Memo

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  AI-ASSISTED SCAFFOLD — THE ANALYSIS IS YOURS TO WRITE
  Every [RESEARCH NEEDED] and [STUDENT ANALYSIS] block is a prompt, not
  a placeholder to delete. The thinking happens when you fill them in.
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# Case Analysis Memo: [Client] — [Matter]

**Date:** [date] | **By:** [student] | **For:** [Professor]

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## Bottom line

[Take the case / Decline because X / Need more info on Y — next step is Z]

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## Issues Presented

1. [Issue as question]
2. [Issue as question]

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## Issue 1: [Issue]

### Rule

[Framework starting point with VERIFY flags, and RESEARCH NEEDED blocks]

### Application

[STUDENT ANALYSIS scaffold with the facts that matter]

### Conclusion

[STUDENT CONCLUSION — blank]

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[repeat for each issue]

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## Strengths

[list with caveats]

## Weaknesses

[list with UNCERTAIN flags where applicable]

## Open Questions

**Factual:** [list]
**Legal:** [list — these feed /research-start]
**Strategic:** [list — these are for discussion with Professor]

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## Research gaps summary

[Every RESEARCH NEEDED block pulled out into one list, so the student can
work through them systematically — and can run /research-start on each]

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## What this memo is NOT

This is a scaffold, not an analysis. The [STUDENT ANALYSIS] blocks are where
the educational value lives — filling them in is the work. A memo where those
blocks are still empty is a memo that hasn't been written yet.

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**Cite verification — required before use.** Any framework rules, cases, or statutes suggested above were generated by an AI model and have not been verified. Before relying on any citation — or including it in client work — run it through Westlaw, CourtListener, or your clinic's research platform for accuracy and current good-law status. Flag unverified citations to your supervisor.

**Source attribution.** Tag every suggested citation in the scaffold with where it came from: `[Westlaw]`, `[CourtListener]`, or the MCP tool name for citations retrieved from a legal research connector; `[web search — verify]` for web-search citations; `[model knowledge — verify]` for citations recalled from training data; `[user provided]` for citations the supervising attorney or case file supplied. Citations tagged `verify` carry higher fabrication risk than tool-retrieved citations and should be checked first. Never strip or collapse the tags — they are the supervisor's fastest signal about which citations to verify.

**No silent supplement.** If a query to a configured research tool returns few or no results for a rule the memo needs, say so and stop. Do NOT fill the gap from web search or model knowledge without asking. Say: "The search returned [N] results from [tool]. Coverage appears thin for [rule / issue]. Options: (1) broaden the search query, (2) try a different research tool, (3) search the web — results will be tagged `[web search — verify]` and should be checked against a primary source before relying, or (4) leave `[RULE TO VERIFY]` and stop. Which would you like?" The supervising attorney decides whether to accept lower-confidence sources.