Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Case Brief Coach agent skill
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The case-brief skill turns your agent into a study coach for law students. Instead of summarising a case, it asks you to state the holding and facts first, gives you a blank brief template, and pushes back on weak answers. This guide explains what the skill does, how to install it, how to trigger it and where its limits are.
Case Brief Coachanthropics/claude-for-legal · Apache-2.0 Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download the ZIP. Get the case-brief ZIP from the skill's page on this site and unzip it. It contains SKILL.md.
- 2Place the skill folder. Move it into ~/.claude/skills/ for all projects, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder for one project.
- 3Or upload in the Claude apps. Open Settings, go to Capabilities, and upload the skill under Skills if you use the Claude apps.
- 4Optional: set your format. Create ~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/law-student/CLAUDE.md with your brief preferences.
- 5Read your case. Read the case first, since the skill checks that you can state the holding.
- 6Ask for a brief. Say "brief [case]" or paste the case text and say "case brief".
- 7State and rewrite. Answer the prompts in your own words and rewrite any starter text before putting it in your outline.
What the case-brief skill makes the agent do
A case brief is a memory aid for what a case does. This skill is built around that purpose: it makes you write the brief rather than handing you one. In every mode it asks what you already took from reading the case, supplies the blank template in your preferred format, and asks pointed follow-up questions on whichever section is thin.
If you paste the case text, the agent can extract the court's own language for the holding and reasoning and point you to it. If you only give a case name, the agent briefs from its own knowledge, flags any line it is unsure of with [UNCERTAIN] or [VERIFY] tags, and tells you to confirm against the actual case.
- Drill-me mode: asks you to state the holding in one sentence before anything else, and makes you re-read the case if you cannot.
- Explain-to-me mode: same scaffolded workflow with a softer tone and structural prompts, but still waits for you to write the content.
- The default template has Facts, Procedural posture, Issue, Holding, Reasoning, Rule and Notes sections.
Install the case-brief skill
Download the ZIP from the skill's page on this site and unzip it. The package contains a single file, SKILL.md. Put the unzipped folder in one of two places: ~/.claude/skills/ for all your projects, or a project's .claude/skills/ folder for one project only.
Alternatively, in the Claude apps, open Settings, go to Capabilities, and upload the skill under Skills.
- Requires Claude Code or another SKILL.md-compatible agent.
- Optional: create ~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/law-student/CLAUDE.md with your brief format and depth preferences. If the file is absent, a default template is used.
Trigger the skill with natural requests
You do not need a special command. The skill's description tells the agent to use it when you say things like "brief [case]", "what's the holding in", "case brief", or when you paste a case. The skill also lists an argument hint of a case name, citation, or pasted case text.
Ask for the holding first if you want the drill. The agent will then ask for your statement before anything else.
- "Brief Marbury v. Madison" (a case name only: expect [UNCERTAIN] flags)
- "What's the holding in [case]?" (the agent will ask you to state it first)
- "Case brief" followed by the pasted text of the opinion (the agent can point to the court's wording)
- "I've read it three times, I'm stuck on phrasing the holding, just give me a starter sentence" (the explicit override; you will still be asked to rewrite it)
Know what the skill will and won't write
The skill will not write a full case brief from a case name alone, and it refuses "summarise this case for me" requests. The only exception is an explicit override, and then it gives a minimal starter sentence with [VERIFY] flags for you to rewrite.
The skill also will not brief a case you have not read, and it will not tell you what is on your exam.
Safety notes: scripts and network
According to the skill's listing, it runs no scripts and uses no network access. It reads one configuration file if you have created it, and otherwise uses its built-in default template.
Its citation discipline still matters. The skill states that case cites and quoted language from a case-name-only brief were generated by an AI model and are unverified. Check them on Westlaw, CourtListener, or your school's research tool before relying on them.
- Runs scripts: no
- Uses network: no
- Never put a brief from a case name alone into a court filing, memo or exam answer without checking it against the real case.
Tips for getting the most from it
Read the case before you ask. In drill-me mode the skill will send you back to reading if you cannot state the holding.
Paste the case text when you have it. The agent is confident when it works from the text in front of it and less so when working from memory.
Keep your own brief format in the CLAUDE.md file so every brief matches the outline you will actually use.
Use the skill for 1L reading practice with fuller briefs, and for bar prep with rules only, as the skill's depth calibration suggests.
What people use it for
- Practising holding and reasoning statements on 1L reading assignments
- Building an exam outline from briefs you wrote yourself
- Testing your understanding of holdings before an exam
- Pointing the agent at pasted case text to check your reading of the court's language
- Bar prep, using rules-only briefs as the depth setting in your preferences file
Frequently asked questions
How do I install the case-brief agent skill?
Download the ZIP from this site and unzip it, then place the folder in ~/.claude/skills/ for all projects or in a project's .claude/skills/ folder for one project. In the Claude apps, you can instead upload it under Settings, then Capabilities, then Skills.
What do I need to run it?
The skill requires Claude Code or another SKILL.md-compatible agent. A CLAUDE.md file with your brief preferences at ~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/law-student/ is optional; a default template is used without it.
Is the case-brief skill free?
This page does not state pricing or licence terms beyond the listed licence, which is Apache-2.0. Check the repository's licence file for the terms that apply.
Will the skill write my case brief for me?
No. The skill is designed to refuse writing a full brief from a case name or summarising a case, and to scaffold your own writing instead. The only exception is an explicit override, which yields a minimal starter sentence flagged for you to rewrite.
Can I trust the holdings it gives me?
Only partly. When you paste the case text, the agent works from what is in front of it. When you give only a case name, it briefs from knowledge and flags uncertain lines, but it can still invent or misstate holdings and citations, so confirm against the real case.
What should I use instead if I need a finished summary?
The skill's listing says it is not for students who want a finished brief or case summary handed to them. For that, you would need a different tool; this skill is intended for learning to read and brief cases yourself.
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Our verdict
Use this skill if you are a law student learning to read and brief cases, want to test your grasp of holdings, or want an outline built from your own briefs. Pick something else if you need a finished case summary or a brief for a court filing, because this skill refuses the first and cannot guarantee accuracy for the second.
Download the skill