New Matter — Conversation-First Intake

Important

• This skill is manual-only. Never auto-invoke.
• ALWAYS run conflict check before creating matter files.
• Extract client details from conversation FIRST. Only ask questions for gaps.

Instructions

Step 1: Extract from Conversation

Scan the full session for client details: name, claim type, date of injury, mechanism, employer, treating doctors, work status, client goals, and any corrections. If Mandy corrected herself during conversation, use the final stated version. If no conversation data found, fall back to guided intake using intake-questions.md.

Step 2: Conflict Check

Read matters/index.jsonl. Search for:

• Same client name (partial, case-insensitive)
• Same employer appearing as client in another matter
• Same claim number

If conflict found:

"⚠️ Potential conflict: {client/employer} matches {existing_matter_id} ({existing_client}).
This may be a returning client or a genuine conflict. Proceed?"

Log result in activity-log regardless. Record in matter.json compliance section.

Step 3: Present Summary for Confirmation

Show all extracted data in structured format. Ask Mandy to confirm.

Step 4: Ask About Gaps Only

Consult intake-questions.md for which fields are essential vs typically unknown at intake. Do NOT ask about: insurer claim number, specific diagnoses, WPI, CoC details, settlement value.

Step 5: Generate Matter ID

Read matters/index.jsonl, find highest sequence number for this claim type + year, increment. Format: {TYPE}-{YEAR}-{SEQ} (e.g., WC-2026-012)

Step 6: Create Directory and Files

mkdir -p matters/{id}/documents matters/{id}/letters matters/{id}/chronology matters/{id}/notes

Create matter.json from reference/matter-schema.json. Create empty activity-log.jsonl. Create notes/strategy.md with client goals from conversation.

Step 7: Calculate Deadlines

Read rules/deadlines.json. Calculate all applicable deadlines for this claim type. Calculate dates.limitation_expiry. If already expired or within 6 months: ALERT prominently.

Step 8: Ingest Existing Documents

Check matters/{id}/documents/ for any PDFs. If found, run analyse-document logic for each.

Step 9: Draft Initial Letters

Based on claim type:

• WorkCover / TAC: insurer/notice-of-involvement.md + client/engagement-retainer.md
• Public Liability / TPD: client/engagement-retainer.md Personalise from consult details. Save as drafts.

Step 10: Capture Client Questions

If Mandy or client raised questions during consult, save to notes/client-questions.md.

Step 11: Final Steps

1. Update matters/index.jsonl
2. Append to activity-log.jsonl
3. git -C matters/ add -A && git -C matters/ commit -m "new-matter: {id} — Created. Client: {name}. {type}. DOI: {date}."

Step 12: Present Summary

MATTER CREATED: {id}
Client: {name} | Type: {type} | DOI: {date}
Limitation: {expiry_date} ({days} remaining)
Conflict check: {result}
Captured: {list of populated fields}
Unknown: {list of empty fields}
Documents: {n} ingested
Letters drafted: {list}
Next steps: {prioritised actions}

Error Handling

• index.jsonl missing or empty: Create it with this matter as first entry.
• matters/ directory doesn't exist: Run scripts/setup.sh first.
• Git commit fails: Check if matters/.git exists. If not: cd matters/ && git init && git config user.name "Karlos AI Assistant" && git config user.email "ai@karloslawyers.com.au".

Example

Mandy says: "Just had a consult with Sarah Chen, she hurt her back lifting boxes
at Woolworths on January 12th. WorkCover claim. She's off work, seeing Dr Smith
as her GP. She wants to know if she can get surgery approved."

→ Extract: name=Sarah Chen, employer=Woolworths, DOI=2026-01-12, type=workcover,
  mechanism=lifting injury, work_status=off work, treating_gp=Dr Smith,
  client_goal=surgery approval
→ Conflict check against index.jsonl
→ Generate WC-2026-012
→ Create matter, calculate deadlines, draft notice + retainer
→ Present summary