legal-brief

Draft a structured legal brief, case summary, or legal argument outline. Use when asked to write a legal brief, case note, legal memo, argument outline, or position paper. Produces a structured document using IRAC format (Issue, Rule, Application, Conclusion).

Published by mohitagw15856 ↗mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills

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legal-brief

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Use legal-brief to draft a [brief type] on [legal issue, jurisdiction, and facts] for [audience and available authorities], using IRAC and including uncertainty flags and the professional-review disclaimer.

Required inputs

[brief type]
[legal issue, jurisdiction, and facts]
[audience and available authorities]

User-approved starter prompt based on a pinned source version; check current skill requirements before running. Task evidence ↗

SKILL.md

name: legal-briefdescription: "Draft a structured legal brief, case summary, or legal argument outline. Use when asked to write a legal brief, case note, legal memo, argument outline, or position paper. Produces a structured document using IRAC format (Issue, Rule, Application, Conclusion)."

Legal Brief Skill

This skill drafts structured legal briefs and memos using IRAC format — the standard structure for legal writing.

Required Inputs

Brief type (legal memo / case summary / argument outline / position paper / letter before action)
Legal issue or question
Jurisdiction (England & Wales / US / EU / Other)
Relevant facts
Relevant law or cases (if known — otherwise flagged as [RESEARCH NEEDED])
Audience (internal memo / court submission / client letter)

Output Structure

Header

To: [Recipient]
From: [Author]
Date: [Date]
Re: [Matter reference]
Confidential: Subject to legal professional privilege

Issue(s)

One sentence per legal question:

Issue 1: Whether X constitutes Y under [law]

Brief Answer

One sentence per issue — conclusion upfront before analysis.

Facts

Concise relevant facts only. Flag disputed facts.

Law (Rule)

Relevant statute, regulation, or case law
How the rule has been interpreted in key cases
Flag [RESEARCH NEEDED] where law is not provided

Application

Arguments in favour
Counter-arguments and responses
Areas of uncertainty flagged explicitly

Conclusion

Clear answer to each issue
Overall recommendation
Suggested next steps

Caveats

What this memo does not cover. What additional research would change the analysis.

WARNING: This draft requires review by a qualified legal professional. It does not constitute legal advice.

Quality Checks

Issue is stated as a specific legal question (not a general topic)
Brief answer appears before the analysis (conclusion upfront)
Disputed facts are explicitly flagged
Areas of legal uncertainty are noted (not hidden in confident language)
Caveats section lists what would change the analysis
Disclaimer is included

Anti-Patterns

Do not present uncertain legal positions with confident language — areas of legal ambiguity must be flagged explicitly, not smoothed over
Do not omit the disclaimer — every legal brief output must include the professional review caveat before the user treats it as advice
Do not structure the brief chronologically — IRAC format (Issue, Rule, Application, Conclusion) must be used regardless of how the user framed the request
Do not cite cases or statutes from memory without flagging them as [REQUIRES VERIFICATION] — hallucinated citations are worse than no citations
Do not conflate jurisdiction — legal positions in England & Wales, US, and EU can differ materially; always confirm jurisdiction before stating the rule

Example Trigger Phrases

"Draft a legal memo on [issue]"
"Write a legal brief arguing [position]"
"Summarise the legal position on [topic]"
"Write a letter before action for [situation]"