streamline the legal review process.
It is important to note however that ChatGPT should be used as a tool to complement the process and not a replacement for professional legal advice. Furthermore, individuals should never risk inputting confidential, sensitive or any personal details into ChatGPT, great care should be taken with the information being put into the system as legal documents often contain potentially sensitive information.
For individuals working in our sector, the legal landscape can be complex. From data protection and safeguarding to contracts and compliance with educational regulations, there are many legal documents to navigate. As stated earlier, while AI doesn’t replace professional legal advice, it can be a helpful tool for reviewing, summarising, and understanding these documents. Whether drafting a new policy, reviewing a supplier contract, or ensuring compliance with GDPR, ChatGPT can assist in making the process more efficient.
Reviewing and Drafting Data Protection and GDPR Compliance Policies
One of the most significant legal obligations for educational institutions in the UK is compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the UK Data Protection Act 2018. Schools and other educational institutions handle large amounts of sensitive personal data, from student records to staff information.
How ChatGPT can help:
- Reviewing data policies: ChatGPT can review existing data protection policies and flag areas that might not fully comply with GDPR.
- Drafting new policies: It can help you draft policies related to data handling, data breach reporting, and consent for student data.
- Simplifying policies for parents and students: GDPR policies often contain legal jargon. ChatGPT can simplify the language so parents and students can understand how their data is being handled.
- Procurement process: When trying to work with new vendors, their terms and conditions often need analysing, ChatGPT can help flag potentially negative terms and give users an indication of the implications the terms and conditions could have on them.
Example prompts:
- “Can you review this data protection policy to ensure it aligns with GDPR and the UK Data Protection Act?”
- “Give me some features of a draft AI usage policy for a college in the UK.”
- “Simplify this GDPR policy so that it is easy to understand for parents and students.”
- “In what capacity might these terms and conditions affect my institution, what pitfalls might there be?”
By using ChatGPT in this way, education professionals can ensure that their institutions meet their legal obligations without the need for constant legal consultation.
Reviewing and drafting contracts with external suppliers and service providers
Schools and universities regularly engage with external contractors whether it’s for catering, IT services, or educational materials. Contracts with third parties must always be carefully reviewed to ensure that they protect the institution’s interests and comply with relevant regulations.
How ChatGPT can help:
- Identifying risky clauses: ChatGPT can help you review supplier contracts to identify clauses that may be risky or unfair to the institution.
- Clarifying contract terms: It can simplify complicated legal terms in contracts, making it easier for you to understand the key provisions.
- Drafting basic contracts: While a lawyer should finalise any contract, ChatGPT can assist in drafting or editing basic supplier agreements, ensuring key areas such as payment terms, warranties, and schedules are covered.
Example prompts:
- “Review this contract with an IT service provider and highlight any risky or unusual clauses.”
- “Can you draft a simple Memorandum of Understanding for an AI translation company for a higher education institute in the UK?”
- “Explain the ‘…..’ clause in this supplier contract in plain language.”
Using ChatGPT in this way allows you to spot potential issues early, ensuring you’re entering into fair and clear agreements with external suppliers.
Reviewing safeguarding and child protection policies
Educational institutions in the UK are required by law to have clear and effective safeguarding and child protection policies in place, take an example of the Online safety act which is a statutory guidance. These policies are crucial for protecting students and ensuring compliance with legal standards.
How ChatGPT can help:
- Ensuring compliance with legislation: ChatGPT can assist in reviewing safeguarding policies to ensure they comply with national legislation and guidelines.
- Drafting or updating policies: It can help draft safeguarding policies, including key areas such as staff responsibilities, reporting mechanisms, and how to handle disclosures of abuse.
- Simplifying communication: Safeguarding policies often need to be communicated to a variety of stakeholders, including staff, parents, and students. ChatGPT can help rewrite these policies in more accessible language.
Example prompts:
- “Can you review this safeguarding policy to ensure it complies with the latest version of the Online safety act”
- “Draft a safeguarding policy for Ai use, ensuring it covers reporting mechanisms and staff responsibilities.”
- “Simplify this child protection policy so that it’s understandable for parents and students.”
By utilising ChatGPT in this manner, education professionals can ensure that their safeguarding and child protection measures are robust, compliant, and clearly communicated.
Analysing and simplifying policy documents for staff and stakeholders
Whether it’s internal HR policies, health and safety regulations, or codes of conduct, educational institutions must regularly communicate complex policies to their staff. ChatGPT can help in simplifying or summarising these documents to ensure they are clearly understood.
How ChatGPT can help:
- Summarising key points: ChatGPT can create summaries of long or complex policy documents, making them more digestible for staff and stakeholders.
- Clarifying obligations: It can break down specific legal obligations for staff, ensuring compliance with school or university regulations.
- Editing for accessibility: ChatGPT can revise policy documents to ensure they are written in plain, accessible language, making it easier for non-legal professionals to follow.
Example Prompts:
- “Summarise the key points of this staff disciplinary policy for quick reference.”
- “Can you explain the health and safety obligations outlined in this document?”
- “Simplify this HR policy on staff grievance procedures for ease of understanding.”
This functionality helps educational professionals ensure that policies are easily understood and followed by all relevant parties, reducing the risk of miscommunication.
Creating and reviewing accessibility and AI usage policies in education.
Accessibility policies are essential in making sure that institutions provide equal opportunities and accommodations for individuals with disabilities, covering both physical and digital inclusivity. ChatGPT can assist education professionals in developing, reviewing, and improving accessibility policies to meet these legal obligations and promote a more inclusive learning environment. Furthermore, as AI is becoming increasingly integrated into education, institutions are beginning to need clear policies governing its use, ChatGPT can assist in trying to review and create these important policies to align with requirements.
How ChatGPT can help:
- Reviewing accessibility policies for compliance: ChatGPT can assist in reviewing policies to ensure they align with the legal requirements related to accessibility, covering both physical and digital spaces.
- Creating AI usage policies: ChatGPT can assist in drafting clear and comprehensive AI policies that outline acceptable uses, address concerns and ensure compliance with data protection regulations.
Example prompts:
- “Review this institutions accessibility policy and ensure it aligns with the Equality Act 2010 and other relevant policy around accessibility in the UK.”
- “Draft an AI usage policy for a university, covering areas like data privacy, ethical considerations, and acceptable use of AI tools.”
- “Review this company’s AI-based grading system for potential bias or fairness issues and suggest ways to mitigate risks.”
- “How does this vendors privacy policy align with our AI usage statement, highlight potential issues to be aware of.”
This approach focuses on the growing need for AI governance in education, emphasising the ethical and legal considerations. ChatGPT can help institutions navigate these challenges by assisting to create policies that align with best practices and legal standards, while also ensuring in the procurement stage, that the tools and systems we want to deploy align with best practises.
Summarising government legislation and regulatory changes.
Educational institutions in the UK are subject to various government regulations, which often change. Keeping up with these regulatory changes can be a challenge for schools, colleges, and universities. ChatGPT can assist by summarising the complex legislative documents and providing a clearer understanding of how changes might impact the institution.
How ChatGPT can help:
- Summarising new legislation: ChatGPT can break down new laws and guidelines from government departments, making them easier to understand and apply.
- Identifying key changes: It can help identify the most important changes in government regulations and explain how they impact a school or university’s operations.
- Providing actionable insights: ChatGPT can suggest steps to ensure compliance with new regulations, offering practical advice on what actions might need to be taken.
Example prompts:
- “Summarise the latest government guidelines on safeguarding in schools.”
- “What are the key changes in the new education funding regulations, and how might they affect this institution?”
- “Explain how this new legislation on data protection impacts our student records management.”
By using ChatGPT to stay on top of legal and regulatory changes, education professionals can ensure that their institutions are compliant and ready to adapt to new requirements.
Here are some best practices for using ChatGPT as a legal review tool:
- Use it as a first step: While ChatGPT can provide valuable insights, it’s essential to use it as a first-pass tool. Always consult with a legal professional for final review and approval.
- Be specific in your prompts: The more specific and detailed your prompts are, the better ChatGPT will be at providing helpful and accurate feedback.
- Don’t rely solely on AI: AI can assist with legal review, but it lacks the context and judgment of a human legal expert. For any critical decision-making, always involve a qualified lawyer.
- Don’t input confidential, sensitive or personal data into the system: pay attention to the data inputted into system, paying special attention to things such as contracts.
Summary
ChatGPT offers an accessible and practical tool for education professionals in the UK to assist with legal review and document handling. Whether you’re reviewing contracts, ensuring policy compliance, or simplifying safeguarding policies, ChatGPT can provide a helpful first pass that saves time and effort. While it’s important to remember that ChatGPT doesn’t replace legal professionals, it can certainly act as a powerful aid in navigating the many legal obligations that come with working in education. By using AI to handle certain legal tasks, educators and administrators can focus more on the goal of delivering high-quality education to students, while equipping themselves with the knowledge and understanding to tackle any legal complexities.