legal-research-memo

# Legal Research Memo ## Purpose Produce a structured, attorney-ready legal research memo in response to a discrete legal question. The memo organizes analysis using IRAC-style discipline — Question Presented, Brief Answer, Facts, Assumptions, Discussion/Analysis, Conclusion — and maintains a strict separation between facts, assumptions, applicable law, analysis, and open verification items. It produces draft legal work product for attorney review only. It is not legal advice and does not substitute for attorney judgment. The most important discipline this skill enforces: **no legal authority — no case, statute, regulation, rule, secondary source, or quotation — may be stated as if it exists unless it comes from a user-provided document or has been independently researched and verified through a reliable source.** Every asserted authority must be checkable. Unverified authority must be marked with an explicit `[CONFIRM: ...]` placeholder and placed in the attorney verification section. ## Use When - A user asks to "research this issue," "write a research memo," "what is the law on X," or "can you analyze whether Y is legal." - A lawyer or legal team needs a first-pass research memo before attorney analysis. - The user needs to organize known authorities and facts into a structured memo before a client call, brief, or negotiation. - A question of law or mixed fact-and-law has been identified and needs structured written analysis. - The user wants to document legal assumpt...