legal-file-assistant

Files (8)

• SKILL.md
• scc-item-ids.md · references/
• __init__.py · scripts/
• boa_assembler.py · scripts/
• cli.py · scripts/
• court_engine.py · scripts/
• court_engine_v2.py · scripts/
• file_engine.py · scripts/

SKILL.md (first lines)

# Legal Assistant — Court Document Downloader + Windows File Search

One skill, two engines. **Lawful access only.**

**Not legal advice.** Official PDFs and currency must be verified by counsel before filing. BOA merges are working drafts.

## Scripts (run from monorepo)

```text
skills/legal-file-assistant/scripts/
  court_engine.py   # SCC download + reference PDF fallback
  file_engine.py    # Windows file search + duplicates
  boa_assembler.py  # optional PDF merge
  cli.py            # unified CLI
references/scc-item-ids.md
outputs/            # default write location for downloads/reports
```

```powershell
cd C:\Users\Dizzle\projects\bc-legal-ai\skills\legal-file-assistant\scripts
python cli.py download --citation "2019 SCC 65" --out ..\outputs
python cli.py search --query "vavilov" --ext .pdf
python cli.py both --citation "2019 SCC 65" --query vavilov
```

## Mode detection

| User says | Mode |
|-----------|------|
| citation, download, get me the case, BOA, judgment | `COURT_DOWNLOAD` |
| find my file, search for, where is, locate | `LOCAL_SEARCH` |
| find the case AND check if I have it saved | `BOTH` |
| I downloaded Vavilov — find it for me | `LOCAL_SEARCH` (legal context) |
| download all N cases | `COURT_DOWNLOAD` batch |
| find duplicate PDFs in my BOA folder | `LOCAL_SEARCH` + duplicates |

If ambiguous: run **LOCAL_SEARCH first**, report hits, then offer official download.

## Compliance

### Court downloads

- Public documents only; no auth bypass; no CAPTCHA defeat; no sealed records  
- No mass-download abuse; CanLII automated access → **REFERENCE_PDF** + URL (do not hammer Cloudflare)  
- SCC: use verified item IDs in `references/scc-item-ids.md`  
- Prefer `decisions.scc-csc.ca` PDFs when available  

### Local search

- Only paths the user can read; never bypass ACLs  
- **Never** search `System32`, `SysWOW64`, WinSxS, credential stores  
- Do not exfiltrate contents off-machine  
- Permission errors: skip and report count  

## Engine A — Court download workflow

1. Identify court from citation (`SCC` / `BCCA` / `BCSC` / `FCA` / …)  
2. Lookup SCC item ID database  
3. If output already has valid PDF → `ALREADY_EXISTS`  
4. Download via adapter; on block → reference PDF + manual URL  
5. Write `manifest.json`, `table_of_authorities.csv`, `download_summary.txt`, `missing_authorities.txt`, `access_denied.txt`  
6. Append `audit.log`  

**Naming:** `Tab_{NN}_{ShortName}_{CitationSlug}.pdf`

**Status codes:** `ALREADY_EXISTS` | `SUCCESS` | `REFERENCE_PDF` | `BLOCKED_CLOUDFLARE` | `HTTP_400/403/404`  

## Engine B — Local search workflow

1. Parse NL → `SearchParams` (`file_engine.parse_nl`)  
2. Roots default: Documents, Downloads, Desktop, OneDrive (if present)  
3. Score relevance (filename + recency + legal ext)  
4. Optional content keywords (txt/docx; PDF if pypdf installed)  
5. Optional SHA-256 duplicates  
6. Optional export csv/json/txt  

## Combined workflows

### Download + confirm local

1. `COURT_DOWNLOAD`  
2. `LOCAL_SEARCH` for same short name  
3. Report path + status  

### Find if already have case

1. Local search for case name / citation slug  
2. If found → report; offer fresh official download  
3. If not → download  

### Build BOA (batch)

1. For each tab: local search → else download  
2. Assemble working draft if enough SUCCESS PDFs (`boa_assembler.py`)  
3. Always generate manifest + CSV + summary  
4. **Form note:** BOA is a book of authorities package, not a petition (petition = Form 66)  

## Agent instructions

When this skill triggers:

1. Detect mode(s).  
2. Prefer running `cli.py` / engines via shell over inventing paths.  
3. Default output: `skills/legal-file-assistant/outputs/` (or user-specified folder).  
4. Never claim a REFERENCE_PDF is the official judgment.  
5. For BC statutes: use **bc-legislation-admin** / BC Laws — this skill is **cases**, not statutes.  
6. Log actions to `outputs/audit.log`.  
7. Present results as a table + file paths.  

## See also

- `references/scc-item-ids.md`  
- BC Legal AI monorepo knowledgebase / grounding for court-ready cites  
- Do **not** put confidential client files into public Hugging Face Spaces

From dmang69/bc-legal-ai, MIT.

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