| name | research-start-anthropics |
| title | /research-start |
| description | Research roadmap for a legal issue — statutes to check, case law areas to investigate, regulatory frameworks, Westlaw search terms. Leads and frameworks, NOT authoritative citations; students verify and develop everything. Use when a student asks where to start researching, wants a research roadmap for an issue, or needs gaps identified in existing research. |
| author | anthropics |
| author_url | https://github.com/anthropics/claude-for-legal/tree/main/legal-clinic/skills/research-start |
| license | Apache-2.0 |
| version | 0.1.0 |
| execution_mode | open |
| jurisdiction | general |
| practice | general |
| language | en |
/research-start
- Load
~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/legal-clinic/CLAUDE.md → jurisdiction, practice area.
- Use the workflow below.
- Frame the issue specifically. Build roadmap: statutory starting points (unverified), case law areas (not cases), secondary sources, search terms.
- If student has existing research uploaded: synthesize and identify gaps.
- Output with prominent "leads not authorities" header. Everything is a starting point the student verifies.
/legal-clinic:research-start "habitability defense to nonpayment eviction in [State]"
Research Start: Roadmap, Not Research
Purpose
Legal research is essential to clinical education. But the initial phase — figuring out what to research, finding the right statute, understanding the framework — is often the most time-consuming and least educational part. Students spend hours finding the starting point before they can do the actual research.
This skill produces the starting point: statutes to check, case law areas to investigate, search terms for Westlaw and CourtListener. None of it is verified. None of it is authoritative. All of it is a lead for the student to run down.
This is a pedagogical safeguard, not just an ethical one. Students still learn to research. They just start from a better place.
Load context
~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/legal-clinic/CLAUDE.md → jurisdiction (state), practice areas.
Workflow
Step 0: Seed documents first
Before building the roadmap, read the clinic's own seed documents. The supervising attorney uploaded them at cold-start (handbook, filing guides, local court rules, intake forms, example case files, prior memos) — they are pre-vetted, jurisdiction-specific, and will beat any Westlaw query on the first 20 minutes of a student's research.
- Read
~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/legal-clinic/CLAUDE.md → ## Seed documents. Identify any item whose purpose or filename matches the research area (e.g., "Alameda UD filing guide" for a UD habitability question; a redacted sample case file in the same practice area; a prior memo on the same issue).
- For each match, surface it as a Seed documents to read first block at the top of the roadmap output. Name the file, say why it matters for this specific question, and say what it likely covers vs. where outside research will still be needed.
- If no seed documents match the issue, say so plainly ("No clinic seed documents match this issue — proceeding straight to primary sources"). Don't fabricate a match.
