/research-start

name: research-start
description: >
  Research roadmap for a legal issue — statutes to check, case law areas to
  investigate, regulatory frameworks, Westlaw search terms. Leads and
  frameworks, NOT authoritative citations; students verify and develop
  everything. Use when a student asks where to start researching, wants a
  research roadmap for an issue, or needs gaps identified in existing research.
argument-hint: "[legal issue]"

/research-start

1. Load `~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/legal-clinic/CLAUDE.md` → jurisdiction, practice area. 2. Use the workflow below. 3. Frame the issue specifically. Build roadmap: statutory starting points (unverified), case law areas (not cases), secondary sources, search terms. 4. If student has existing research uploaded: synthesize and identify gaps. 5. Output with prominent "leads not authorities" header. Everything is a starting point the student verifies.

/legal-clinic:research-start "habitability defense to nonpayment eviction in [State]"

---

Research Start: Roadmap, Not Research

Purpose

Legal research is essential to clinical education. But the initial phase — figuring out *what* to research, finding the right statute, understanding the framework — is often the most time-consuming and least educational part. Students spend hours finding the starting point before they can do the actual research.

This skill produces the starting point: statutes to check, case law areas to investigate, search terms for Westlaw and CourtListener. **None of it is verified. None of it is authoritative. All of it is a lead for the student to run down.**

**This is a pedagogical safeguard, not just an ethical one.** Students still learn to research. They just start from a better place.

Load context

`~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/legal-clinic/CLAUDE.md` → jurisdiction (state), practice areas.

Workflow

Step 0: Seed documents first

**Before building the roadmap, read the clinic's own seed documents.** The supervising attorney uploaded them at cold-start (handbook, filing guides, local court rules, intake forms, example case files, prior memos) — they are pre-vetted, jurisdiction-specific, and will beat any Westlaw query on the first 20 minutes of a student's research.

1. Read `~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/legal-clinic/CLAUDE.md` → `## Seed documents`. Identify any item whose purpose or filename matches the research area (e.g., "Alameda UD filing guide" for a UD habitability question; a redacted sample case file in the same practice area; a prior memo on the same issue). 2. For each match, surface it as a **Seed documents to read first** block at the top of the roadmap output. Name the file, say why it matters for this specific question, and say what it likely covers vs. where outside research will still be needed. 3. If no seed documents match the issue, say so plainly ("No clinic seed documents match this issue — proceeding straight to primary sources"). Don't fabricate a match. 4. If the clinic has the `LIMITED DATA` flag set in `## Seed documents`, add a one-line note: "Clinic has fewer than 10 seed docs; your professor's precedent bank is thin — lean harder on primary sources and flag what's missing for your supervisor."

The roadmap still covers statutes, case law areas, secondary sources, and search terms — seed docs are the first lead, not a replacement for the rest. But surface them above everything else so the student starts where their supervisor's precedent starts.

Step 1: Frame the issue

What's the research question? Be specific. Not "eviction defenses" — "habitability defense to nonpayment eviction in [State], specifically whether a broken heater qualifies and whether the tenant had to give written notice."

If the question is too broad, narrow it with the student: "That's three research questions. Let's take them one at a time. Which first?"

Step 2: Build the roadmap

**Statutory starting points:** List statutes *likely* relevant. State explicitly these are likely, not confirmed.

> **Likely relevant statutes** (UNVERIFIED — confirm currency and applicability): > - [State] Landlord-Tenant Act, likely at [State Code Title X] — look for "warranty of habitability" or "repair and deduct" > - Local housing code for [City/County] — may define specific conditions (heat, water) as required > - `[VERIFY each citation is current and correct — codes get renumbered]`

**Case law areas to investigate:** Not cases — *areas*. The student finds the cases.

> **Case law areas:** > - [State] Supreme Court or appellate decisions on implied warranty of habitability — look for the leading case establishing the doctrine > - Cases on what conditions qualify — heat specifically, if any > - Cases on procedural prerequisites — did tenant have to give notice? withhold rent? escrow? > - Cases on the remedy — offset against rent owed, or a separate damages claim?

**Regulatory / administrative sources:** If applicable (immigration especially).

> **Administrative sources:** > - [Agency] regulations at [CFR cite area] > - Agency guidance or policy manuals — often more current than regs > - For immigration: USCIS Policy Manual, BIA precedent decisions

**Secondary sources to orient:** Where to get the framework before diving into primary.

> **Secondary sources (for framework, not to cite):** > - [State] practice guide on landlord-tenant (check clinic library) > - Relevant CLE materials > - Law review notes on the specific issue if it's contested

**Search terms:** For Westlaw, or whatever the clinic uses.

> **Search terms to try:** > - Westlaw: `"warranty of habitability" /s heat! & [State]` > - CourtListener: `implied warranty of habitability AND (heat OR heater) AND [State]` > - Refine based on what comes back — these are starting queries

Step 3: Flag what's uncertain

If the skill is unsure whether a source is relevant or current:

> `[UNCERTAIN: whether [State] has a specific statute