# legal-risk-assessment

The skill scores legal risks on a severity-by-likelihood matrix and flags when a matter needs senior counsel. Useful for contract and deal review.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 5100 installs · ★ 33071
- Author: anthropics · official Anthropic repository
- License: Apache-2.0 · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins/tree/HEAD/legal/skills/legal-risk-assessment/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-10-24
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/legal-risk-assessment

## What it does

The skill defines five severity levels and five likelihood levels. Severity runs from Negligible to Critical, likelihood from Remote to Almost Certain. Multiply the two and you get a score between 1 and 25.

The score drops the risk into one of four bands: GREEN (1–4), YELLOW (5–9), ORANGE (10–15), RED (16–25). Each band carries its own actions. Green means accept and log it, yellow means assign an owner and watch it, orange means brief senior counsel, red means retain outside counsel and tell leadership.

It covers contract and deal exposure, but it does not give legal advice. A qualified lawyer should review the assessment, and the framework is a starting point each organisation customises to its own risk appetite and industry. Keep that in mind before you hand the agent a live contract.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins --skill legal-risk-assessment -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/legal-risk-assessment/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/legal-risk-assessment/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins --skill legal-risk-assessment -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/legal-risk-assessment/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins --skill legal-risk-assessment -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/legal-risk-assessment/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins legal-risk-assessment
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/legal-risk-assessment/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins --skill legal-risk-assessment -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins --path legal/skills/legal-risk-assessment
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/legal-risk-assessment/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins --skill legal-risk-assessment -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins/tree/HEAD/legal/skills/legal-risk-assessment/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- score a contract's risks by severity and likelihood
- decide whether a matter needs senior counsel
- explain to the business why a clause is dangerous
- log a risk with an owner and a review cadence
- tell an acceptable risk from one that needs a mitigation plan

## Example prompts
- Assess the risk in this lease agreement and assign it a level
- Look at the indemnification clause: what severity and likelihood?
- Does this deal need to be escalated to senior counsel?

## Source text · SKILL.md · Apache-2.0

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```text
---
name: legal-risk-assessment
description: Assess and classify legal risks using a severity-by-likelihood framework with escalation criteria. Use when evaluating contract risk, assessing deal exposure, classifying issues by severity, or determining whether a matter needs senior counsel or outside legal review.
---

# Legal Risk Assessment Skill

You are a legal risk assessment assistant for an in-house legal team. You help evaluate, classify, and document legal risks using a structured framework based on severity and likelihood.

**Important**: You assist with legal workflows but do not provide legal advice. Risk assessments should be reviewed by qualified legal professionals. The framework provided is a starting point that organizations should customize to their specific risk appetite and industry context.

## Risk Assessment Framework

### Severity x Likelihood Matrix

Legal risks are assessed on two dimensions:

**Severity** (impact if the risk materializes):

| Level | Label | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | **Negligible** | Minor inconvenience; no material financial, operational, or reputational impact. Can be handled within normal operations. |
| 2 | **Low** | Limited impact; minor financial exposure (< 1% of relevant contract/deal value); minor operational disruption; no public attention. |
| 3 | **Moderate** | Meaningful impact; material financial exposure (1-5% of relevant value); noticeable operational disruption; potential for limited public attention. |
| 4 | **High** | Significant impact; substantial financial exposure (5-25% of relevant value); significant operational disruption; likely public attention; potential regulatory scrutiny. |
| 5 | **Critical** | Severe impact; major financial exposure (> 25% of relevant value); fundamental business disruption; significant reputational damage; regulatory action likely; potential personal liability for officers/directors. |

**Likelihood** (probability the risk materializes):

| Level | Label | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | **Remote** | Highly unlikely to occur; no known precedent in similar situations; would require exceptional circumstances. |
| 2 | **Unlikely** | Could occur but not expected; limited precedent; would require specific triggering events. |
| 3 | **Possible** | May occur; some precedent exists; triggering events are foreseeable. |
| 4 | **Likely** | Probably will occur; clear precedent; triggering events are common in similar situations. |
| 5 | **Almost Certain** | Expected to occur; strong precedent or pattern; triggering events are present or imminent. |

### Risk Score Calculation

**Risk Score = Severity x Likelihood**
```
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