Project instructions (CLAUDE.md)

# [Your name] v. [Employer] - Case Instructions

Forum: [AAA / JAMS / court name]. Case number: [number].
Claims: [for example, FMLA interference and retaliation, ADA, state law claims].
Key dates: [hearing date], [next deadline].
I represent myself.

## Read order

1. FACTS_OF_RECORD.md. The single source of truth. Read this first.
2. EVIDENCE_INDEX.md. Which document proves which claim, and where it lives.
3. The other side's production index: [path to their document index].
4. Working drafts in Drafts/. These are NOT authoritative. Never cite them as a fact source.

## Governing law and research scope

Governing law is [federal law plus the law of STATE], per [the arbitration agreement section or order that says so].
Search [STATE] authority FIRST (the state's highest court, every intermediate appellate court, the state procedure rules), then the federal circuit and district courts that cover [STATE].
Every research request names the state rule next to any federal rule and splits the search effort so state law is not crowded out.
A "no case found" result that never searched state courts is incomplete.

## Citation rules

- Never cite a case unless its full opinion has been read and it is on the verified list in citation_log.md.
- Every case cite gets: full-text read, exact quote with page, treatment check, saved copy in Case Law/verified/ with a manifest row, and a citation_log entry.
- Every record cite names one exact page or document number, never a vague range.
- Run the cite audit before any filing is final.

## Standing rules

- New evidence goes into FACTS_OF_RECORD.md first, then into drafts.
- Recordings and transcripts: cite the raw original only, never an edited or cleaned copy.
- Never reconstruct or retype a document for production. Produce the original.
- [Add your own locked decisions here, one line each, with a pointer to a note that explains why.]

## Folder map

- FACTS_OF_RECORD.md, EVIDENCE_INDEX.md, citation_log.md
- Case Law/verified/ (saved opinions) and Case Law/verified/_MANIFEST.md
- Their Production/ (their documents plus a verified text version)
- My Production/ (what I sent them, with an index of exactly what was sent)
- Correspondence/ (final, as-sent versions only)
- Drafts/ and Drafts/_archive/