Skills browser

Identify the governing law

Determine which statutes, rules, and cases control the matter.

Assess strengths and weaknesses

Weigh both sides' strong points and weak points.

Frame the legal issues

State the dispositive issues the matter presents.

Articulate theory and themes

State the persuasive theory and supporting themes.

Identify elements to prevail

List the elements that must be proven or defeated.

Map liabilities and remedies

Identify exposure and the remedies available.

Define client objectives

Capture what the client wants to achieve.

Sequence steps and deadlines

Order the tasks and key dates.

Select the forum and approach

Choose litigation, negotiation, or transaction path.

Classify the problem

Place the problem within one or more areas of law.

Spot threshold and jurisdiction issues

Identify limitations, standing, and forum questions.

State the issue and rule

Frame the question and the controlling rule.

Apply the law to the facts

Reason from rule to the matter's facts.

Reach a reasoned conclusion

State a supported conclusion and its confidence.

Extract the legal elements

Break the rule into its required elements.

Match facts to elements

Line up the facts against each element.

Weigh counterarguments

Test the analysis against the opposing view.

Build the affirmative argument

Assemble facts and authority into an argument.

Anticipate the opposing argument

Predict and address the counterposition.

Assess relative strength

Judge which arguments are strongest.

Reconcile conflicting authority

Harmonize or distinguish competing sources.

Derive a rule statement

State the synthesized rule for the file.

Locate governing statutes and code

Find the controlling primary law.

Identify controlling elements

State the substantive elements at issue.

Enumerate prima facie elements

List each element of the claim.

Identify affirmative defenses

List defenses that may defeat the claim.

Apply doctrine to matter facts

Work the doctrine through the facts.

Note jurisdictional variations

Flag differences across the real-tier states.

Identify court, forum, and rules

Determine the tribunal and its rules.

Determine filing deadlines

Calendar the controlling deadlines.

Confirm jurisdiction and venue

Verify the forum is proper.

Comply with service requirements

Effect and document proper service.

Assess admissibility of exhibits

Test exhibits against the evidence rules.

Prepare foundation for key evidence

Plan how each item will be admitted.

Confirm appellate rules and format

Meet the format and length requirements.

Calendar briefing deadlines

Track the appellate briefing schedule.

Identify issues to research

List the questions to answer.

Select sources and search terms

Choose the tools and vocabulary.

Find controlling statutes

Locate the governing code sections.

Find on-point case law

Locate cases on the issue.

Confirm authority is good law

Check that the source is still valid.

Note subsequent history

Record later treatment of the source.

Build boolean and natural-language queries

Construct effective search strings.

Filter by jurisdiction

Restrict results to the governing jurisdiction.

Verify citation validity

Confirm each cite exists and is accurate.

Check treatment flags

Review negative or cautionary treatment.

Record sources found

Log the authorities located.

Summarize findings for the file

Write a short research summary.

Use open-ended then focused questions

Move from broad to narrow (T-funnel).

Build rapport and trust

Establish a working relationship.

Elicit the client's goals and concerns

Capture what the client wants and fears.

Gather documents and records

Collect the relevant records.

Identify and interview witnesses

Find and question fact witnesses.

Assess gaps and inconsistencies

Test the facts for holes and conflicts.

Prepare a witness question outline

Plan the areas to cover.

Capture and memorialize statements

Record the witness account.

Order events on a timeline

Place events in sequence.

Link facts to legal elements

Connect each fact to an element.

Structure the argument

Organize the oral presentation.

Use theory and themes

Anchor the argument in the case theory.

Respond to questions from the bench

Handle questioning under pressure.

Plan direct to elicit the story

Design questions that let the witness tell it.

Plan cross to control the witness

Design leading questions that limit the witness.

Explain options in plain language

Translate legal choices for the client.

Confirm client understanding

Check that the client understood.

State interests and positions

Present the client's goals and stance.

Make and respond to offers

Advance and react to proposals.

Write an engagement or status letter

Communicate scope or progress.

Write a client advice letter

Convey advice in writing.

Draft a meet-and-confer letter

Communicate with opposing counsel.

Include proof of service

Document service on the other side.

Organize argument headings

Structure the brief's point headings.

Integrate authority and record cites

Weave in citations to law and record.

Self-edit for clarity and concision

Tighten and clarify the prose.

Revise to meet page limits

Cut to the required length.

Lay out alternatives and consequences

Present the realistic options.

Give a candid recommendation

Recommend a course of action.

Evaluate the client's BATNA

Assess the best alternative to agreement.

Explain cost, benefit, and risk

Frame the tradeoffs clearly.

Clarify decision ownership

Confirm the client decides.

Document the advice given

Memorialize the counseling.

Acknowledge emotion and rebuild focus

Respond to distress and refocus.

Coordinate with a guardian or parent

Involve a caregiver appropriately.

Demonstrate competence and preparation

Show mastery of the matter.

Communicate reliably and follow through

Do what you say, when you say it.

Demonstrate candor and preparedness

Be straight and ready.

Honor commitments and deadlines

Keep your professional word.

Keep the client informed

Provide regular updates.

Respond promptly to communications

Answer the client quickly.

Gather intake information

Collect the client and matter details.

Run a preliminary conflicts check

Screen for conflicts before engaging.

Identify prospective clients

Find likely sources of work.

Communicate the firm's value

Explain why to hire the firm.

Deliver responsive service

Serve clients promptly and well.

Solicit and act on feedback

Ask for and use client feedback.

Identify interests, positions, and BATNA

Map the negotiation landscape.

Set target and reservation points

Fix the goal and walk-away.

Plan confidential concessions

Decide what can be traded and when.

Exchange and evaluate offers

Advance and assess proposals.

Use principled bargaining

Negotiate on interests, not positions.

Document the terms reached

Record the agreement.

Reconcile competing deal terms

Bridge the parties' positions.

Draft the negotiated agreement

Reduce the deal to writing.

Prepare a mediation position or statement

Set out the client's case for the neutral.

Engage the neutral and explore options

Work with the mediator toward resolution.

Draft the complaint or petition

Plead the claim.

Draft the answer and counterclaim

Respond and assert counterclaims.

Draft interrogatories and document requests

Propound written discovery.

Respond to written discovery

Answer the other side's requests.

Take or defend a deposition

Conduct deposition practice.

Draft the motion and supporting memo

Write the moving papers.

Draft the opposition

Write the responsive papers.

Prepare a proposed order

Draft the order for the court.

Prepare the trial notebook

Assemble the trial materials.

Present openings, witnesses, and closings

Deliver the trial presentation.

Propose jury instructions and verdict form

Draft the instructions and verdict.

Draft the statement of the case

Prepare the arbitration statement.

Present evidence to the arbitrator

Try the matter before the arbitrator.

Frame issues and standard of review

Define the appellate questions.

Write the appellate brief

Draft the brief.

Present oral argument

Argue before the court.

Organize the case file and exhibits

Keep the file orderly.

Track key documents and versions

Control document versions.

Docket court and discovery deadlines

Enter every controlling date.

Set reminders and buffers

Add lead-time alerts.

Allocate tasks between partners

Split the work fairly.

Balance the workload realistically

Avoid overloading either partner.

Record contemporaneous time entries

Log time as work is done.

Categorize work for the invoice

Code entries for billing.

Run a conflicts check

Screen the matter for conflicts.

Evaluate waiver or withdrawal options

Decide how to cure a conflict.

Protect privileged material

Keep privileged content secure.

Avoid improper disclosures

Prevent inadvertent waiver.

Honor the no-contact (Rule 4.2) rule

Avoid contact with represented parties.

Maintain candor to the tribunal

Be truthful with the court.

Keep client funds in trust

Segregate client money.

Avoid commingling and reconcile the ledger

Balance and separate the trust account.

Draft a purchase or sale agreement

Reduce the deal to a contract.

Draft protective clauses

Add easement, warranty, or similar protections.

Draft the will per client instructions

Prepare the testamentary document.

Draft the explanatory client letter

Explain the will to the client.

State scope and fee structure

Define the engagement and fee.

Include required billing terms

Add the billing and payment terms.

Draft pleadings and motions

Prepare the litigation papers.

Draft affidavits and proposed orders

Prepare supporting documents.

Draft interrogatories

Prepare written questions.

Draft requests for production

Prepare document requests.

Match fee type to matter

Choose hourly, flat, contingency, or retainer.

Document the fee in the agreement

Record the fee terms.

Keep contemporaneous time sheets

Log time as it is spent.

Capture disbursements and expenses

Record costs advanced.

Compile time entries into an invoice

Assemble the billing statement.

Compute fees, expenses, and balance due

Total the amounts owed.

Enclose a billing cover letter

Send the statement with a letter.

Deposit funds to trust

Place advance funds in trust.

Reconcile the trust ledger

Balance the trust account.

Identify support-staff roles

Determine needed positions.

Write role expectations

Define what each role does.

Delegate appropriate tasks

Assign suitable work to staff.

Supervise for competence and ethics

Oversee quality and conduct.

Train on firm systems

Bring staff up to speed.

Set performance expectations

Define success for the role.

Estimate startup costs

Project what launch will cost.

Identify capital sources

Find funding options.

Forecast cash flow

Project inflows and outflows.

Maintain operating reserves

Hold a cushion for lean months.

Assess ROI of a purchase

Weigh cost against benefit.

Prioritize investments

Rank competing investments.

Define deliverables and milestones

Set the outputs and checkpoints.

Estimate effort and time

Project the work required.

Prioritize tasks

Order work by importance and deadline.

Track billable versus non-billable time

Separate the two categories.

Identify bottlenecks

Find where work stalls.

Standardize repeatable work

Templatize recurring tasks.

Estimate fees and costs

Project the numbers.

Set a budget baseline

Fix the plan of record.

Match resources to matter priority

Assign effort to what matters most.

Rebalance as needs change

Adjust allocations over time.

Compare actuals to budget

Track variance.

Adjust the plan

Revise the budget as needed.

Define target clients and niche

Pick who to serve.

Choose outreach channels

Select how to reach them.

Cultivate referral relationships

Grow a referral network.

Maintain a professional presence

Keep a credible public profile.

Scope the prospective engagement

Define the proposed work.

Present fees and value

Explain price and worth.

Select case-management tools

Choose the firm's systems.

Use document and billing software

Operate the core tools.

Organize email and files

Keep communications orderly.

Retain records per policy

Apply the retention schedule.

Secure devices and accounts

Lock down access.

Guard against data loss

Back up and protect data.

Define partner decision rights

Decide who decides what.

Document firm policies

Write the firm's rules.

Set multi-year goals

Define where the firm is going.

Align resources to strategy

Point resources at the goals.

Weigh options and risks

Assess the choices.

Review outcomes and adjust

Learn from results.

Hold regular partner check-ins

Keep the partnership aligned.

Give constructive feedback

Coach and correct helpfully.

Align on expectations

Set shared expectations.

Address friction early

Handle tension before it grows.

Surface disagreements constructively

Bring conflict into the open.

Reach a workable resolution

Settle on a path forward.

Specify role, task, and context

Frame the request precisely.

Supply governing facts and constraints

Give the model what it needs.

Diagnose weak outputs

Identify what went wrong.

Revise the prompt and re-test

Adjust and try again.

Template a memo or interview prompt

Create a reusable prompt.

Document usage and limits

Note when and how to use it.

Cross-check claims to the case file

Verify against source facts.

Flag unsupported assertions

Mark what cannot be verified.

Confirm each citation exists

Verify the source is real.

Confirm it says what is claimed

Read the source for support.

Identify fabricated content

Spot invented facts or law.

Correct before relying or filing

Fix errors before use.

Assess task risk and reversibility

Judge what is safe to delegate.

Keep judgment-heavy work human

Retain the hard calls.

Get an AI first-pass critique

Run the draft through AI.

Revise against the rubric

Improve using the rubric.

Set the assignment clearly

Give the model a clear brief.

Review before it leaves the firm

Check the work before use.

Strip or avoid PII and identifiers

Keep client identity out of prompts.

Use approved tools only

Restrict to vetted systems.

Assess waiver risk

Judge the privilege exposure.

Document safeguards

Record the protections used.

Keep the record complete and current

Maintain accurate matter data.

Separate facts from work product

Distinguish source facts from analysis.

Set an AI-use policy

Define acceptable AI use.

Log tools and data flows

Track what is used and how.

Retain per policy

Keep what policy requires.

Delete transient prompts and outputs

Purge ephemeral data.