hlr-argument-structure
Use when organizing the body of a Harvard Law Review (HLR) piece along the doctrine to theory to normative-prescription arc that legal scholarship rewards. Structures the argument and its internal logic; it does not forge the thesis (hlr-thesis-and-contribution) or format the citations (hlr-sources-and-bluebook).
Profile →npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill hlr-argument-structure --agent claude-code
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for codex, cursor, copilot.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
# Argument Structure (hlr-argument-structure) A flagship legal article does three things in order: **maps the doctrine**, **diagnoses the problem with a theory or principle**, and **prescribes** what should change. This doctrine → theory → prescription arc is the spine readers and student editors expect. This skill organizes the body so each Part does one job and the prescription is earned by what precedes it. ## When to trigger - The thesis is set but the body sprawls or repeats itself - Readers lose the thread between the doctrinal Part and the argument - The prescription appears without the diagnosis that should justify it - You need to decide Part order and what each Part is responsible for ## The doctrine → theory → prescription arc | Part | Job | Failure mode if skipped | |------|-----|-------------------------| | **I. Doctrine / landscape** | Lay out the law as it is, precisely and fairly, including the split or tension | A strawman the rest of the piece knocks down | | **II. Diagnosis / theory** | Explain *why* the doctrine fails — the principle, value, or logic it betrays | An assertion that the law is "wrong" with no theory | | **III. Prescription** | Argue for the fix an
- When to trigger
- The doctrine → theory → prescription arc
- Construction rules
- Engaging the literature inside the argument
- Checklist
- Anti-patterns
- Output format
- Supplementary resources
What does the hlr-argument-structure skill do?
Use when organizing the body of a Harvard Law Review (HLR) piece along the doctrine to theory to normative-prescription arc that legal scholarship rewards. Structures the argument and its internal logic; it does not forge the thesis (hlr-thesis-and-contribution) or format the citations (hlr-sources-and-bluebook).
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill hlr-argument-structure --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills, a repository with 909 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.