What this skill does
Pleading Outline converts your case notes, legal analysis, and client materials into a structured outline for a legal submission — whether that is a statement of claim, a defence, a reply, an appeal brief, or a written closing argument. The outline maps every argument that needs to be made, identifies the evidence and legal authorities that support each argument, and presents them in the logical sequence required by Swiss civil procedure.
The skill is not a drafting tool for the prose of the pleading itself — it is the planning tool that makes the actual drafting faster and more disciplined. A well-structured outline prevents the common problems in legal submissions: arguments that are not supported by evidence, legal propositions that are not applied to the specific facts, and sequences that take the wrong argumentative pathway.
The output gives you a complete architecture for the submission: every section, every argument, every piece of evidence, every legal authority, in the right order. Writing the submission from a complete outline produced by this skill typically takes a fraction of the time it takes to write from scratch or from rough notes.
When to use it
- Preparing the structure of a statement of claim or defence before beginning to draft the pleading itself
- Organising a complex legal argument for an arbitral submission, where the logical sequence of arguments matters for persuasive effect
- Preparing a written closing argument, mapping how the evidence established at the hearing supports the legal conclusions you are asking the tribunal to draw
- Producing an outline for a junior associate who will draft the pleading under your supervision
What you get
A complete pleading outline with: Introduction (the claim and the relief sought, in one paragraph), Facts Section (all relevant facts in logical order, with supporting evidence references), Legal Framework (applicable law and key authorities), Arguments Section (each argument in sequence, with sub-arguments where necessary, evidence, and authorities for each), Reply to Opponent's Arguments (where applicable), Relief Claimed (specific and particularised), and a Gaps and Issues note identifying facts that need further investigation or authorities that need to be found before the outline can be finalised.
Example prompt inputs
- "I need an outline for a statement of claim in a commercial contract dispute. My client is the buyer, claiming for breach of contract and consequential loss. Facts: [summary]. Key documents: [list]"
- "Help me structure a defence in a shareholder derivative action. The company is the defendant. The board's position is: [summary]"
- "Outline for a written closing argument in an ICC arbitration — my client's case is: [summary of key points]"
- "I need to structure an appeal brief against a first-instance judgment. The errors of law I am alleging are: [list]"
Why legal-specific AI matters here
Structuring a legal argument is a different skill from drafting it. The sequence of arguments — what goes first, how each argument sets up the next, where to deal with anticipated counter-arguments — is the difference between a submission that persuades and one that merely covers the ground. Whisperit's Pleading Outline skill applies the argumentative logic of Swiss civil procedure to your case, understanding the specific requirements of ZPO pleadings, the conventions of Swiss arbitral practice, and the structural choices that experienced advocates make to present their cases most effectively.