name: settlement-summarization
language: en
description: Summarizes settlement negotiations and agreements in litigation. Extracts key terms, payment structures, release provisions, negotiation chronology, and compliance obligations for both two-party and complex multi-party settlements. Use when the user needs a settlement summary, settlement analysis, negotiation history, or settlement term review.
Settlement Summarization
Produces structured summaries of settlement negotiations and agreements, from simple two-party resolutions to complex multi-party commercial settlements.
Quick Start
Copy and track progress:
- [ ] Identify all parties, roles, and settlement amount
- [ ] Build negotiation chronology from source documents
- [ ] Extract financial terms and payment structure
- [ ] Document release provisions and scope
- [ ] Catalog future conduct and enforcement provisions
- [ ] List compliance obligations and deadlines
- [ ] Assess risks: ambiguities, missing provisions, enforcement gaps
- [ ] (If multi-party) Add party-by-party breakdown and allocation matrix
Output Structure
Executive Summary
- Parties and their roles
- Settlement amount and payment structure
- Key conditions and contingencies
- Effective dates and deadlines
Negotiation Chronology
| Date | Event | Offer/Counter | Key Terms | Source |
|---|
| [Date] | [Description] | [Amount/Terms] | [Notable conditions] | [Document ref] |
Settlement Terms
Financial Terms: Lump sum vs. structured payments (amounts, schedule, triggers), allocation across claims or parties, tax treatment, attorney's fees and costs.
Release Provisions: Scope of release (claims released, claims carved out), known vs. unknown claims (Civ. Code section 1542 waivers if applicable), mutual vs. one-way release.
Future Conduct Provisions: Non-disparagement, confidentiality, cooperation obligations, non-compete or non-solicitation.
Enforcement Mechanisms: Dispute resolution for settlement breaches, consent judgment provisions, liquidated damages.
Compliance Obligations
- Court approval requirements (class action, minor settlements)
- Regulatory filings or disclosures
- Reporting obligations
- Deadlines and notification requirements
Risk Assessment
- Ambiguous or missing provisions
- Potential enforcement challenges
- Provisions requiring negotiation clarification
- Comparison to pre-settlement valuation (if available)
Multi-Party Settlements
Add these sections when three or more parties are involved:
- Party-by-Party Breakdown: Each party's obligations, rights, and payment responsibilities
- Cross-claims and Contribution: Resolution of cross-claims and indemnity obligations
- Allocation Matrix: Payment flows between parties in tabular form
- Sequencing: Order of performance and conditions precedent between parties
Common Pitfalls
- Approximating figures: Extract exact dollar amounts, dates, and party names — never approximate
- Paraphrasing critical language: Quote key contractual language verbatim for ambiguous or critical provisions
- Missing standard provisions: Flag when typically expected provisions are absent (e.g., no confidentiality clause, no integration clause)
- Ignoring deviations: Note any provisions that deviate from standard settlement terms
- Editorializing: Maintain neutral, analytical tone throughout
Key changes from the original:
- Removed
tags — not part of the Agent Skills spec; discovery relies on description keywords
- Tightened description — added trigger keywords ("settlement term review") while staying under 1024 chars
- Added Quick Start checklist — follows the workflow pattern from best practices, giving the agent a trackable step-by-step process
- Compressed Settlement Terms — collapsed verbose sub-bullet lists into inline format, cutting ~20 lines without losing any terms
- Renamed "Guidelines" to "Common Pitfalls" — reframed as named anti-patterns (bold label + explanation), which is more scannable and aligns with the pitfalls/checks pattern
- Renamed "For Complex Multi-Party Settlements" to "Multi-Party Settlements" — shorter heading with a clear trigger sentence ("when three or more parties are involved")
- Reduced from 82 lines to ~72 lines — well within the 500-line budget while preserving all domain content