litigation-case-strategy

name	litigation-case-strategy
title	Litigation Case Strategy
description	Develops comprehensive litigation strategy across the full case lifecycle, from initial assessment through discovery, motion practice, trial preparation, and appeal. Produces case theory analysis, chronologies from document sets, discovery plans, deposition outlines, brief drafts, cross-examination questions, and appellate record summaries. Use when evaluating a new litigation matter, preparing case strategy memos, building case chronologies from emails or documents, preparing for depositions, drafting motions or briefs, developing trial strategy, or preparing appellate filings. Trigger keywords: litigation strategy, case assessment, case theory, case chronology, discovery plan, deposition prep, motion to dismiss, summary judgment, trial preparation, cross-examination, appellate brief, argument evaluation, case timeline.
author	CaseMark
author_url	https://github.com/CaseMark/skills/tree/main/skills/legal/litigation-case-strategy
license	Apache-2.0
version	0.1.0
execution_mode	open
jurisdiction	general
practice	litigation
language	en
tags	["memo","brief","summary","analysis","drafting","research"]

Litigation Case Strategy

Develops and pressure-tests litigation strategy across the full case lifecycle. Takes case documents as input and produces structured work product — from initial case assessment through appellate practice.

Prerequisites

1. Case documents — complaints, answers, key correspondence, contracts at issue, prior court orders, relevant statutes
2. Procedural posture — current stage (pre-filing, pleading, discovery, pre-trial, trial, post-trial, appeal)
3. Client role — plaintiff or defendant; first-party or third-party
4. Jurisdiction — court, applicable law, any special procedural rules
5. Case objectives — desired outcome, settlement authority if any, budget constraints
6. Known facts — key facts favorable and unfavorable; witness list if available

Specify which stage(s) to focus on, or request a full lifecycle assessment.

Stage 1: Initial Case Assessment

Case Theory Development

From the originating documents, develop:

1. Factual narrative — chronological summary of events giving rise to the dispute
2. Legal theories — each viable claim or defense with:
   • Elements required
   • Facts supporting each element (cite to specific documents)
   • Facts undermining each element (adverse facts)
   • Strength assessment (Strong / Moderate / Weak) with reasoning
3. Opposing theories — anticipate the other side's best arguments
4. Leverage analysis — settlement value drivers, litigation cost exposure, publicity risk, business relationship impact
5. Early case budget — estimated phases and resource requirements

Document-Based Chronology

When provided with a set of documents (emails, contracts, letters, filings):

1. Extract key events with:
   • Date and time (where available)
   • Participants (sender/recipient for correspondence)
   • Event description (one sentence)
   • Source document reference
   • Significance to case theory
2. Sort chronologically
3. Flag gaps — periods with no documentation that may require follow-up
4. Identify pivotal events — turning points that strengthen or weaken the case
5. Note privilege concerns — flag potentially privileged communications

Output as a structured chronology table: