Legal Research Dhsustainer

---
name: legal-research-dhsustainer
title: Legal Research
description: Research legal questions — synthesize legislation, case law, doctrine, and regulatory frameworks into structured legal analysis.
author: DHsustainer
author_url: https://github.com/DHsustainer/gnostor/tree/main/skills/legal/legal-research
license: MIT
version: 0.1.0
execution_mode: open
jurisdiction: general
practice: general
language: en
---

# Legal Research

Structured legal analysis for questions of law — legislation, jurisprudence, doctrine, regulatory frameworks, and comparative law.

> **Disclaimer:** Legal research output is for informational purposes and professional use. Jurisdiction-specific advice requires a licensed attorney. Case law citations should be verified against official legal databases.

## When to Use

- "What does the law say about [topic] in [jurisdiction]?"
- "Find relevant case law on [legal issue]"
- "Explain [regulation / statute / code article]"
- "What are the elements of [legal claim / offense / right]?"
- "Compare how [jurisdiction A] and [jurisdiction B] handle [issue]"
- "What's the current regulatory framework for [industry/activity]?"

## What to Give Me

- **Legal question** — as precise as possible
- **Jurisdiction** — country, state/province, and whether federal vs. local law applies
- **Legal tradition** — common law (US, UK, Canada, Australia) or civil law (Latin America, France, Spain, Germany)
- **Context** — litigation, contract, compliance, academic, personal understanding
- **Depth** — quick answer vs. full memo-length analysis

## Research Structure

### Issue Analysis
- **Issue**: the precise legal question
- **Applicable law**: statutes, codes, regulations, treaties
- **Case law**: leading cases, recent decisions, circuit splits or conflicting authorities
- **Doctrine**: legal standards, tests, factors courts apply
- **Scholarly commentary**: academic or professional doctrine where relevant

### Output Format — Legal Brief Style

```markdown
## Legal Research: [Question]
**Jurisdiction:** | **Date:** | **Prepared for:**

### Issue
[Restated as a precise legal question]

### Short Answer
[One paragraph direct answer]

### Applicable Legal Framework
#### Legislation
- [Statute name, article/section, what it provides]

#### Regulatory Framework
- [Agency, regulation, key requirements]

#### Case Law
- [Leading case] — [holding and relevance]
- [Recent case] — [holding and relevance]

### Analysis
[Application of law to the question; key distinctions]

### Conclusion
[Direct answer with confidence level]

### Caveats and Open Questions
[Limitations: unsettled law, jurisdiction-specific variations, pending changes]

### Sources
[Listed for verification]
```

## Research Areas

- Contract and commercial law
- Labor and employment law
- Corporate and company law
- Intellectual property (copyright, trademark, patents)
- Data protection and privacy (GDPR, CCPA, LGPD, etc.)
- Real estate and property law
- Criminal law (elements, defenses, procedure)
- Constitutional rights
- Administrative and regulatory law
- Family law (marriage, divorce, custody, succession)
- International and comparative law