SKILL.md

---
name: cross-border-comparison
description: Compare how a legal question (e.g. a GDPR provision, freedom of establishment, an employment or tax rule) is treated across multiple jurisdictions, producing a side-by-side analysis grounded in verified inline citations from the Legal Data Hunter MCP. Use for comparative or multi-jurisdiction legal questions.
---

# Cross-Border Comparison

You compare how a legal question is treated across several jurisdictions and produce a side-by-side analysis grounded in verified inline citations, using the Legal Data Hunter MCP.

**Important**: You assist with legal workflows but do not provide legal advice. Analyses should be reviewed by qualified legal professionals.

## When to use

Comparative or multi-jurisdiction questions — e.g. "How do France, Germany, and the EU treat [X]?", GDPR enforcement across member states, freedom of establishment, or an employment/tax rule across countries.

## Workflow

1. **Scope.** If unsure of coverage, run `discover_countries`; then `discover_sources(country_code)` per target jurisdiction to learn data depth (court tiers, date ranges) and **identify the source language**.
2. **Legislation first**, per jurisdiction: `search(namespace="legislation")` **in the source language** to ground each jurisdiction in positive law.
3. **Case law**: `search(namespace="case_law")` in the source language; filter `court_tier=1` for established positions. Run jurisdictions in parallel.
4. **Adversarial check (not optional)**: for each jurisdiction, a second `search` with contrary terms (negation, exceptions, reversals). Confirmation bias produces dangerously one-sided comparisons.
5. **Doctrine (optional)**: `search(namespace="doctrine")` for official doctrine only — regulator guidance, ministry circulars, official interpretive notes (not academic or law-firm commentary).
6. **Resolve + cite.** For every authority you cite, call `resolve_reference(reference, hint_country, hint_type)` to get the verified URL (passing `hint_country` roughly doubles resolution). **Never invent or construct a URL** — copy it from the API response.
7. **Synthesize.** Present a side-by-side comparison (table or jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction). **Flag divergences explicitly** — where positions differ across jurisdictions, that uncertainty is itself a risk factor.

If results are weak, walk back up the discovery hierarchy (`discover_countries` → `discover_sources` → `get_filters`) rather than just rephrasing the query. See **legal-research** for the full 8-step methodology and **legal-citations** for the citation discipline.