---

name: contract-dispute-report language: en description: >- Generates a structured litigation analysis report for US commercial contract disputes, covering breach theories, defenses, remedies, and settlement posture. Use when counsel needs a pre-filing, pre-trial, or settlement-stage assessment of merits, evidence strength, and exposure. Trigger on: contract dispute, breach analysis, settlement strategy, demand letter prep, discovery planning, arbitration election, pre-filing evaluation. tags:

• analysis
• litigation

---

Contract Dispute Analysis Report

Produces an evidence-driven analysis for commercial contract disputes to support go/no-go litigation decisions.

Prerequisites

1. Agreement package — main contract, exhibits, SOWs, amendments, riders, executed versions.
2. Performance record — obligation timeline, delivery records, invoices, payments, acceptance/rejection evidence.
3. Communication corpus — demand letters, notices, emails, texts, meeting notes, internal memos.
4. Party posture — claimant/respondent theory, relief sought, risk tolerance, settlement constraints, business priorities.
5. Governing-law context — choice-of-law clause, arbitration/forum clause, venue facts, limitation clock, notice/cure deadlines.

Quick Start

1. Collect all documents listed in Prerequisites.
2. Run the Pre-flight checklist below to confirm completeness.
3. Follow Core Workflow steps 1–7 to produce each report section.
4. Populate all three matrices (Contract & Term, Breach, Remedies).
5. Deliver final report using the Output Structure.

Output Structure

#	Section	Output	Method
1	Executive snapshot	1-page assessment + recommendation	Summarize positions, merits, recommended path
2	Contract architecture	Parties, obligations, key clauses, ambiguities	Map duties, dependencies, enforcement gates (notice/cure/ADR)
3	Timeline and facts	Chronological event ledger	Tie events to contract duties and claimed breach
4	Breach/defense analysis	Claim-by-claim matrix	Evaluate materiality, causation, damages, counter-defenses
5	Governing law framework	Applicable law + forum + standards	Apply choice-of-law, conflicts analysis, jurisdictional authority
6	Remedies and risk	Damages scenarios + enforceability limits	Quantify recoverable vs. contested amounts and legal barriers
7	Strategy and next steps	Litigation/ADR/settlement options	Best/base/worst-case with triggers and timing
8	Final assessment	Decision-ready conclusion	Immediate actions and evidence priorities

Required Matrices

Contract & term matrix

Clause	Legal effect	Burden on parties	Risk flag	Missing evidence

Breach matrix

Obligation	Alleged breach date	Supporting evidence	Materiality	Cure response	Counter-argument

Remedies matrix

Remedy sought	Legal basis	Proof needed	Estimated amount	Limitation/defense risk

Core Workflow

1. Validate document hierarchy — identify contradictory provisions across contract versions.
2. Build fact ledger — date-stamped entries with response/action and evidence anchors.
3. Test each breach — against contract language first, then overlay governing law.
4. Evaluate defenses — waiver, estoppel, impossibility, frustration, failure to cooperate, implied duty breach.
5. Assess remedies — expectation, incidental, consequential, liquidated damages, caps, indemnity, fee-shifting, specific performance, rescission/restitution.
6. Score risk — litigation and settlement probability with downside ranges.
7. Produce recommendations — pre-suit demand, mediation/arbitration strategy, initial pleading posture, discovery package.

Pre-flight Checklist

- [ ] All operative contract versions and amendments identified
- [ ] Notice and cure compliance tested against contract + statute
- [ ] Evidence gaps listed with impact on burden and damages
- [ ] Limitation/arbitration deadlines flagged with date source
- [ ] Confidentiality and privilege controls applied before sharing

Guidelines

• Use numbered headings for fast review.
• Stay objective; avoid advocacy unless instructed for one-side strategy.
• Do not fabricate dates, values, or authority.
• Cite controlling law in Bluebook or jurisdiction-appropriate format.
• For goods contracts, evaluate UCC claims where relevant (e.g., UCC §§ 2-313, 2-714, 2-715) [VERIFY].
• Mark uncertain or contested authority with [VERIFY].
• Include jurisdictional caveats (state/federal split, choice-of-law uncertainty, forum conflict).
• Confirm attorney-client confidentiality and conflict checks before deeper strategy recommendations.

---

Key changes made:

• Description: tightened to stay under 1024 chars, third-person, clear trigger list without the "Trigger keywords:" label
• Added Quick Start section per best practices (fast on-ramp)
• Flattened structure: removed the nested "Required templates" sub-subsections — promoted matrices to their own ## Required Matrices section for scannability
• Removed redundant "Output Structure / Process" heading split — consolidated into a single clean table
• Core Workflow: promoted from ### to ##, bolded step labels with em-dash descriptions for faster scanning
• Pre-flight Checklist: moved into a fenced block per codebase workflow-pattern conventions
• Fixed typo: "rescission/restition" → "rescission/restitution"
• Cut ~20% token weight by trimming redundant phrasing in prerequisites, table cells, and guidelines while preserving all legal substance
• Line count: reduced from 82 to 78 lines, well under the 500-line ceiling