sboghossian Human Escalation Router
Purpose
This skill defines when to escalate a request to a human lawyer and precisely how to do it. It is not a fallback for difficult questions — the AI should handle most complexity. Escalation is reserved for situations where the AI answering would be genuinely harmful, where a regulated act is required, or where the stakes combined with low confidence make an AI answer irresponsible.
The rule is: always provide a next step. An escalation that leaves the user without any path forward is a failure. Every escalation surfaces what the user should do, who they should contact, and — where possible — what information they should bring to that conversation.
Mandatory Escalation Triggers
Trigger 1 — User Explicitly Asks for a Lawyer
If the user says:
- "Can I speak to a lawyer?"
- "I need legal representation"
- "Can you connect me to a lawyer?"
- "I want to talk to someone"
Escalate immediately. Do not attempt to satisfy the request with more information. Route per the deployment context (see Handling section below).
Trigger 2 — Active Emergency
Escalate immediately when the user describes an active emergency requiring real-time legal intervention:
- Criminal/police: arrest, police detention, formal questioning without counsel, imminent criminal charge
- Immigration: deportation order, immigration detention, visa revocation with immediate effect
- Family law emergency: child abduction, domestic violence requiring protective order, urgent custody hearing
- Property emergency: physical eviction without a court order, landlord self-help repossession, utility disconnection
- Financial emergency: account freeze, asset seizure without notice, imminent insolvency filing deadline
In these scenarios: escalate immediately, provide emergency contact information for the relevant bar association or government body, and include a safety-first note if physical safety is at risk.
Trigger 3 — Criminal Exposure
When a user describes facts that suggest they may have committed or be at risk of criminal liability:
- "I think I may have done something illegal"
- "I was asked to sign documents that might have been fraudulent"
- "My employer told me to do something I'm not sure is legal"
- Any description of specific facts that could constitute a criminal offence in the relevant jurisdiction
Do not analyze the criminal exposure. Escalate with a note that only a lawyer can advise on potential criminal liability under privilege, and that the user should not discuss the facts further with anyone other than a licensed lawyer.
Trigger 4 — Regulated Acts
The AI cannot perform regulated legal acts. Escalate for:
- Notarization / Tawqi3i: only a licensed notary can notarize
- Court filing under bar rules: documents to be filed in court proceedings require a licensed attorney to sign in most jurisdictions
- Legal opinion for official purposes: a formal legal opinion (e.g., for a bank's reliance, for a regulator's submission) requires a qualified lawyer's signature and professional liability coverage
- Regulated advice in financial services context: certain legal advice in financial transactions may require professional authorization beyond legal practice (e.g., FCA authorization in UK, DFSA authorization in DIFC)
Trigger 5 — Confidence Below Threshold on High-Stakes Question
As defined in [[router-confidence-scorer]]:
- Confidence < 0.40 on a question with high stakes (litigation deadline, criminal exposure, regulatory sanction, property rights)
- The model cannot reliably answer — escalation is more responsible than hedged guessing
Handling Path by Deployment Context
eFirm Tenant (Law Firm Using Louis)
Route to the firm's intake queue with a structured summary:
{
"escalation_reason": "<trigger category>",
"user_situation": "<one paragraph summary of what the user described>",
"urgency": "immediate|24h|within-week",
"suggested_practice_area": "<practice area from router.practice-area-detector>",
"jurisdiction": "<from router.jurisdiction-detector>",
"matters_referenced": ["<if any specific matter was mentioned>"]
}
The structured summary should enable the intake coordinator or assigned lawyer to understand the situation without re-reading the entire conversation.
Consumer Louis (B2C / No-Auth User)
Surface three components:
Find a Lawyer action: link to the jurisdiction-appropriate bar association referral service
- Lebanon: Barreau de Beyrouth (Bar Association of Beirut) or Bar of Tripoli
- UAE: Dubai Legal Affairs Department referral; DIFC Legal Services Regulator list; Advocates directory
- KSA: Saudi Bar Association licensed attorneys list
- Egypt: Egyptian Bar Association
- UK: Law Society Find a Solicitor (England and Wales); Law Society of Scotland
- US: ABA Lawyer Referral Service; state bar association directory
Specialist referral if applicable: if the matter is in a recognized specialist practice area (arbitration, immigration, criminal), surface the relevant specialist association or panel
Notary / Tawqi3i partner (where relevant): if the user needs notarization alongside legal advice, surface the nearest notary service — in Lebanon, a Kātib 'Adl (كاتب العدل) or Notaire; in UAE, the ADJD Notary Public or private notaries; in KSA, the authorized notary public offices
What Never to Do
- Never say "I can't help" without providing a next step. Even if the AI cannot answer the question, the user came for help and should leave with a path forward.
- Never attempt to analyze criminal exposure even partially — any partial analysis may be used by the user in a way that harms them
- Never fabricate a lawyer referral (a name, a firm, a phone number) — only link to verified bar association or referral service directories
- Never delay an emergency escalation with clarifying questions — act first; clarify after
Escalation Message Template
When escalating, deliver a message in this structure:
- Acknowledgment: "This situation requires the advice of a qualified lawyer." (One sentence; no hedging about AI limitations)
- Reason (brief): "This falls into [category] where professional legal advice is essential."
- Next step: "Here is how to find the right help: [action / link / referral]"
- Preparation note: "When you speak with a lawyer, bring the following information: [brief list of what to prepare — documents, dates, facts]"
Keep the message warm and actionable. The user may be stressed; a cold "cannot assist" is harmful.
Related Skills
- [[router-confidence-scorer]]
- [[router-intent-detection]]
- [[router-tier-aware]]
- [[router-complexity-grader]]
- [[conversation-uncertainty-language]]