From Prompt to Workflow: NYSBA AI Webinar
By: Pouya Shafabakhsh
A useful AI answer is only one part of getting legal work done. Someone still needs to check it, decide what happens next, and own the result. On October 22, 2026, I will join Alexander Paykin for an NYSBA webinar about making that journey more practical.
Start with the work
Choose a task you understand
Think about a recurring task that creates friction in your practice. Perhaps information arrives in different formats, a first draft needs repeated corrections, or colleagues cannot tell which version is ready for review. Before discussing software, describe the job in plain language. What starts it? What should exist when it finishes? Who will use the output?
Give success a clear meaning
A polished response can still miss the assignment. Write down what a usable result must contain and what would make you reject it. For a hypothetical internal matter summary, that might mean separating established facts from open questions and pointing reviewers back to the source documents. These are useful preparation questions, rather than promises about any particular tool.
Make the handoffs visible
Map the route before adding automation
Take a blank page and sketch the steps between the initial request and the finished work. Include the quiet handoffs: a colleague clarifying instructions, an assistant locating the correct document, or a lawyer checking whether a proposed next step makes sense. A workflow becomes easier to discuss when everyone can see where information enters, where decisions happen, and where work pauses.
Then ask where AI assistance would actually help. A sensible starting point could be a small, reversible step that a person can inspect. Avoid treating speed as the only test. Ask whether the next reviewer can understand the output without reconstructing the entire conversation that produced it.
Keep review connected to decisions
Name the person who can say yes
Human review is easier to explain than to design. In your own workflow sketch, identify the person who checks an output, the evidence they need, and the decision they are making. A generic instruction to review everything leaves important questions unanswered. Does approval permit another draft, an internal handoff, or an external action? Each deserves a clear answer.
Also consider what happens when the information is incomplete. A useful exception path might send the task back for clarification instead of encouraging the system to fill a gap. Practising that conversation with colleagues can reveal assumptions before they become habits. The aim is a process that people can explain, challenge, and improve together.
For a team discussion, compare two versions of the same process: today’s approach and a proposed assisted version. Keep the comparison concrete. Which handoff disappears? Which check becomes more important? Where could a colleague misunderstand the result? Those questions make a technology conversation easier to connect to daily professional work.
Join the NYSBA conversation
Practical workflows, with named faculty
The official program is “From Prompt to Workflow: Practical AI and Agentic Automation for New York Law Firms.” NYSBA describes demonstrations combining prompts and tools with approvals, human checkpoints and quality controls. Its examples span intake, drafting, research preparation, document review, matter summaries and internal coordination.
Alexander Paykin, Esq., is Managing Director, Paykin Law; Chair, NYSBA Committee on Technology and the Legal Profession. I am listed as Pouya Shafabakhsh, AIGP, CAIC, with Radsam Academy of AI. Bring one ordinary workflow to mind while listening. Ask where its inputs, review responsibilities and stopping points could become clearer.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where is the webinar?
NYSBA lists October 22, 2026, from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m., with virtual participation. The public event page does not specify a timezone; confirm it with NYSBA before making a calendar conversion.
What CLE credit is listed?
The event carries 1.0 total credit in Law Practice Management. For another jurisdiction, NYSBA’s accreditation guidance says the individual MCLE state determines accepted hours and how they apply.
How much does registration cost?
NYSBA lists registration as free for members and $395 for non-members. Use the official registration page to review the current offer and complete registration.
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