/matter-update

Follow the workflow and reference below.

Confirm slug exists in

~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/litigation-legal/matters/

and

_log.yaml

Prompt for event type, date (default today), summary, and any log field updates (risk change, status change, next deadline shift, materiality reclassification).

Append dated entry to

~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/litigation-legal/matters/[slug]/history.md

Update
```
_log.yaml
```
— set
```
last_updated
```
to today, apply any field updates.
Confirm.

Matter Update

Purpose

The portfolio only stays useful if it stays current. This skill makes logging an update cheap — two minutes of structured capture, no freeform drift.

Load context

~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/litigation-legal/matters/_log.yaml

— find the row

~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/litigation-legal/matters/[slug]/history.md

— append target

~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/litigation-legal/matters/[slug]/matter.md

— reference (don't rewrite)

~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/litigation-legal/CLAUDE.md

— risk calibration (if re-assessing risk)

Conflicts gate — unbypassable. Before logging an update, check

_log.yaml

for the matter slug. If the matter is not in

_log.yaml

, refuse and route:

"I don't see [matter slug] in the matter log. Run
/litigation-legal:matter-intake
first so the conflicts check runs and the matter workspace exists. I won't append history to an unmanaged matter — the conflicts check is the gate, and there's no
history.md
to append to until the matter is intaken."

Input

Slug (required). If not provided, ask — with a short list of recently updated matters to pick from.

The update

1. Event type

Offer categories:

Procedural — motion filed/received, order issued, hearing held, deadline set
Discovery — production made/received, depositions taken, subpoena served
Substantive — new facts, key document surfaced, ruling on merits
Strategy — posture shift, settlement offer made/received, authority update
Risk re-assessment — severity or likelihood changed
Stakeholder — new person looped in, outside counsel change
Administrative — engagement letter executed, budget adjusted, hold refreshed

Or freeform if none fits.

2. Date

Default today. Accept an override (e.g., capturing an event from last week).

3. Summary

One-paragraph narrative. What happened, what it means, any immediate implication.

4. Log field changes

Walk through potentially affected fields:

```
status:
```
— has the stage shifted (e.g., pleadings → fact discovery)?
```
stage:
```
— substage update
```
risk:
```
— reassessment required?
```
materiality:
```
— any change (new facts might trigger reserve or disclosure)?
```
exposure_range:
```
— revise if new information
```
next_deadline:
```
— new upcoming date, if any
```
outside_counsel:
```
— change?
```
internal_owners:
```
— anyone new or removed?
```
legal_hold:
```
— refreshed, expanded, released?

Only prompt for fields likely affected by the event type. Procedural updates usually touch

stage

and

next_deadline

only; a settlement offer might touch

materiality

exposure_range

status

4pre. Settlement-acceptance gate

If the Strategy update is a settlement acceptance (the company is accepting a settlement offer, executing a settlement agreement, or authorizing acceptance in principle — not merely logging an offer made or received): Read

## Who's using this

~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/litigation-legal/CLAUDE.md

. If the Role is Non-lawyer:

Accepting a settlement has legal consequences — it resolves claims, typically requires a release, and can affect insurance, tax, and related matters. Have you reviewed this with an attorney? If yes, proceed. If no, here's a brief to bring to them:
[Generate a 1-page summary: the matter, proposed settlement terms (dollar, structural, release scope, confidentiality, non-disparagement), exposure at stake, authority ladder status (see
~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/litigation-legal/CLAUDE.md
settlement authority), what could go wrong, what to ask the attorney before accepting.]
If you need to find a licensed attorney, solicitor, barrister, or other authorised legal professional in your jurisdiction: your professional regulator's referral service is the fastest starting point (state bar in the US, SRA/Bar Standards Board in England & Wales, Law Society in Scotland/NI/Ireland/Canada/Australia, or your jurisdiction's equivalent).

Do not log the acceptance or flip materiality on acceptance basis without an explicit yes. Logging offers or counters does not require the gate — acceptance does.

4a. Materiality trigger — explicit prompt

Certain event types force a materiality re-check. When the event type is in this list, always prompt — don't let the user move on without an explicit answer:

Event type	Materiality trigger prompt
Substantive (new facts, key document, merits ruling)	"This event is substantive. Does it push `materiality` ? Current: `[current]` . Options: `reserved / disclosed / monitored / none` . Change?"
Strategy (posture shift, settlement offer made or received)	"Settlement activity often triggers materiality reclassification. Current: `[current]` . If the offer, counter, or acceptance moves exposure or shifts from contested to probable-and-estimable, reclassify."
Risk re-assessment (severity or likelihood changed)	"Risk moved. Materiality should track. Current: `[current]` . Reclassify?"
Regulatory / enforcement development	"Regulator action (subpoena, CID, enforcement notice) usually triggers disclosure analysis. Current: `[current]` . Change?"

Acceptable answers include

no change

— but

no change

must be explicit, not implied by silence. Capture in the history entry:

markdown

**Materiality check:** [no change / changed from X to Y]
**Reasoning:** [one sentence]

If materiality moves to

reserved

disclosed

, and the matter did not previously carry a reserve or disclosure, flag the event as requiring finance / audit-committee notification per

~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/litigation-legal/CLAUDE.md

materiality thresholds.

5. Seed doc prompt (optional)

If the update references a document (order, filing, correspondence), ask if there's a path to link. Not pushy.

Writing

Append to

~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/litigation-legal/matters/[slug]/history.md

Most recent at top, directly under the

---

that follows the header.

markdown

## [YYYY-MM-DD] — [Event type]: [short title]

[Paragraph summary.]

**Fields changed:**
- [field]: [old → new]
- [field]: [old → new]

**Related doc:** [path, if provided]

If no fields changed, omit the "Fields changed" block.

Update

~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/litigation-legal/matters/_log.yaml

Apply any field changes.
Set
```
last_updated: [today]
```
(or the event date if the user overrode — the log tracks when the record was last touched).

Confirm

Show the user the history entry and the yaml diff before writing:

Here's what I'll append and update. Good to commit?

What this skill does not do

Edit past history entries. Corrections are new entries that reference and correct prior ones.
Silently change the log. Every field change is shown to the user before write.
Decide whether a new development warrants reserve/disclosure. It surfaces the question ("this might push materiality — want to reclassify?"), the user answers.

matter-update

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content