--- name: prompt-pack-convert-complex-document-into-key-points description: Use when a lawyer or legal team needs to extract and distil the key legal issues, risks, and important points from a complex legal document into structured bullet-point format suitable for rapid review. Faster and more focused than a full summary; outputs are decision-quality points, not narrative prose. Applicable to contracts, regulatory instruments, court decisions, and due diligence reports across all jurisdictions including MENA (UAE, KSA, LB, EG, DIFC/ADGM). license: MIT metadata: id: prompt-pack.convert-complex-document-into-key-points category: prompt-pack practice_area: corporate-commercial priority: P2 intent: [summarize, convert-complex-document-into-key-points, key-points, extraction, document-review] related: [prompt-pack-complex-law-simple-summary, prompt-pack-contract-summary-for-executives, prompt-pack-contract-risk-matrix, prompt-pack-convert-law-into-checklist] source: Louis — HAQQ Legal AI (github.com/sboghossian/mini-claude-for-legal) version: "1.0" --- # Convert Complex Document into Key Points Converting a complex legal document into key points is one of the highest-frequency tasks in legal practice. The skill is not summarisation — it is extraction: pulling out the points that a reader must know in order to take action, understand risk, or make a decision, and presenting them as a structured list without extraneous prose. ## When to use this - A lawyer needs a fast reference of the most important provisions in a long contract before a meeting. - An in-house team is conducting high-volume document review and needs a consistent extraction format. - A client has forwarded a regulatory notice, court order, or complex agreement and needs to know the "headline" issues immediately. - Preparing a cover memo to accompany a document being circulated for approval — the key points become the memo. - Building the foundation for a more detailed risk matrix, negotiation brief, or client advisory note. - Reviewing due diligence documents at speed: the key-points extraction creates the working list of issues to investigate further. ## Required inputs | Input | Why it matters | Sensible default | |---|---|---| | The document to be analysed | The source text | User pastes or attaches the document | | Reviewing party | Key points are perspective-specific; what is a risk for one party is an obligation for the other | Ask the user | | Document type | Contract / court decision / regulatory notice / due diligence report / legislation | Ask the user | | Purpose | What will the output be used for? (Signing decision / internal briefing / regulatory response / negotiation) | Ask the user | ## Optional inputs - Maximum number of key points (default: no more than 15 for any single document). - Whether financial figures should be highlighted separately. - Whether the user wants the points organised by category (obligations / risks / deadlines / financial) or by document order. - Target audience (lawyer peer / non-lawyer executive / board). ## Extraction methodology ### What counts as a "key point" A point is "key" if any one of the following is true: 1. It creates a **concrete obligation** on the reviewing party (you must do X by Y date). 2. It creates a **financial commitment** (you will pay, receive, or be liable for X amount). 3. It creates a **legal risk** that could cause loss or liability if triggered. 4. It contains a **deadline** that, if missed, has material consequences. 5. It grants or restricts a **right** that affects the party's ability to operate. 6. It is **unusual or non-standard** compared to market practice in this document type. 7. It contains a **condition** that must be satisfied before something else happens. ### What is not a key point - Boilerplate recitals or definitions that repeat obvious intent. - Standard severability, entire agreement, and counterparts clauses (unless they are non-standard). - Obligations that are purely administrative and have no meaningful consequence if unmet. - Provisions that state what the law already requires without adding any contractual obligation. ### How to structure the key points output **Format 1 — Category-based (recommended for most documents):** **OBLIGATIONS (what we must do)** - [Point 1]: [1–2 sentence description] - [Point 2]: ... **OBLIGATIONS (what they must do)** - ... **FINANCIAL COMMITMENTS** - ... **KEY RISKS / EXPOSURES** - ... **DEADLINES AND TIME-SENSITIVE PROVISIONS** - ... **UNUSUAL OR NON-STANDARD PROVISIONS** - ... **OPEN ISSUES / ITEMS REQUIRING FURTHER INVESTIGATION** - ... **Format 2 — Ordered by severity (recommended for risk-focused review):** Number each point 1 to N, with Critical points first, followed by High, Medium, and Low. Include a one-line severity tag. **Format 3 — Document-order (recommended for clause-by-clause review):** Follow the document structure; list each material clause with its key point. Useful when the reader will be referring back to the document. ### Quality standards Each key point should be: - **Specific:** Name the clause, the party, the amount, the date. "The liability cap is set at USD 500,000" is a key point; "there is a liability cap" is not. - **Complete:** Include the caveat or exception if it materially changes the meaning. "Liability is capped at USD 500,000 except for fraud and IP infringement (both uncapped)" is a complete key point. - **Actionable:** If there is an action required, say so in the key point. "Governing law is English; we currently have no English-law counsel — this needs to be arranged before dispute arises" is actionable. - **Single-issue:** One clause, one risk, one point. Do not combine separate issues in a single bullet. ## Document-type specific guidance **Contracts:** Focus on: financial provisions, liability, IP ownership, termination, governing law/dispute resolution, unusual restrictions, and conditions precedent. **Court decisions and arbitral awards:** Focus on: the holding (what the court decided), the key principle established, the facts that drove the outcome, and the practical implication for the reviewing party's situation. **Regulatory notices and guidance:** Focus on: the obligation triggered, the deadline for compliance, the penalty for non-compliance, and whether the obligation is new or a restatement of existing law. **Due diligence documents:** Focus on: red flags (issues that could affect transaction pricing or conditions), clean flags (items confirming no issue), and open items requiring further investigation. **Legislation:** Focus on: who is caught, what must be done, by when, and the consequence of non-compliance. See also [[prompt-pack-convert-law-into-checklist]] for a compliance-oriented output. ## MENA context notes When extracting key points from Arabic-language documents: - Note any ambiguity between the Arabic and English versions if both exist (the Arabic version typically governs in UAE onshore, KSA, LB, and EG courts). - Flag provisions that are written in Arabic legal terminology that does not translate directly (e.g., وضع اليد — which has specific property law meaning in LB/EG). - In KSA, note whether the document references Royal Decrees or Ministerial Decisions that may have been amended; verify currency with local counsel. ## Common mistakes - Listing every clause as a key point — defeats the purpose; must be selective. - Writing prose paragraphs instead of bullet points — makes the output harder to scan. - Omitting the caveats and exceptions that limit the apparent severity of a risk. - Failing to include the "unusual / non-standard" category — this is often where the material risks hide. - Using defined terms from the document without explaining them — the reader of the key points may not have the contract open. ## Related skills - [[prompt-pack-complex-law-simple-summary]] - [[prompt-pack-contract-summary-for-executives]] - [[prompt-pack-contract-risk-matrix]] - [[prompt-pack-convert-law-into-checklist]] - [[prompt-pack-client-advisory-note]]