legal-research-summary

name	legal-research-summary
title	Legal Research Summary
description	Synthesizes U.S. statutes, case law, and regulatory guidance into attorney-ready litigation research summaries with counterarguments and strategic implications. Use when drafting research memos, case law surveys, statutory/regulatory synthesis, or answering "what is the law on X" questions. Trigger keywords: legal research summary, research memo, case law survey, statutory analysis, regulatory guidance, legal landscape.
author	CaseMark
author_url	https://github.com/CaseMark/skills/tree/main/skills/legal/legal-research-summary
license	Apache-2.0
version	0.1.0
execution_mode	open
jurisdiction	us
practice	litigation
language	en

Legal Research Summary

Produces a concise, attorney-ready synthesis of governing law and competing interpretations on a defined U.S. legal question.

Prerequisites

Gather before starting:

1. Research question — precise issue statement in one sentence
2. Jurisdiction — state/federal, circuit, choice-of-law constraints
3. Time scope — currentness cutoff and retroactivity needs
4. Fact pattern — material facts driving legal tests/standards
5. Authority sources — preferred databases (Westlaw, Lexis, gov sites)

Section Order

Use all sections, in this order:

1. Issue & Scope — restate the question with jurisdiction boundaries
2. Executive Summary — direct answer, dominant rule, any split/controversy, bottom line for litigation posture (2–3 paragraphs)
3. Legal Framework (Thematic) — analysis organized by legal theme (see template below)
4. Counterarguments / Alternative Views — strongest opposing authority, jurisdictional splits, relative strength assessment
5. Gaps / Open Questions — first-impression issues, unreconciled conflicts, pending appeals or legislative changes
6. Practical Implications & Strategy — litigation leverage points, risk assessment, procedural constraints (SOL, exhaustion)
7. Sources & Verification — Bluebook-format citations with verification notes

Authority Priority

Apply in every section, in this order:

1. Binding precedent for the forum
2. Persuasive authority (if binding absent or split)
3. Statutes and regulations with effective dates
4. Agency guidance and enforcement actions

Thematic Analysis Template

Organize the Legal Framework section by topic, not by source type.

Theme	Legal Standard	Key Authorities	Fact Alignment	Notes
{Theme}	Rule/element	Case/Statute/Reg	Align/Distinguish	Trend/Conflict

Per theme, include:

• Rule statement — one sentence
• Primary authority — binding first, then persuasive
• (case law) or (statute/reg)