Legal Analysis¶

The legal-analysis pipeline reviews contracts and legal documents using a panel of 5 specialist roles. It reads documents from an inbox folder, converts them to Markdown, runs a multi-role analysis, and delivers the output to an outbox folder. All legal output is written in German legal language.

Pipeline Steps¶

#	Command	What It Does
1	AcquireSource	Picks up a document from the inbox folder, creates a workspace
2	BootstrapDocument	Converts to Markdown via MarkItDown, detects contract type, loads legal skills
3	LoadDomainRules	Loads `legal-principles.md` with analysis guidelines
4	Triage	AI selects which legal specialist roles should participate
5	ConvergenceCheck	Evaluates if all roles agree; re-runs objecting roles if not
6	CompileDiscussion	Consolidates all role analyses into a final document
7	DeliverOutput	Writes analysis to outbox, archives source document

Inbox / Outbox Folder Watching¶

The legal pipeline uses a file-based workflow:

legal-docs/
├── inbox/          ← drop contracts here (PDF, DOCX, etc.)
├── processing/     ← file moves here during analysis
├── outbox/         ← analysis results appear here
└── archive/        ← original + result after completion

AcquireSource picks up the file, copies it to a temp workspace, and sets up the pipeline context. DeliverOutput writes the compiled analysis to outbox/ as a timestamped Markdown file and moves the original to archive/.

inbox/vertrag-lieferant-xyz.pdf
  → processing (during analysis)
  → outbox/20260325-143022-vertrag-lieferant-xyz-analysis.md
  → archive/20260325-143022-vertrag-lieferant-xyz.pdf

Document Conversion¶

The BootstrapDocument step converts the input document to Markdown using MarkItDown. Supported formats:

PDF
DOCX / DOC
XLSX
PPTX
HTML

After conversion, the handler uses an LLM call to classify the contract type:

Contract Type	German Name	Triggers
`nda`	Geheimhaltungsvereinbarung	Non-disclosure agreements
`werkvertrag`	Werkvertrag	Work contracts (deliverable-based)
`dienstleistungsvertrag`	Dienstleistungsvertrag	Service contracts (effort-based)
`saas-agb`	SaaS-AGB	SaaS terms of service
`kaufvertrag`	Kaufvertrag	Purchase contracts
`mietvertrag`	Mietvertrag	Lease contracts
`unknown`	Unbekannt	Fallback for unrecognized types

The detected type determines which specialist roles are activated via their trigger lists.

The 5 Legal Specialist Roles¶

Each role is defined in config/skills/legal/ and writes its analysis in German.

:page_facing_up: Contract Analyst¶

File: contract-analyst.yaml

Reads the contract systematically from top to bottom. Identifies every clause, its purpose, and what it obliges each party to do. Flags unusual, missing, or ambiguous clauses.

Output structure per clause:

## Vertraulichkeitspflicht (§ 3)
**Zweck:** Schutz vertraulicher Informationen beider Parteien
**Pflichten:** Auftragnehmer: Geheimhaltung / Auftraggeber: Kennzeichnung
**Anmerkung:** Standard — keine Auffaelligkeiten

:closed_lock_with_key: Compliance Checker¶

File: compliance-checker.yaml

Checks for DSGVO (GDPR) compliance and validity under German AGB-Recht (standard form contract law, sections 305-310 BGB). Evaluates:

Auftragsverarbeitungsvertrag (data processing agreement) references
Data categories, purpose, and retention periods
Prohibited clauses under sections 308 and 309 BGB
Surprising clauses under section 305c BGB
Proper AGB incorporation under section 305 BGB

:warning: Risk Assessor¶

File: risk-assessor.yaml

Evaluates each clause for risk from the client's perspective. Assigns risk levels and flags missing clauses that are typically expected for the contract type.

Risk Level	Meaning
:red_circle: HIGH	Could cause significant financial or legal harm
:yellow_circle: MEDIUM	Worth negotiating or clarifying
:green_circle: LOW	Standard, no action needed

:balance_scale: Liability Analyst¶

File: liability-analyst.yaml

Deep-dives into liability caps, exclusions, and indemnification clauses:

Haftungsausschluss (liability exclusion)
Haftungsbegrenzung (liability limitation)
Freistellung (indemnification)
Gewaehrleistung (warranty)
Vertragsstrafe (contractual penalties)

Checks whether exclusions are valid under German law (e.g., section 309 Nr. 7 BGB prohibits exclusion of liability for gross negligence in B2C contracts).

:pencil2: Clause Negotiator¶

File: clause-negotiator.yaml

Proposes concrete alternative formulations for HIGH and MEDIUM risk clauses. Alternatives are written in standard German legal language and are designed to be copy-pasted into a contract draft.

### Haftungsbegrenzung (§ 8)
**Urspruengliche Formulierung:** Haftung auf den Vertragswert begrenzt
**Problem:** Schliesst mittelbare Schaeden vollstaendig aus
**Alternativvorschlag:**
> Die Haftung ist auf den zweifachen Jahresvertragswert begrenzt.
> Mittelbare Schaeden sind bis zur Hoehe des einfachen Jahresvertragswertes erstattungsfaehig,
> sofern sie vorhersehbar und typisch waren.
**Wirkung:** Ausgewogener Schutz beider Parteien bei vorhersehbaren Schaeden

Convergence¶

The discussion follows the standard convergence pattern:

Triage selects roles based on contract type
Round 1: Each role analyzes the document
ConvergenceCheck: If roles disagree (e.g., the Clause Negotiator objects to the Risk Assessor's rating), another round runs
Max rounds (default: 3): If no consensus, findings are consolidated with dissenting views noted
CompileDiscussion: Produces the final merged analysis document

Output¶

The final analysis is a single Markdown document combining all role outputs:

# Vertragspruefung: Rahmenvertrag IT-Dienstleistungen

**Datum:** 2026-03-25
**Vertragstyp:** Dienstleistungsvertrag
**Teilnehmer:** Contract Analyst, Compliance Checker, Risk Assessor,
                Liability Analyst, Clause Negotiator

## Zusammenfassung
1. 3 Klauseln mit hohem Risiko identifiziert
2. DSGVO-Konformitaet: Auftragsverarbeitungsvertrag fehlt
3. Haftungsbegrenzung einseitig zu Lasten des Auftragnehmers
...

## Klauselanalyse
...

## Compliance-Pruefung
...

## Risikoanalyse
...

## Haftungsanalyse
...

## Aenderungsvorschlaege
...

No legal advice

Agent Smith identifies and describes — it does not recommend. The output is an analytical aid, not legal counsel. Always have a qualified lawyer review the results.