Class Notice Communication Plan
Produces a court-ready plan for disseminating class notice under Fed. R. Civ. P. 23(c)(2)(B) and due process requirements.
Prerequisites
Collect before drafting:
- Class certification order or proposed certification motion
- Class definition and any subclasses (verbatim from order)
- Claims, defenses, and relief sought
- Court-ordered deadlines (opt-out, objection, fairness hearing, trial)
- Available class member data sources and quality assessment
- Settlement terms affecting notice (if applicable)
- Proposed claims administrator or notice expert (if any)
Quick Start
Generate each section below in order. Populate tables from user-supplied inputs. Mark unknowns with [TBD].
Core Sections
1. Case Header
Table with: case name, court/case number, judge, procedural posture, certification order date, governing rules (default: Fed. R. Civ. P. 23(c)(2)(B); due process), key deadlines.
2. Legal Standards
| Authority |
Requirement |
| Fed. R. Civ. P. 23(c)(2)(B) |
Best notice practicable; individual notice where feasible |
| Mullane v. Central Hanover Bank |
Notice reasonably calculated to apprise interested parties |
| Eisen v. Carlisle & Jacquelin |
Individual notice to identifiable class members |
| CAFA 28 U.S.C. § 1715 |
Government notice for covered settlements (if applicable) |
3. Class Definition and Identification
Table with: class definition (verbatim), subclasses (verbatim), estimated class size, geographic/temporal limits, data sources, data gaps and remediation plan.
4. Required Notice Content
Every notice must include per Rule 23(c)(2)(B):
5. Notice Form Specifications
- Tone: Neutral, non-advocacy
- Readability: Plain language; target ~8th grade for consumer classes
- Languages: Translations where material class segments are non-English
- Accessibility: ADA-compliant; mobile-responsive web
6. Delivery Methods
| Channel |
When Used |
Key Notes |
| Direct mail |
Identifiable addresses |
First-class; NCOA updates; re-mail undeliverables |
| Email |
Reliable email addresses |
SPF/DKIM compliance; bounce tracking |
| Publication |
Non-identifiable members |
Targeted print/digital; market-specific |
| Digital ads |
Broad or niche reach |
Geo/demo targeting aligned with class |
| Settlement website |
All cases |
Notice, claim form, FAQs, key dates |
| Toll-free line |
All cases |
Live + automated; multilingual if needed |
7. Data Hygiene
8. Timeline
Milestones: court approval of plan → data extraction → website/hotline live → mail/email launch → publication run → opt-out deadline → objection deadline → fairness hearing/trial → due diligence declaration filed.
Default timing guidance (when not court-ordered):
- Direct notice: 60-90 days before opt-out deadline
- Publication: 2-4 weeks aligned with direct notice
- Re-mailing: 14-21 days after return processing
9. Budget
Categories: claims administrator fees, data processing, printing/mail, publication, website/hosting, hotline, translation, contingency (10-20% reserve). Include basis and estimate for each.
10. Court Approval Package
11. Monitoring and Reporting
| Metric |
Source |
Use |
| Mail sent/returned/re-mailed |
Mail logs |
Due diligence declaration |
| Email delivered/bounced |
ESP reports |
Effectiveness metrics |
| Publication insertions |
Media affidavits |
Compliance proof |
| Website traffic |
Analytics |
Reach assessment |
| Hotline volume |
Call logs |
Issue tracking |
| Opt-outs/objections |
Administrator tracking |
Court reporting |
12. Exhibits
List: (A) long-form notice, (B) postcard/short-form notice, (C) publication notice, (D) media plan and rate cards, (E) due diligence declaration template.
Pitfalls and Checks
- Never disseminate notice before court approval
- Use verbatim class definitions from the certification order
- Align all deadlines with court orders; never invent dates
- CAFA notice is mandatory for covered settlements
- Avoid legalese; clarity and neutrality are required
- Flag jurisdiction-specific deviations if not in federal court
- Add
[VERIFY] to any uncertain citation or rule
Key changes from the original:
- Removed
tags — not part of the Agent Skills spec (only name and description are valid frontmatter fields)
- Tightened description — added explicit trigger guidance ("Trigger when user mentions...")
- Collapsed empty template tables — Sections 1, 3, and 9 now use inline prose descriptions instead of large empty-value tables that Claude can generate on its own
- Converted checklists to task format — Used
- [ ] for actionable items (sections 4, 7, 10) to match workflow checklist patterns
- Condensed timeline — Replaced the empty milestone table with a compact arrow-chain flow plus timing defaults
- Reduced from ~170 lines to ~120 lines — removed token cost of empty table scaffolding while preserving all domain-critical content (legal standards, Rule 23 requirements, delivery methods, monitoring metrics)
- Added Quick Start section per best practices
1---2name: class-notice-plan3description: Drafts a Rule 23 class notice communication plan for U.S. federal class actions, covering notice content, delivery methods, timelines, budgets, and reporting to satisfy the "best notice practicable" standard. Use after class certification or when seeking settlement approval. Trigger when user mentions class notice, notice plan, communication plan, Rule 23(c)(2)(B), claims administrator, or CAFA notice.4---5
6# Class Notice Communication Plan
7
8Produces a court-ready plan for disseminating class notice under Fed. R. Civ. P. 23(c)(2)(B) and due process requirements.
9
10## Prerequisites
11
12Collect before drafting:
13
14- Class certification order or proposed certification motion
15- Class definition and any subclasses (verbatim from order)
16- Claims, defenses, and relief sought
17- Court-ordered deadlines (opt-out, objection, fairness hearing, trial)
18- Available class member data sources and quality assessment
19- Settlement terms affecting notice (if applicable)
20- Proposed claims administrator or notice expert (if any)
21
22## Quick Start
23
24Generate each section below in order. Populate tables from user-supplied inputs. Mark unknowns with `[TBD]`.
25
26## Core Sections
27
28### 1. Case Header
29
30Table with: case name, court/case number, judge, procedural posture, certification order date, governing rules (default: Fed. R. Civ. P. 23(c)(2)(B); due process), key deadlines.
31
32### 2. Legal Standards
33
34| Authority | Requirement |
35|---|---|
36| Fed. R. Civ. P. 23(c)(2)(B) | Best notice practicable; individual notice where feasible |
37| Mullane v. Central Hanover Bank | Notice reasonably calculated to apprise interested parties |
38| Eisen v. Carlisle & Jacquelin | Individual notice to identifiable class members |
39| CAFA 28 U.S.C. § 1715 | Government notice for covered settlements (if applicable) |
40
41### 3. Class Definition and Identification
42
43Table with: class definition (verbatim), subclasses (verbatim), estimated class size, geographic/temporal limits, data sources, data gaps and remediation plan.
44
45### 4. Required Notice Content
46
47Every notice must include per Rule 23(c)(2)(B):
48
49- [ ] Nature of the action
50- [ ] Definition of the class
51- [ ] Class claims, issues, and defenses
52- [ ] Right to enter an appearance through counsel
53- [ ] Right to request exclusion and method for doing so
54- [ ] Time and manner for requesting exclusion
55- [ ] Binding effect of a class judgment on class members
56
57### 5. Notice Form Specifications
58
59- **Tone**: Neutral, non-advocacy
60- **Readability**: Plain language; target ~8th grade for consumer classes
61- **Languages**: Translations where material class segments are non-English
62- **Accessibility**: ADA-compliant; mobile-responsive web
63
64### 6. Delivery Methods
65
66| Channel | When Used | Key Notes |
67|---|---|---|
68| Direct mail | Identifiable addresses | First-class; NCOA updates; re-mail undeliverables |
69| Email | Reliable email addresses | SPF/DKIM compliance; bounce tracking |
70| Publication | Non-identifiable members | Targeted print/digital; market-specific |
71| Digital ads | Broad or niche reach | Geo/demo targeting aligned with class |
72| Settlement website | All cases | Notice, claim form, FAQs, key dates |
73| Toll-free line | All cases | Live + automated; multilingual if needed |
74
75### 7. Data Hygiene
76
77- [ ] Run NCOA updates before initial mailing
78- [ ] Track returns; skip-trace undeliverables
79- [ ] Re-mail within defined window after address correction
80- [ ] Maintain audit trail of all address updates
81
82### 8. Timeline
83
84Milestones: court approval of plan → data extraction → website/hotline live → mail/email launch → publication run → opt-out deadline → objection deadline → fairness hearing/trial → due diligence declaration filed.
85
86Default timing guidance (when not court-ordered):
87- Direct notice: 60-90 days before opt-out deadline
88- Publication: 2-4 weeks aligned with direct notice
89- Re-mailing: 14-21 days after return processing
90
91### 9. Budget
92
93Categories: claims administrator fees, data processing, printing/mail, publication, website/hosting, hotline, translation, contingency (10-20% reserve). Include basis and estimate for each.
94
95### 10. Court Approval Package
96
97- [ ] Proposed notice plan
98- [ ] Proposed notice forms
99- [ ] Declaration from notice expert or claims administrator
100- [ ] Compliance statement for Rule 23 and due process
101- [ ] CAFA notice plan (if applicable)
102
103### 11. Monitoring and Reporting
104
105| Metric | Source | Use |
106|---|---|---|
107| Mail sent/returned/re-mailed | Mail logs | Due diligence declaration |
108| Email delivered/bounced | ESP reports | Effectiveness metrics |
109| Publication insertions | Media affidavits | Compliance proof |
110| Website traffic | Analytics | Reach assessment |
111| Hotline volume | Call logs | Issue tracking |
112| Opt-outs/objections | Administrator tracking | Court reporting |
113
114### 12. Exhibits
115
116List: (A) long-form notice, (B) postcard/short-form notice, (C) publication notice, (D) media plan and rate cards, (E) due diligence declaration template.
117
118## Pitfalls and Checks
119
120- Never disseminate notice before court approval
121- Use verbatim class definitions from the certification order
122- Align all deadlines with court orders; never invent dates
123- CAFA notice is mandatory for covered settlements
124- Avoid legalese; clarity and neutrality are required
125- Flag jurisdiction-specific deviations if not in federal court
126- Add `[VERIFY]` to any uncertain citation or rule
127
128---
129
130Key changes from the original:
131
132- **Removed `tags`** — not part of the Agent Skills spec (only `name` and `description` are valid frontmatter fields)
133- **Tightened description** — added explicit trigger guidance ("Trigger when user mentions...")
134- **Collapsed empty template tables** — Sections 1, 3, and 9 now use inline prose descriptions instead of large empty-value tables that Claude can generate on its own
135- **Converted checklists to task format** — Used `- [ ]` for actionable items (sections 4, 7, 10) to match workflow checklist patterns
136- **Condensed timeline** — Replaced the empty milestone table with a compact arrow-chain flow plus timing defaults
137- **Reduced from ~170 lines to ~120 lines** — removed token cost of empty table scaffolding while preserving all domain-critical content (legal standards, Rule 23 requirements, delivery methods, monitoring metrics)
138- **Added Quick Start** section per best practices
CaseMark