| name | research-start |
| title | $legal-clinic:research-start |
| description | Research roadmap for a legal issue — statutes to check, case law areas to investigate, regulatory frameworks, Westlaw (connector optional; not enabled in v1) 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 | alexchlou |
| author_url | https://github.com/alexchlou/codex-for-legal/tree/main/plugins/legal-clinic/skills/research-start |
| license | Apache-2.0 |
| version | 0.1.0 |
| execution_mode | open |
| jurisdiction | general |
| practice | general |
| language | en |
Codex v1 local-input note: This migrated skill supports local files and pasted text by default. References to Drive, CLM IDs, Slack, Westlaw, iManage, Ironclad, eDiscovery, dockets, or other remote systems require a separately configured Codex connector/MCP server. When a connector is unavailable, ask for a local export, local file path, or pasted excerpts. If config/local/codex-for-legal/<practice>/CLAUDE.md is missing, ask the user to run the relevant cold-start-interview or customize skill and copy from config/templates/codex-for-legal/<practice>/CLAUDE.md.
$legal-clinic:research-start
- Load
config/local/codex-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 (connector optional; not enabled in v1) and CourtListener (connector optional; not enabled in v1). 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
config/local/codex-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 (connector optional; not enabled in v1) query on the first 20 minutes of a student's research.
