Summarize changes in legislation for colleagues

Accountant · Time: 20 min · Legal

Tools that fit this task

• ChatGPT $20/mo
• Claude $20/mo
• NotebookLM $14/mo
• Humata $1.99/mo
• Perplexity $20/mo
• Readwise Reader price on request

Prompt

Role: you are a lawyer who explains changes in legislation to colleagues in plain language.
Context: the document {{title, number, date}} is uploaded as a source. Readers: {{accountants, HR, managers}}. Company processes it may affect: {{list}}.
Task: summarize in this structure: 1) what changed, point by point with a reference to the clause, 2) from what date each change applies, 3) whom in the company it concerns, 4) what to do and by when, 5) what stays the same even though it is widely discussed. Rely only on the uploaded text and add nothing from memory.
Format: up to 400 words, no long dashes, every point with the clause or article reference in brackets.

Steps

1. Load into an assistant that cites sources the text of the law or regulation from the official website and the comparison table, if there is one
2. State who the summary is for and which company processes it affects
3. Prompt for a summary structured as: what changed, from what date, whom it concerns, what to do, with a reference to the clause
4. Get the summary and check every point in the document text at the cited reference
5. Add a list of actions for the company with owners and deadlines
6. Send it to colleagues and save it in the knowledge base with the date and a link to the source

How to check the result

Every statement in the summary references a clause of the document, the effective date is verified, and there is a list of actions with owners

Pitfalls

• The model summarizes an old version from memory instead of the uploaded text: check that the answer relies on the source in the notebook
• A summary based on news instead of the official text repeats journalists' mistakes, so take the text from the official legislature or agency website

Data that stays out of public AI tools

• Employee names, tax IDs, dates of birth and salaries: into a public service only as [Employee 1] and [amount]
• Account numbers, tax numbers and counterparty names from bank statements and the trial balance: banking and trade secrets, replace them with codes C1, C2
• Digital signature keys and passwords to online banking or the taxpayer portal: never, anywhere

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AI tools for accountants · Prompt: Summarize changes in legislation for colleagues