Legal Briefing

Preparation Workflow

Phase 1: Define the Meeting

Extract or confirm these details from the user's request or calendar:

• Title and category: What is the meeting called, and what type is it? (transaction review, governance session, vendor discussion, internal sync, client call, regulatory engagement)
• Attendees: Who will be in the room? What positions do they hold and what outcomes are they seeking?
• Topics: Is there a published agenda? What subjects will be addressed?
• Legal team posture: What role does the attorney play in this meeting? (counselor, presenter, silent observer, lead negotiator)
• Prep window: How much lead time is available?

Phase 2: Map Preparation Requirements

Each meeting category drives a different preparation focus:

Phase 3: Assemble Context from Available Sources

Collect pertinent information from each connected system:

Calendar Systems

• Meeting logistics (time, length, venue or link, invitees)
• Historical meetings with the same group (prior 90 days)
• Scheduled follow-ups or related sessions
• Scheduling conflicts or time constraints

Email Systems

• Correspondence with or concerning attendees
• Follow-up threads from earlier meetings
• Outstanding commitments from past exchanges
• Documents shared as attachments

Messaging Platforms (Slack, Teams, etc.)

• Threads discussing the meeting subject
• Messages involving the attendees
• Team conversations about related work
• Relevant decisions or updates posted in channels

Document Repositories (SharePoint, Box, Egnyte, etc.)

• Prior agendas and meeting notes
• Relevant agreements, memos, or analysis
• Shared files involving meeting participants
• Working drafts intended for the meeting

Contract Management Systems (if available)

• Active agreements with the relevant counterparty
• Negotiation status and unresolved terms
• Approval workflow progress
• Amendment and renewal history

CRM Systems (if available)

• Account or opportunity records
• Relationship history and key contacts
• Pipeline stage and milestones
• Organizational stakeholder map

Phase 4: Compose the Briefing

Organize all gathered material into the structured format below.

Phase 5: Surface Information Gaps

Explicitly flag anything incomplete:

• Systems that were unavailable or returned no results
• Data that may be stale
• Unresolved questions
• Documents that could not be located

Briefing Document Structure

## Meeting Briefing

### Logistics
- **Subject**: [meeting title]
- **Scheduled**: [date, time, and timezone]
- **Length**: [anticipated duration]
- **Venue**: [physical address or virtual meeting link]
- **Attorney's Role**: [counselor / presenter / negotiator / observer]

### Participant Roster
| Name | Affiliation | Position | Primary Interests | Relevant Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [name] | [organization] | [title] | [what they prioritize] | [useful background] |

### Topics and Agenda
1. [Subject A] - [brief context]
2. [Subject B] - [brief context]
3. [Subject C] - [brief context]

### Situation Overview
[Two to three paragraphs covering relevant history, current state of affairs, and the purpose of this meeting]

### Reference Materials
- [Document A] - [summary and location]
- [Document B] - [summary and location]

### Unresolved Items
| Item | Current Status | Responsible Party | Urgency | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [item 1] | [status] | [owner] | [H/M/L] | [notes] |

### Legal Dimensions
[Specific legal questions, exposures, or regulatory considerations tied to the meeting topics]

### Recommended Talking Points
1. [Point with supporting rationale]
2. [Point with supporting rationale]
3. [Point with supporting rationale]

### Questions to Pose
- [Question A] - [why it matters]
- [Question B] - [why it matters]

### Decisions Required
- [Decision A] - [available options and recommended path]
- [Decision B] - [available options and recommended path]

### Firm Positions / Boundaries
[For negotiation settings: positions that must not be conceded]

### Carry-Forward Items
[Unfinished tasks from previous meetings with these participants]

### Incomplete Information
[Data that could not be sourced or verified; questions for the user to address]

Category-Specific Additions

Transaction Reviews

Supplement the standard briefing with:

• Transaction snapshot: Parties involved, deal value, structure, and timeline
• Agreement posture: Stage in the review or negotiation cycle; outstanding sticking points
• Authorization requirements: Who must sign off and at what thresholds
• Counterparty intelligence: Their anticipated positions, recent tone, and communication patterns
• Precedent transactions: Similar past deals and their final terms (when accessible)

Board and Committee Sessions

Supplement the standard briefing with:

• Legal department summary: Volume of active matters, recent resolutions, newly opened items, closed files
• Risk register snapshot: Top-ranked risks with movement since the prior reporting period
• Regulatory landscape: Significant regulatory developments with business impact
• Items requiring board action: Resolutions, authorizations, or approvals on the agenda
• Litigation portfolio: Active proceedings, reserve updates, settlements, and new filings

Regulatory Engagements

Supplement the standard briefing with:

• Regulator profile: Which body, which division, their current enforcement focus and patterns
• Interaction history: Timeline of prior submissions, correspondence, and meetings
• Compliance standing: Current status on the specific topics under discussion
• External counsel coordination: Outside firm involvement and advice received to date
• Privilege awareness: Boundaries on what can and cannot be shared; privilege preservation considerations

Task Capture and Tracking

Recording Tasks During and After Meetings

Help the user document commitments from each meeting:

## Tasks from [Meeting Title] - [Date]

| # | Task Description | Owner | Due Date | Urgency | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | [concrete, actionable item] | [individual name] | [specific date] | [H/M/L] | Open |
| 2 | [concrete, actionable item] | [individual name] | [specific date] | [H/M/L] | Open |

Principles for Effective Task Capture

• Precision: "Transmit revised Section 7.3 language to counterparty's outside counsel" rather than "Follow up on agreement"
• Single owner: Every task has exactly one accountable individual, never a team or department
• Concrete deadline: Every task gets a calendar date, never "soon" or "when possible"
• Dependency mapping: If a task is blocked by another action or external input, note the dependency
• Task type classification:
  • Internal legal tasks (work the legal team must perform)
  • Business partner tasks (items to relay to non-legal stakeholders)
  • External party tasks (work the counterparty or outside counsel must complete)
  • Scheduling tasks (follow-up meetings that need to be booked)

Post-Meeting Execution

After the meeting concludes:

1. Circulate the task list to all participants through the appropriate channel
2. Calendar the deadlines so nothing falls through the cracks
3. Update operational systems (contract management, matter tracking, risk register) with outcomes
4. Archive meeting notes in the designated repository
5. Highlight time-sensitive items that demand same-day or next-day attention

Review Cadence

• High urgency tasks: Verify progress daily until closed
• Medium urgency tasks: Check at the next team meeting or weekly review
• Low urgency tasks: Review at the next relevant meeting or monthly cycle
• Overdue tasks: Escalate to the owner and their supervisor; flag in the next applicable meeting