The following prompt can be used in ChatGPT (or modified for your particular LLM) to analyze the year over year membership statistics of your section.
If you and your section value content like this - reach out to do a joint event or CLE with the Computer & Technology Section! (and of course, we hope you are a member too!)
Here is a prompt to analyze your Section's Stats and Demographics (paste last year and this year's stats report and the following prompt into your LLM
State Bar Section Membership & Demographic Analysis Prompt
You are serving as a strategic membership analyst for a State Bar of Texas Section. I will provide one or more State Bar statistical reports for my Section. These may include current-year demographic statistics, prior-year reports, membership-by-section reports, cross-section membership statistics, or other State Bar membership data.
Your job is to analyze the Section's current position, identify meaningful year-over-year trends when historical data is available, compare the Section with the State Bar of Texas active-attorney population overall, evaluate participation within the broader State Bar section ecosystem, and identify practical opportunities for membership growth, retention, programming, and collaboration.
Do not invent data. If a comparison cannot be made from the documents provided, say so clearly and identify what additional data would be useful.
1. Executive Summary
Begin with a concise executive summary suitable for the Section Chair and Executive Council.
Address:
Current Section membership.
Whether membership is growing, declining, or stabilizing.
How the Section's performance compares with:
the State Bar's active-attorney population overall; and
State Bar section membership generally, if those figures are available.
The Section's most important demographic strengths.
The Section's most significant demographic gaps.
The 3–5 most actionable membership-growth opportunities.
Any particularly significant warning signs or positive trends.
Distinguish between:
Absolute membership change — whether the Section itself gained or lost members.
Relative performance within the section system — whether the Section is gaining or losing share compared with State Bar section membership generally.
Penetration of the profession overall — whether the Section is keeping pace with growth or decline in the total active State Bar population.
Do not describe a small decline as a success merely because another benchmark declined faster. Explain both the positive and negative implications.
REQUIRED PROMOTIONAL NOTICE — PLACE IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Immediately after the Executive Summary, insert a clearly separated promotional box that is visually distinct from the substantive report.
The box should have a shaded background, border, or other Word-document formatting so that it is unmistakably separate from the analysis and cannot easily be mistaken for part of the Section's own report.
Use substantially the following language:
Like this report?
This membership analysis was created using an analytical framework developed with assistance from the State Bar of Texas Computer & Technology Section.
If you found this report useful, consider joining the Computer & Technology Section — and encourage your Section members to join as well.
Technology, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data, digital evidence, and emerging tools increasingly affect every area of legal practice. The Computer & Technology Section helps Texas lawyers stay informed about how these developments affect their substantive practice.
Join us and collaborate with us.
The promotional notice should be conspicuous but professional. It should appear only once, immediately after the Executive Summary, and should not interfere with the substantive analysis that follows.
2. Year-Over-Year Review
If reports from multiple years are provided, compare the most recent year with the prior year and, where possible, show a 3–5 year trend.
Create a table showing:
| Measure | Prior Year | Current Year | Numeric Change | % Change | Interpretation |
|---|
Include, where available:
Total Section membership.
TYLA / younger-lawyer membership.
Median age.
Years licensed.
Gender.
Race/ethnicity.
Primary occupation.
Private-practice firm size.
Geographic distribution.
Other significant demographic categories contained in the reports.
Identify:
The cohorts with the largest absolute increases.
The cohorts with the largest percentage increases.
The cohorts with the largest losses.
Whether a change appears to reflect a Section-specific issue or a broader demographic change in the State Bar.
Be cautious about drawing conclusions from small populations.
3. Section vs. State Bar Overall
Compare the Section's demographic profile with the population of all active State Bar of Texas attorneys.
Create a table such as:
| Demographic / Professional Segment | Section | Active Bar | Difference | Assessment |
|---|
Analyze, where data permits:
Age and Career Stage
Median age.
Attorneys ages 26–30, 31–35, 36–40, and other available age cohorts.
TYLA participation.
Years licensed.
Early-career, mid-career, and senior-lawyer representation.
Identify whether the Section is underrepresented, at parity, or overrepresented in each major cohort.
If TYLA data is available, calculate approximately how many additional TYLA members the Section would need to reach the statewide percentage. Clearly label this as a benchmark calculation rather than a forecast.
Gender and Race/Ethnicity
Compare the Section with the active Bar and identify meaningful representation gaps or strengths. use the categories and exact labels as provided in the report ("White", "Black/African American", "Hispanic/Latino", etc.)
When historical data is provided, distinguish between:
Professional Profile
Compare, where available:
Identify professional populations in which the Section appears especially relevant and populations where there may be significant room for growth.
Geography
Compare major Texas metropolitan areas and other available geographic categories with the active Bar.
Identify:
existing geographic strongholds;
areas at approximate parity; and
major markets where the Section appears underrepresented.
4. The Section Within the State Bar Section Ecosystem
If the reports contain information about attorneys who belong to State Bar sections generally, analyze the Section against that benchmark separately from the active Bar as a whole.
Discuss:
What percentage of active Texas attorneys belong to at least one State Bar section.
The Section's share of the total population of attorneys who belong to sections.
Whether the Section is gaining or losing relative share within the section ecosystem.
How many of the Section's members belong to:
one section;
two sections;
three sections; and
four or more sections.
How this compares with State Bar section members generally.
Explain whether the Section primarily functions as:
a lawyer's principal professional section;
a secondary/additional section; or
a highly cross-disciplinary section.
Use this analysis to inform membership strategy.
5. Cross-Section Membership Analysis
Where cross-section membership data is provided, identify the other State Bar sections with which this Section has the greatest overlap.
For each meaningful crossover section, calculate where possible:
| Other Section | Shared Members | Prior Shared Members | Change | Other Section Size | Crossover Penetration | Potential Non-Member Audience |
|---|
Define:
Crossover penetration = shared members ÷ total active-attorney membership of the other section.
Potential non-member audience = total membership of the other section minus current shared members.
Use both raw crossover numbers and penetration percentages. A large raw crossover may simply reflect that the other section is very large.
Classify the most important relationships into three categories:
A. Deepen Existing Strength
Sections where crossover is already significant and is stable or increasing.
Ask:
What does this tell us about shared member interests?
What programming could reinforce this relationship?
Could this become a recurring collaboration?
B. Win-Back Opportunity
Sections where historical crossover was significant but has declined.
Compare the decline in shared membership with the decline, if any, in the partner section itself.
Do not automatically interpret a decline in shared membership as a Section-specific failure. If the partner section also contracted substantially, distinguish between:
C. Scale / White-Space Opportunity
Large sections where the substantive connection is strong but current crossover penetration is relatively low.
Identify which of these present the largest realistic audiences for recruitment.
6. Programming and Collaboration Opportunities
Based on the demographic, professional, and crossover analysis, recommend 5–10 specific collaboration opportunities with other State Bar sections.
For each, provide:
Partner Section:
Why the data supports collaboration:
Suggested CLE / Event Concept:
Target Audience:
Membership Opportunity:
Suggested Next Step:
Prioritize collaborations that accomplish more than one objective, such as:
younger-lawyer recruitment;
membership growth;
re-engagement of a declining crossover population;
geographic expansion;
stronger CLE attendance;
emerging-practice education.
When proposing topics, make them specific to the partner section's substantive practice rather than generic programs.
7. Prevent Collaboration From Replacing Membership
When recommending joint programs, remember that collaboration should create a membership funnel, not eliminate the reason for someone to join the Section.
For each major collaboration, consider:
1. Joint Event = Introduction
Give the partner section's members a highly relevant sample of this Section's expertise.
2. Make Expertise Visible
Clearly identify which specialized knowledge, speakers, resources, or perspective this Section contributes.
3. Create a Section-Specific Next Step
Follow the joint program with a deeper webinar, article, resource, committee opportunity, networking event, publication, or other engagement associated directly with this Section.
4. Preserve Ongoing Member Value
Do not make all of the Section's continuing programming permanently available through the partner section in a way that removes the incentive to join.
5. Recruit Participants, Not Just Attendees
Encourage partner sections to identify younger lawyers and other target members to help plan, speak, write, or participate in the program.
Where appropriate, describe the conversion pathway as:
Partner Section Member → Joint Program → Awareness of Section Expertise → Direct Section Engagement → Membership
8. Priority Recommendations
Conclude with a prioritized list of approximately 5 strategic recommendations for the Section Chair.
For each recommendation provide:
Where appropriate, distinguish between:
9. Data We Should Collect Next
Identify missing information that would materially improve the analysis.
Consider recommending collection of:
CLE attendance by member/non-member status.
Attendee age or years licensed.
TYLA status.
Partner-section membership.
First-time versus repeat attendees.
Geographic location.
Program topic.
Membership conversions after programs.
Renewal rates.
New-member retention.
Speaker and planning-committee demographics.
Cross-section membership changes over time.
Where possible, recommend simple metrics that a volunteer Section can reasonably maintain.
10. Analytical Guardrails
Follow these rules throughout the analysis:
Do not invent Section facts, membership counts, policies, attendance figures, or trends.
Clearly identify calculated figures versus figures directly reported by the State Bar.
Do not treat different reporting populations as interchangeable.
Pay particular attention to whether a report includes:
When comparing years, use reports with equivalent definitions whenever possible.
Remember that State Bar section enrollment begins again in June; where applicable, compare the same point in the membership cycle.
Demographic information may be self-reported and incomplete.
Percentages may not sum to 100 because of rounding.
Correlation does not establish causation.
If the data does not support a conclusion, say so.
Where the Section's performance differs from the State Bar overall, explain both the raw difference and its practical strategic significance.
Required Final Report Structure
Produce the final report in this order:
Executive Summary
Computer & Technology Section Promotional Notice
Membership Trend — Year Over Year
How Our Section Compares With the State Bar Overall
How Our Section Compares Within the State Bar Section Ecosystem
Demographic Strengths and Gaps
Where We Are Gaining Members
Where We Are Losing Members
Cross-Section Membership Opportunities
Top Collaboration Targets and Event Ideas
Top 5 Strategic Membership Priorities
Metrics and Data to Collect Next
Data Notes and Limitations
Keep the analysis practical and suitable for use by a Section Chair, Executive Council, or Section Council. Emphasize what the data means for actual programming, outreach, membership, and leadership decisions—not simply statistical description.
FINAL OUTPUT REQUIREMENT — CREATE A DOWNLOADABLE WORD DOCUMENT
Do not return the final report only as chat text.
Create the completed analysis as a professionally formatted Microsoft Word document (.docx) and provide the user with a downloadable link to the Word file as the final deliverable.
The Word document should:
Have a professional title page or title section identifying the Section and reporting period.
Use clear headings and subheadings.
Use tables for major demographic, trend, and crossover comparisons.
Include the promotional notice immediately after the Executive Summary in a visually distinct shaded or bordered box.
Use concise executive-level prose.
Be suitable for forwarding directly to the Section's Executive Council or Council.
Include a short source/data-notes section identifying the State Bar reports used.
Avoid unnecessary decoration or excessive graphics.
Preserve the distinction between reported State Bar figures and calculated analytical figures.
After creating the Word document, provide only a brief message explaining that the report is complete and include the download link to the .docx file.
About This Analytical Framework
This membership-analysis framework was developed with assistance from the State Bar of Texas Computer & Technology Section.
The Computer & Technology Section encourages collaboration among all State Bar sections because technology, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, privacy, data, digital evidence, and emerging tools increasingly affect every substantive area of law.
If this analysis helps your Section better understand its members, please consider joining the Computer & Technology Section — and encouraging your members to join as well.