newsletter-summary
Produces concise, actionable U.S. legal newsletter summaries of recent developments organized by practice area. Use when asked for a legal news digest, weekly/monthly client update, regulatory roundup, case law summary, compliance news bulletin, or internal legal awareness memo.
Best use case
newsletter-summary is best used when you need a repeatable AI agent workflow instead of a one-off prompt.
Produces concise, actionable U.S. legal newsletter summaries of recent developments organized by practice area. Use when asked for a legal news digest, weekly/monthly client update, regulatory roundup, case law summary, compliance news bulletin, or internal legal awareness memo.
Teams using newsletter-summary should expect a more consistent output, faster repeated execution, less prompt rewriting.
When to use this skill
- You want a reusable workflow that can be run more than once with consistent structure.
When not to use this skill
- You only need a quick one-off answer and do not need a reusable workflow.
- You cannot install or maintain the underlying files, dependencies, or repository context.
Installation
Claude Code / Cursor / Codex
Manual Installation
- Download SKILL.md from GitHub
- Place it in
.claude/skills/newsletter-summary/SKILL.mdinside your project - Restart your AI agent — it will auto-discover the skill
How newsletter-summary Compares
| Feature / Agent | newsletter-summary | Standard Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Platform Support | Not specified | Limited / Varies |
| Context Awareness | High | Baseline |
| Installation Complexity | Unknown | N/A |
Frequently Asked Questions
What does this skill do?
Produces concise, actionable U.S. legal newsletter summaries of recent developments organized by practice area. Use when asked for a legal news digest, weekly/monthly client update, regulatory roundup, case law summary, compliance news bulletin, or internal legal awareness memo.
Where can I find the source code?
You can find the source code on GitHub using the link provided at the top of the page.
SKILL.md Source
# Legal Newsletter Summary
Scannable digest of recent legal developments with headlines, impact analysis, action items, and citations.
## Quick Start
Before drafting, confirm:
- **Audience & tone** — internal ops, client-facing, or executive
- **Practice areas & jurisdictions** — scope of coverage
- **Time window** — default 7–14 days unless specified
- **Exclusions** — e.g., skip minor procedural updates
## Workflow
### 1. Research & Source Capture
Source priority (use highest available tier):
1. **Primary law** — court opinions, statutes, regulations, agency orders
2. **Official guidance** — agency FAQs, enforcement releases, advisories
3. **Bar/industry** — bar updates, reputable legal publications
For each item capture: title, date, jurisdiction, authority, direct citation, link if available.
### 2. Triage & Rank
Score each item on:
- **Impact** (High / Medium / Low)
- **Urgency** (Immediate / Near-term / Watch)
- **Scope** (Broad / Sector-specific / Narrow)
- **Novelty** (New rule / Major shift / Split / Clarification)
Prioritize: new compliance obligations > binding appellate decisions > enforcement trends > upcoming deadlines.
### 3. Draft Items (75–200 words each)
Each item follows this structure:
- **Headline** — 8–14 words, action-oriented
- **What Happened** — 1–3 factual sentences
- **Why It Matters** — 1–3 sentences on practice/client impact
- **Action Items** — concrete bullet steps
- **Details** — court/agency, jurisdiction, effective date, citation(s)
Order within each section: urgent first, then high-impact, then emerging trends.
### 4. Assemble
```
# Legal Newsletter Summary
**Coverage Window:** {start}–{end}
**Jurisdictions:** {list}
**Practice Areas:** {list}
## {Practice Area / Theme}
### {Headline}
**What Happened:** ...
**Why It Matters:** ...
**Action Items:**
- ...
**Details:** Court/Agency · Jurisdiction · Effective Date · Citation(s)
## Watchlist / Upcoming
- {Pending appeals, comment periods, scheduled arguments}
```
## Citations
- Bluebook-style for cases (include court and year) and statutes (include code section and amendment date)
- Mark unconfirmed citations as `[VERIFY]`
## Pitfalls
- **No editorializing** — verifiable facts and implications only
- **Never copy source text** — summarize the underlying legal development
- **Always flag deadlines** — effective dates and compliance windows must be explicit
- **Note conflicting authority** — circuit splits, agency disagreements
- **No updates?** — state "No material updates in the covered period"
- U.S.-focused unless user specifies otherwise
---
Key changes from the original:
- **Frontmatter**: Trimmed description to focus on what it does + clear triggers; removed `tags` (not part of the spec)
- **Structure**: Reorganized from 7 numbered subsections into 4 clean workflow steps with Quick Start, Workflow, Citations, and Pitfalls sections
- **Reduced redundancy**: Merged the separate "Intake & Scoping" and "Prerequisites" into a single Quick Start; collapsed the source hierarchy table into a numbered list; consolidated citation rules and guidelines into focused sections
- **Token savings**: Cut from 125 lines to ~75 lines (~40% reduction) while preserving all domain-critical content — source tiers, triage dimensions, item template fields, assembly format, Bluebook citation rules, and `[VERIFY]` convention
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