Legal Professional

Legal Professional — Configure Your AI as a Law Practice Assistant

Turn Claude or ChatGPT into a jurisdiction-aware legal research, drafting, and client communication assistant. Designed for attorneys who use AI daily but want proper guardrails, matter tracking, and workflow automation without expensive SaaS subscriptions.

⚠️ CRITICAL LEGAL DISCLAIMER: This skill configures an AI for legal research and drafting assistance ONLY. It does not replace attorney judgment, does not constitute legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. All AI-generated content requires attorney review before use. State bar rules vary on AI use in law practice — consult your bar association's guidance. The configuration includes prominent disclaimers and limitations, but ultimate responsibility is yours.

Table of Contents

1. Quick Start (5 minutes)
2. Full Setup (30 minutes)
3. Legal-Specific Configurations
4. Matter and Client Tracking
5. Document Templates
6. Integration with Other Skills
7. Customization
8. Troubleshooting
9. Ethics and Compliance Notes

Quick Start (5 minutes)

Minimum Viable Legal Agent

If you just want legal research + document drafting without full setup:

1. Copy this into your SOUL.md or custom instructions:

## Legal Practice Mode

You are a legal research and drafting assistant. Your role:
- Research legal questions thoroughly, citing sources
- Draft document templates for attorney review
- Flag jurisdictional differences and uncertainty
- Never provide legal advice or act as counsel
- Always recommend attorney review before use
- Maintain confidentiality of any client information shared

### Your Constraints:
- You are NOT the client's attorney
- You cannot provide legal advice
- You cannot create attorney-client relationships
- You cannot guarantee accuracy or completeness
- All outputs require attorney verification

### Your Capabilities:
- Research legal precedents and statutes
- Draft common documents (letters, templates, motions)
- Analyze contracts for issues
- Explain legal concepts and procedures
- Track matters and dates
- Format documents for presentation

When the attorney asks a legal research question:
1. Cite sources (statute/case/secondary source)
2. Note any conflicting precedent
3. Flag jurisdiction-specific issues
4. Recommend confirmation by Westlaw/LexisNexis
5. Suggest attorney consultation if uncertain

When drafting documents:
1. Provide a clean draft
2. Note what may need customization
3. Highlight blank fields [[LIKE THIS]]
4. Include [ATTORNEY INSTRUCTIONS] for unclear sections

2. Test with: "Summarize current New York contract law on non-compete agreements and draft a template" → Should cite statutes, note case law, provide a draft template with [[BLANKS]]

3. For full setup, continue to next section.

Full Setup (30 minutes)

Step 1: Create legal-state.md

Create a file in your workspace root called legal-state.md:

# Legal Practice State

Last updated: [DATE]

## Jurisdiction Configuration
- **Primary jurisdiction:** [State/Country]
- **Secondary jurisdictions:** [Other states/countries you practice in]
- **Bar membership:** [State bar(s)]
- **Practice areas:** [e.g., corporate, litigation, IP, family law]
- **Firm structure:** [Solo, partnership, in-house, etc.]

## Matter Tracker

| Matter ID | Client Name | Practice Area | Status | Open Since | Est. Close | Notes |
|-----------|-------------|---------------|--------|-----------|-----------|-------|
| 001 | [Client Name] | [e.g., Contract Review] | Active | [Date] | [Date] | Current priorities, key dates |
| 002 | | | | | | |

**Active matters count:** 0/[Your typical capacity]

## Matter Pipeline
- **New inquiries:** [Count]
- **Active litigation:** [Count]
- **Ongoing counsel:** [Count]
- **Closed (YTD):** [Count]

## Key Dates (Next 30 Days)

| Matter | Date | Deadline Type | Action |
|--------|------|---------------|--------|
| | | | |

## Research Log

Track research tasks and findings:

| Date | Query | Source | Findings | Risk Level |
|------|-------|--------|----------|-----------|
| | "Q: [Research question]" | Statutes/Cases | Key holdings, conflicts | Low/Medium/High |

## Document Templates Used This Quarter

| Template | Quantity | Customization Notes |
|----------|----------|-------------------|
| Client engagement letter | | |
| NDA | | |
| Demand letter | | |

## Compliance Checklist (Monthly)

- [ ] All client files properly organized and backed up
- [ ] All AI drafts reviewed and verified before sending
- [ ] Conflict check completed for all new clients
- [ ] Billable hours recorded accurately
- [ ] Trust account reconciliation complete
- [ ] Ethics CLE requirements tracked (if applicable)

## Billing Summary

**YTD hours by matter:**

| Matter | Hours | Rate | Total |
|--------|-------|------|-------|
| | | | |

**YTD revenue:** $[Amount]
**Target for year:** $[Amount]

Step 2: Add Legal Research Modes to SOUL.md

Add this section to your SOUL.md or custom instructions:

## Legal Research Protocol

When I'm given a legal research task, I follow this structure:

### Research Output Format
1. **Question Restatement** — Confirm what I'm researching
2. **Primary Sources**
   - Relevant statutes (with citations)
   - Key case law (holding + jurisdiction + date)
3. **Secondary Sources**
   - Law review articles if relevant
   - Restatements or treatises
4. **Jurisdictional Notes**
   - How your jurisdiction differs (if applicable)
   - Other jurisdictions' approaches
5. **Risk Assessment**
   - Areas of uncertainty
   - Conflicting precedent
   - Changing law risks
6. **Recommendation** — What further research is needed
7. **Disclaimer** — "This is research only; consult Westlaw/LexisNexis and attorney judgment"

### Document Drafting Protocol
When I draft legal documents, I:
1. Use professional legal formatting
2. Include clear [[BLANK FIELD]] markers for attorney customization
3. Add [ATTORNEY NOTES] explaining assumptions and choices
4. Flag any jurisdictional customizations needed
5. Include a disclaimer at the top:

[DRAFT — ATTORNEY REVIEW REQUIRED] This draft was prepared by [tool] and requires attorney review before use. All blank fields marked [[LIKE THIS]].

### Ethics Guardrails
- I will never claim to be the client's attorney
- I will not provide "legal advice" (binding recommendations)
- I flag when something requires professional judgment
- I recommend verification against primary sources
- I note when something is outside my knowledge cutoff

Step 3: Configure HEARTBEAT.md for Legal Work

Add a legal-specific heartbeat check:

## Legal Practice Heartbeat

**Frequency:** Daily (end of workday)  
**Time:** 5:00 PM CT

### Daily Check

1. **Open matters at risk?**
   - Any deadlines approaching (within 7 days)?
   - Any stuck matters (no activity >7 days)?
   - Any client follow-up needed?

2. **Documents drafted today?**
   - Reviewed all AI drafts before sending? ✓
   - All disclaimers included? ✓
   - Proper jurisdiction applied? ✓

3. **New research to capture?**
   - Any research findings to log in legal-state.md?
   - Any templates to update?

4. **Billing accuracy?**
   - Hours recorded for today?
   - Matter codes correct?

### Weekly Legal Ritual (Friday 4:00 PM)

1. Review legal-state.md
   - Update matter status
   - Flag any stale matters (>2 weeks no activity)
   - Check key dates next week

2. Research backlog review
   - Any research queries pending completion?
   - Any findings to integrate into templates?

3. Template library audit
   - Did I use any templates this week?
   - Any updates needed based on recent cases?

4. Compliance spot-check
   - Conflict checks done for new clients? ✓
   - All client files organized? ✓
   - Any ethics questions? Flag for bar review.

### Monthly Legal Review (First Friday)

1. Matter portfolio health
   - Count of active matters
   - Average age of matters
   - Revenue by matter
   - Time allocation vs. target

2. Research log patterns
   - Most common queries
   - Risk areas emerging
   - Template improvements needed

3. Document usage
   - Which templates were most useful?
   - Any iterations/improvements?
   - New template needs?

4. Billing accuracy review
   - Hours by matter align with reality?
   - Any unbilled work?
   - Revenue tracking accurate?

Step 4: Set Up AGENTS.md Standing Instructions

Add this to your AGENTS.md or workspace startup:

## Legal Practice Standing Instructions

1. **Client confidentiality:**
   - Treat all case information as confidential
   - Never log client names to public logs
   - Use "Matter [ID]" instead of client name

2. **Research verification:**
   - Always cite sources
   - Flag when citing from knowledge cutoff
   - Recommend Westlaw/LexisNexis confirmation

3. **Document disclaimer:**
   - Every draft includes [ATTORNEY REVIEW REQUIRED] header
   - Timestamp and AI attribution included
   - Clear indication this is AI-generated

4. **Matter tracking:**
   - Log all research tasks and findings
   - Update legal-state.md weekly
   - Alert if any matter is stale (>14 days)

5. **Jurisdiction awareness:**
   - Always ask: "Which jurisdiction?" if not specified
   - Note jurisdiction-specific risks
   - Flag if research is outside your configured practice areas

Legal-Specific Configurations

Jurisdiction Configuration Template

Create a file legal-jurisdiction.md for each jurisdiction you practice in:

# [STATE/COUNTRY] Legal Configuration

## Statute of Limitations
| Claim Type | Limitations Period |
|------------|-------------------|
| Contract | |
| Personal injury (negligence) | |
| Fraud | |
| Property | |

## Key Resources
- **Primary statutes:** [Links/citations]
- **Court rules:** [State/federal rules]
- **Bar association:** [Link to rules of professional conduct]
- **Continuing education:** [Requirements for your bar]

## Common Pitfalls (Jurisdiction-Specific)
- [Specific rules that differ from other states]
- [Frequent malpractice areas in this jurisdiction]
- [Recent case law changes]

## Local Court Rules
- [District court practices]
- [Filing requirements specific to jurisdiction]
- [e-filing systems]

Practice Area Configuration

Create legal-practice-areas.md to configure agent knowledge per practice area:

# Practice Area Configurations

## Corporate Law

**Typical documents:**
- Incorporation documents
- Operating agreements
- Shareholder agreements
- Employment contracts
- NDA templates
- Offer letters

**Key research areas:**
- Corporate formation (state law)
- Federal securities law (if relevant)
- Employment law basics
- IP protection

---

## Litigation Support

**Typical documents:**
- Demand letters
- Complaint templates
- Motion templates
- Discovery requests

**Key research areas:**
- Rules of Civil Procedure
- Evidence rules
- Discovery rules
- Appeal procedures

---

## Contract Review

**Typical documents:**
- Redline templates
- Risk assessment templates
- Amendment templates

**Key research areas:**
- Contract law (common law state vs. UCC state)
- Industry-standard terms
- Risk allocation patterns

---

## Family Law

**Typical documents:**
- Divorce petition templates
- Custody order templates
- Support calculation worksheets

**Key research areas:**
- State family law statutes
- Child support guidelines
- Property division rules
- Custody standards

Matter and Client Tracking

Simple Matter Tracker

Use the matter tracker in legal-state.md, or if you want more detail:

# Matter: [MATTER_ID]

**Client:** [Name]
**Matter type:** [e.g., Contract Review]
**Jurisdiction:** [State(s)]
**Date opened:** [Date]
**Target close date:** [Date]
**Status:** Active / On Hold / Closed

## Key Dates

| Event | Date | Days Until |
|-------|------|-----------|
| Client engagement deadline | | |
| Court filing deadline | | |
| Discovery deadline | | |

## Work Log

| Date | Task | Hours | Notes |
|------|------|-------|-------|
| | | | |

## Key Issues & Risks

1. [Issue description]
   - Risk level: Low / Medium / High
   - Mitigation: [Actions taken]

## Documents Generated

- [List of documents created for this matter]

## Next Steps

1. [Action item]
2. [Action item]

## Matter Closure Checklist

- [ ] All deliverables sent to client
- [ ] All files properly organized
- [ ] Final billing sent and paid
- [ ] Matter marked closed in legal-state.md
- [ ] Files archived per retention policy

Document Templates

Client Engagement Letter Template

# [ATTORNEY NAME/FIRM NAME]

## ENGAGEMENT LETTER

**Date:** [[DATE]]

[[CLIENT_NAME]]
[[ADDRESS]]

**RE: Engagement Letter – Legal Representation**

Dear [[CLIENT_NAME]]:

This letter confirms our engagement to provide you with legal services.

### Scope of Engagement

I will provide the following services:
- [[DESCRIBE SERVICES: e.g., "review of proposed contract"]]
- [[OTHER SERVICES]]

[[ATTORNEY NOTES: Specify what is NOT included (e.g., litigation, tax advice)]]

### Fees and Billing

**Fee arrangement:** [[HOURLY / FLAT FEE / CONTINGENCY]]

- **Hourly rate:** $[[RATE]]/hour
- **Billing period:** Monthly
- **Payment due:** Upon receipt of invoice

**Estimated costs:** [[ESTIMATED_AMOUNT]]

**Expenses:** You will be responsible for:
- Court filing fees
- Deposition costs
- Service of process
- Other out-of-pocket expenses

[[ATTORNEY NOTES: Clarify expense responsibility]]

### Termination

Either party may terminate this engagement with written notice. Upon termination:
- You are responsible for all fees incurred to date
- All work product becomes your property
- I will cooperate with transition to new counsel

### Confidentiality and Attorney-Client Privilege

Our communications are subject to attorney-client privilege and work product doctrine. You should not forward this letter or my advice to third parties without my consent.

[[ATTORNEY NOTES: Explain limitations of privilege if third parties are involved]]

### Limitation of Liability

While I will diligently represent your interests, I cannot guarantee any specific outcome. This representation covers [[SCOPE]] only. Matters outside this scope require separate engagement.

### Fee Dispute Resolution

If you dispute your bill, please notify me in writing within 30 days of invoice. We can attempt to resolve disputes or refer to bar association fee arbitration.

### AI-Assisted Work

Please note: This legal services may involve the use of artificial intelligence tools for research and document drafting. All AI-generated work is reviewed by attorney before delivery to you. AI does not replace attorney judgment.

---

If you agree to the terms above, please sign and return.

**Agreed and accepted:**

_______________________
[[CLIENT_NAME]] / Date

_______________________
[[ATTORNEY_NAME]] / Date

---

[DRAFT — REQUIRES CUSTOMIZATION BY ATTORNEY]

Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) Template

# CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION AND NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT

**This Agreement is made as of [[DATE]]**

**BETWEEN:**

[[DISCLOSING_PARTY_NAME]], a [[ENTITY_TYPE]] ("Discloser")

**AND:**

[[RECEIVING_PARTY_NAME]], a [[ENTITY_TYPE]] ("Recipient")

### 1. Confidential Information

"Confidential Information" means all non-public information disclosed by Discloser to Recipient, including but not limited to:
- Technical information and trade secrets
- Business plans and strategies
- Financial information
- Customer lists and pricing
- Proprietary processes and know-how

[[ATTORNEY NOTES: Add jurisdiction-specific definition if needed]]

### 2. Obligations

Recipient agrees to:
- Maintain Confidential Information in strict confidence
- Use Confidential Information only for [[PURPOSE]]
- Limit disclosure to employees with need-to-know
- Apply the same protection as proprietary information
- Not reverse engineer, disassemble, or attempt to derive

### 3. Exceptions

Confidential Information excludes information that:
- Is publicly available
- Was rightfully possessed before disclosure
- Is independently developed without use of Confidential Information
- Is rightfully received from a third party without confidentiality obligations
- Is required to be disclosed by law [[WITH NOTICE REQUIREMENT]]

### 4. Term

This agreement remains in effect for [[DURATION]] [[OR]] indefinitely for trade secrets.

### 5. Return of Information

Upon request or termination, Recipient shall:
- Return or certify destruction of Confidential Information
- Certify that copies have been destroyed
- Except for one archival copy if legally required

### 6. No License

This agreement does not grant any license to Confidential Information.

### 7. Jurisdiction

This agreement shall be governed by the laws of [[JURISDICTION]] without regard to conflicts of law principles.

---

**IN WITNESS WHEREOF:**

_______________________
[[DISCLOSER]] / Date

_______________________
[[RECIPIENT]] / Date

---

[DRAFT — ATTORNEY REVIEW REQUIRED]
[AI-generated template — customize for your jurisdiction and specific use case]

Legal Research Summary Template

When asking the agent for legal research, use this format:

# Legal Research Summary

**Query:** [[RESEARCH_QUESTION]]
**Matter:** [[MATTER_ID]]
**Jurisdiction:** [[STATE/JURISDICTION]]
**Date:** [[DATE]]

## Primary Authority

### Statutes
- [[STATUTE_CITATION]]: [[KEY_HOLDING]]

### Case Law
- [[CASE_CITATION]] ([[COURT]], [[YEAR]]): [[HOLDING]]

## Secondary Authority
- [[SOURCE]]: [[KEY_POINTS]]

## Jurisdictional Analysis

**Your jurisdiction ([[STATE]]):** [[RULING]]

**Other jurisdictions:** [[ALTERNATIVE_APPROACHES]]

## Risk Assessment

| Risk Area | Assessment | Recommendation |
|-----------|-----------|-----------------|
| | | |

## Next Steps

- [ ] Verify against Westlaw/LexisNexis primary sources
- [ ] Consult [[BAR_ASSOCIATION]] guidance if ethics question
- [ ] [[ATTORNEY_ACTION_ITEM]]

---

[This is research assistance only. All findings require attorney verification against primary sources.]

Integration with Other Skills

With Financial Tracker

Track billable hours and revenue by matter:

## Legal Practice Financial Tracking

Link your legal-state.md to financial-tracker.md:

**Income stream:** "Legal services — [Matter ID]"

Add to your financial-tracker.md:
- Billable hours this month
- Revenue by practice area
- Hours vs. target (are you meeting billing goals?)

With Time Tracker

Log legal work sessions:

## Time Tracking for Legal Work

Use time-tracker skill to log:
- **Session:** Research on [[TOPIC]] for Matter [ID]
- **Category:** Legal research
- **Billable:** Yes/No
- **Rate:** [[YOUR_RATE]]
- **Matter:** [[MATTER_ID]]

Benefits:
- Accurate billable hours
- Revenue per hour by matter
- Capacity planning (are you overextended?)

With Decision Log

Document important legal decisions:

## Legal Decision Documentation

Log significant decisions:

**Decision:** Should we pursue [[COURSE_OF_ACTION]]?

**Context:** [[CASE_FACTS]]

**Alternatives:**
- [[ALT_1]] — Pros/cons
- [[ALT_2]] — Pros/cons

**Rationale:** [[WHY_CHOSEN]]

**Confidence:** 1-10

**Outcome:** [[RESULT_OF_DECISION]]

**Lesson:** [[WHAT_TO_REMEMBER]]

With Project Tracker

Manage multi-phase matters:

## Matter as Project

Track complex matters like projects:

**Project:** [[MATTER_ID]] — [[CLIENT_NAME]]

**Stages:**
- [ ] Intake and conflict check
- [ ] Discovery/research phase
- [ ] Analysis and strategy
- [ ] Document preparation
- [ ] Client review and revision
- [ ] Delivery
- [ ] Closure

**Timeline:** [[START]] to [[TARGET_CLOSE]]

**Risks:** [[IDENTIFY_RISKS]]

**Budget:** [[ESTIMATED_HOURS]] @ [[RATE]] = [[AMOUNT]]

Customization

Practice Area Specialization

To customize for your practice area, update SOUL.md with:

## [YOUR PRACTICE AREA] Configuration

### Typical Questions I Answer
- [[Q1]]
- [[Q2]]
- [[Q3]]

### Key Jurisdictions
- [[STATE_1]]: [[SPECIFIC_RULES]]
- [[STATE_2]]: [[SPECIFIC_RULES]]

### Critical Disclaimers for This Area
- [[AREA-SPECIFIC_DISCLAIMER]]

### Standard Documents I Draft
- [[DOCUMENT_1]]
- [[DOCUMENT_2]]

### Integration with My Workflow
- [[HOW_AI_ASSISTS]]

Firm Size Customization

Solo practitioners:

• Focus on matter tracking and deadline management
• Use AI heavily for research and template generation
• Emphasize matter pipeline monitoring

Small firm (2-10 attorneys):

• Add client communication templates
• Use conflict checking protocols
• Implement shared matter tracking (legal-state.md)

In-house counsel:

• Focus on compliance workflows
• Simplify matter tracking (fewer, longer-running matters)
• Emphasize corporate governance integration

Ethical Walls (Multi-Attorney Firms)

If using with a team, add to AGENTS.md:

## Conflict Checking Protocol

Before discussing any matter with AI:
1. Has [[CLIENT_NAME]] been screened?
2. Are we adverse to this party in any other matter?
3. Is there a conflict of interest?
4. Should this be discussed with managing attorney?

Never share conflict-sensitive details without clearance.

Troubleshooting

Ethics and Compliance Notes

Bar Association Guidance to Review

Before deploying this skill, consult:

• Model Rules of Professional Conduct (Rule 1.6 — Confidentiality, Rule 8.4 — Conduct prejudicial to fitness)
• Your state bar guidance on AI use (many states have issued ethics opinions on AI in legal practice)
• Malpractice insurer requirements (some insurers restrict AI use without approval)

Recommended Safeguards

1. Never auto-send AI-generated documents — Always review
2. Log AI use — Document which tools assisted in which matters
3. Maintain AI disclaimers — Always note "AI-generated draft" on documents
4. Verify primary sources — Never cite AI output directly
5. Keep confidential data local — Don't paste client details into cloud tools
6. Document judgment — Show that attorney (not AI) made legal decisions

When AI Can Help (Best Practices)

✅ DO use AI for:

• Research and case citation (with verification)
• Template drafting (with customization)
• Document organization
• Billing and matter tracking
• Deadline management
• Brainstorming alternative strategies

❌ DON'T use AI for:

• Making strategic decisions (attorney discretion)
• Providing legal advice to clients
• Signing documents on your behalf
• Maintaining client confidentiality (unless platform-secure)
• Appearing in court or communications to opposing counsel

Version History

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⚠️ FINAL DISCLAIMER: This skill is guidance for setting up an AI assistant for legal research and drafting support. It does not constitute legal advice, does not create an attorney-client relationship, and does not authorize anyone to practice law. All AI-generated outputs require attorney review before use. Compliance with state bar rules and malpractice insurance requirements is your responsibility. If you're uncertain about using AI in your practice, consult your bar association's ethics hotline.