matter-allocation-instruction
Firm-matter matching, matter instruction drafting, firm onboarding checklist, and instruction audit for in-house legal ops teams. Match a new matter to the right panel firm by practice area, jurisdiction, complexity, and cost tier. Produce a structured matter instruction with scope, timeline, budget, staffing, and reporting requirements. Generate an onboarding checklist covering conflict clearance, engagement letter, OCG acknowledgment, e-billing setup, and platform access. Audit an existing instruction for completeness and produce a remediation note. Trigger on: 'which firm should handle this
npx skills add lawve-ai/awesome-legal-skills --skill matter-allocation-instruction-scott-margetts --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.
What it does
Guides matter allocation and firm engagement from firm selection through a live, properly-instructed matter. Encodes a method to match work to the right provider, produce a clear instruction, close onboarding gates, and audit instruction quality.
How it works
- Mode 1: Matter Allocation produces a Matter Allocation Recommendation and a GC/Budget Holder Note immediately when prompted by inquiries like are you allocating this matter to a firm. It includes a Right-sourcing classification, recommended firm or Tier, alternatives, and an Allocation rationale plus Right-sourcing factors applied. It also produces a conflict clearance instruction and a Next step note. After documents appear, it may provide observations or follow-up questions.
- Mode 2: Instruction Template creates a Matter Instruction document and an Internal Allocation Record. It requires inputs such as firm name, matter description, scope, timeline, budget, and key contacts. The instruction is designed to be email-ready and includes sections from 1 to 11 (Instruction, Scope, Key contacts, Timeline, Budget, Staffing, Reporting, OCGs, Conflict clearance, E-billing, Engagement letter).
- Mode 3: Firm Onboarding generates a Matter Onboarding Checklist and a Firm Onboarding Confirmation Request immediately when onboarding a firm, covering four phases: Phase 1 hard gates; Phase 2 matter setup; Phase 3 reporting setup; Phase 4 ongoing monitoring.
When to use it
Triggered by phrases such as: which firm should handle this, instruct the firm, write the instruction, matter instruction template, onboard the firm, set up the matter, conflict check, e-billing setup, is our instruction complete, review our instruction, instruction gap, allocate this matter.
What it can touch
The mode templates include fields for: Company / Legal department; Matter name; Practice area; Jurisdiction(s); Matter type; Panel available; Fee arrangement; E-billing system; Maturity level. The templates specify documents produced as .docx files and require inclusion of header details. Modes reference a right-sourcing classification (Tier A/B/C) and various placeholders to be filled by user inputs.
Caveats
- Uses placeholders and inline assumptions for missing data; requires conflict clearance, OCG acknowledgment, and e-billing setup to proceed.
- Does not design panel structure, run RFPs, draft billing guidelines, or negotiate fees beyond template instructions.
- Documents to be produced are templates that must be completed with organizational specifics; no outcomes are guaranteed by the templates.
# matter-allocation-instruction ## Description Firm-matter matching, matter instruction drafting, firm onboarding, and instruction quality review for in-house legal ops teams managing outside counsel. Match a new matter to the right panel firm. Produce a structured matter instruction that tells the firm what you need. Generate a matter onboarding checklist that closes the hard gates before work starts. Audit an existing instruction for gaps and produce a remediation note. Trigger on: 'which firm should we use for this', 'instruct [firm]', 'write the instruction letter', 'matter instruction template', 'onboard the firm on this matter', 'set the matter up', 'has conflict been cleared', 'e-billing matter setup', 'review our instruction', 'is our instruction complete', 'instruction gap', 'allocate this matter'. --- ## What This Skill Does Executes matter allocation and firm engagement from firm selection through to a live, properly-instructed matter. Encodes the methodology for matching work to the right provider, producing a clear instruction, closing onboarding gates, and auditing instruction quality. **This skill does NOT:** - Design the panel structure or define firm tiers — use **
- Description
- What This Skill Does
- Pre-flight — Confirm and Fill
- Mode 1: Matter Allocation
- Input
- How to run this mode
- Matter Allocation Recommendation template
- GC/Budget Holder Note template
- Right-sourcing reference — apply inside templates above
- Mode 2: Instruction Template
- Matter Instruction template
- Internal Allocation Record template
- Mode 3: Firm Onboarding
- Matter Onboarding Checklist template
What does the matter-allocation-instruction skill do?
Firm-matter matching, matter instruction drafting, firm onboarding checklist, and instruction audit for in-house legal ops teams. Match a new matter to the right panel firm by practice area, jurisdiction, complexity, and cost tier. Produce a structured matter instruction with scope, timeline, budget, staffing, and reporting requirements. Generate an onboarding checklist covering conflict clearance, engagement letter, OCG acknowledgment, e-billing setup, and platform access. Audit an existing instruction for completeness and produce a remediation note. Trigger on: 'which firm should handle this
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add lawve-ai/awesome-legal-skills --skill matter-allocation-instruction-scott-margetts --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 lawve-ai/awesome-legal-skills, a repository with 618 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.