# Legal Briefing

> Prepare legal meeting briefs with context, talking points, participant research, and follow-up actions.

- Skill: `vm0-ai/legal-briefing` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add vm0-ai/legal-briefing`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/vm0-ai/legal-briefing/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Research & Search
- Author: vm0-ai (https://skillmd.com/u/vm0-ai)
- Updated: 2026-09-09
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/vm0-ai/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:

| Category | Primary Preparation Needs |
|---|---|
| **Transaction Review** | Deal status, unresolved contract points, counterparty background, negotiation game plan, required approvals |
| **Board / Committee Session** | Legal department report, risk register highlights, active matters summary, regulatory landscape, draft resolutions |
| **Vendor Discussion** | Agreement status, outstanding items, performance record, relationship dynamics, negotiation goals |
| **Internal Team Sync** | Capacity overview, top-priority matters, staffing needs, approaching deadlines |
| **Client / Customer Call** | Contract terms, support history, unresolved issues, relationship background |
| **Regulatory Engagement** | Subject matter context, compliance posture, prior correspondence, counsel coordination |
| **Litigation / Dispute Session** | Case posture, recent activity, strategic options, settlement parameters |
| **Cross-Functional Collaboration** | Legal dimensions of business proposals, risk evaluation, compliance guardrails |

### 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