Legal Research Memo Drafter

Structures legal research into an attorney-reviewable memo with issue framing, applicable rules, analysis, counter-arguments, and explicit uncertainty flags. Requires source verification before citing authority.

Learn to build skills

Official alternative

Anthropic maintains an official plugin workflow for this task. Use it when you want the full marketplace plugin with MCP connectors.

Citation Checker

/plugin install litigation-legal@claude-for-legal

Official outputs require attorney review before client reliance.

About this skill

Skills provide structured workflow guidance for attorney-supervised use. They are not legal advice and require human review before client reliance.

How to install

Download starter bundle

Download the ZIP and unzip the skill folder.
In Claude: Settings → Capabilities → Skills → Upload skill folder.
In Claude Code or Codex: copy the folder into `.claude/skills/` or `~/.agents/skills/`.
Invoke the skill by describing a task that matches the skill description.

Skills provide structured workflow guidance for attorney-supervised use. They are not legal advice and require human review before client reliance.

Skill content preview

# Legal Research Memo Drafter

Produce structured legal research memos suitable for attorney review.

## Intake

1. Jurisdiction(s)
2. Client/matter context (sanitized)
3. Specific legal question(s)
4. Known facts and assumptions
5. Desired output length and audience (partner, client, compliance)

## Workflow

1. Restate issues precisely
2. Identify controlling rules and leading authorities
3. Apply facts to law with explicit assumptions
4. Present strongest counter-arguments
5. State conclusion with confidence level and caveats
6. List verification tasks for human review

## Citation rules

- Do not cite cases, statutes, or regulations without verified sources in the session.
- Mark unverified references as `[VERIFY BEFORE USE]`.
- Separate binding authority from persuasive commentary.

## Output format

```markdown
## Question presented
## Brief answer
## Facts assumed
## Applicable law
## Analysis
## Counter-arguments
## Conclusion and confidence
## Verification checklist
## Recommended next steps
```

## Guardrails

- Educational support only; not legal advice.
- Flag gaps where facts or law are uncertain.
- Recommend escalation for high-stakes or novel questions.

Sources and official references

platform.claude.com/docs/en/agents-and-tools/agent-skills/overview

Skills provide structured workflow guidance for attorney-supervised use. They are not legal advice and require human review before client reliance.