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research-start

Generate unverified legal research roadmaps with statutes, case-law areas, and Westlaw/Lexis search terms.

Updated Dec 4, 2025
Search Tags:#legal research#research roadmap#statutes#search terms#westlaw#case law areas#lexis
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/PolliticalSolutions/political-portal --skill research-start-polliticalsolutions
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: research-start
Source: https://github.com/PolliticalSolutions/political-portal/tree/main/.claude/skills/legal-clinic/research-start
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/PolliticalSolutions/political-portal --skill research-start-polliticalsolutions

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve?

It helps students quickly identify where to begin legal research by producing a structured roadmap of statutes to check, case-law areas to investigate, and search terms, without pretending the results are verified authorities.

Core Features & Use Cases

  • Jurisdiction & practice-area grounding: Loads the clinic’s configured research context to set the right starting frame.
  • Lead-only research roadmap: Generates unverified statutory starting points, case-law areas (not cases), regulatory sources when relevant, and secondary-source topics for framework building.
  • Gap detection from uploaded work: If the student has existing research uploads, it synthesizes what’s already covered and flags what’s missing, including explicit uncertainty markers.
  • Citation safety guardrails: Emphasizes that all items are leads not authorities and requires verification via the student’s research tools before use.

Quick Start

Ask the skill to produce a research roadmap for your specific legal issue and state, focusing on leads not authorities.

Frequently Asked Questions about research-start

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I create a legal research roadmap for a specific issue?▼

To create a legal research roadmap, you frame your issue narrowly and generate unverified statutory starting points, case-law areas, and targeted Westlaw or Lexis search terms. This provides clear leads for early-stage research without pretending they are verified authorities.

What is the best way to identify gaps in my existing legal research?▼

The best way to identify gaps in existing legal research is to synthesize uploaded work to see what is already covered and flag what is missing. This generates explicit uncertainty markers to guide what you need to search next.

How do I find targeted Westlaw and Lexis search terms for case law areas?▼

You find targeted Westlaw and Lexis search terms by framing a legal issue narrowly and generating a lead-only roadmap. This identifies relevant case-law areas to investigate and produces specific search terms to use in research tools.

Can I use generated statutory starting points as authoritative citations?▼

No, you cannot use generated statutory starting points as authoritative citations. All outputs are leads rather than authorities and require verification via research tools before use in legal documents or filings.

How do I start legal research when I only have a broad legal question?▼

To start legal research with a broad question, load clinic seed context to set the right starting frame and frame the issue narrowly. This generates a structured roadmap of statutes to check, case-law areas, and secondary-source topics for framework building.

Does generating a research roadmap require jurisdiction and practice area context?▼

Yes, generating a research roadmap requires jurisdiction and practice area context. Loading the clinic's configured research context sets the right starting frame to ensure the unverified statutory starting points and case-law areas are relevant.

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