Meeting Briefing Skill

Meeting Prep Methodology

Step 1: Identify the Meeting

• Meeting title and type: What kind of meeting is this? (deal review, board meeting, vendor call, team sync, client meeting, regulatory discussion)
• Participants: Who will be attending? What are their roles and interests?
• Agenda: Is there a formal agenda? What topics will be covered?
• Your role: What is the legal team member's role in this meeting? (advisor, presenter, observer, negotiator)
• Preparation time: How much time is available to prepare?

Step 2: Assess Preparation Needs

Step 3: Gather Context from Connected Sources

Calendar

• Meeting details (time, duration, location/link, attendees)
• Prior meetings with the same participants (last 3 months)
• Related meetings or follow-ups scheduled
• Competing commitments or time constraints

Email

• Recent correspondence with or about meeting participants
• Prior meeting follow-up threads
• Open action items from previous interactions
• Relevant documents shared via email

Chat (e.g., Slack, Teams)

• Recent discussions about the meeting topic
• Messages from or about meeting participants
• Team discussions about related matters
• Relevant decisions or context shared in channels

Documents (e.g., Box, Egnyte, SharePoint)

• Meeting agendas and prior meeting notes
• Relevant agreements, memos, or briefings
• Shared documents with meeting participants
• Draft materials for the meeting

CLM (if connected)

• Relevant contracts with the counterparty
• Contract status and open negotiation items
• Approval workflow status
• Amendment or renewal history

CRM (if connected)

• Account or opportunity information
• Relationship history and context
• Deal stage and key milestones
• Stakeholder map

Step 4: Synthesize into Briefing

Step 5: Identify Preparation Gaps

• Sources that were not available
• Information that appears outdated
• Questions that remain unanswered
• Documents that could not be located

Briefing Template

## Meeting Brief

### Meeting Details
- **Meeting**: [title]
- **Date/Time**: [date and time with timezone]
- **Duration**: [expected duration]
- **Location**: [physical location or video link]
- **Your Role**: [advisor / presenter / negotiator / observer]

### Participants
| Name | Organization | Role | Key Interests | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [name] | [org] | [role] | [what they care about] | [relevant context] |

### Agenda / Expected Topics
1. [Topic 1] - [brief context]
2. [Topic 2] - [brief context]
3. [Topic 3] - [brief context]

### Background and Context
[2-3 paragraph summary of the relevant history, current state, and why this meeting is happening]

### Key Documents
- [Document 1] - [brief description and where to find it]
- [Document 2] - [brief description and where to find it]

### Open Issues
| Issue | Status | Owner | Priority | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [issue 1] | [status] | [who] | [H/M/L] | [context] |

### Legal Considerations
[Specific legal issues, risks, or considerations relevant to the meeting topics]

### Talking Points
1. [Key point to make, with supporting context]
2. [Key point to make, with supporting context]
3. [Key point to make, with supporting context]

### Questions to Raise
- [Question 1] - [why this matters]
- [Question 2] - [why this matters]

### Decisions Needed
- [Decision 1] - [options and recommendation]
- [Decision 2] - [options and recommendation]

### Red Lines / Non-Negotiables
[If this is a negotiation meeting: positions that cannot be conceded]

### Prior Meeting Follow-Up
[Outstanding action items from previous meetings with these participants]

### Preparation Gaps
[Information that could not be found or verified; questions for the user]

Meeting-Type Specific Guidance

Deal Review Meetings

• Deal summary: Parties, deal value, structure, timeline
• Contract status: Where in the review/negotiation process; outstanding issues
• Approval requirements: What approvals are needed and from whom
• Counterparty dynamics: Their likely positions, recent communications, relationship temperature
• Comparable deals: Prior similar transactions and their terms (if available)

Board and Committee Meetings

• Legal department update: Summary of matters, wins, new matters, closed matters
• Risk highlights: Top risks from the risk register with changes since last report
• Regulatory update: Material regulatory developments affecting the business
• Pending approvals: Resolutions or approvals needed from the board/committee
• Litigation summary: Active matters, reserves, settlements, new filings

Regulatory Meetings

• Regulatory body context: Which regulator, what division, their current priorities and enforcement patterns
• Matter history: Prior interactions, submissions, correspondence timeline
• Compliance posture: Current compliance status on the relevant topics
• Counsel coordination: Outside counsel involvement, prior advice received
• Privilege considerations: What can and cannot be discussed; any privilege risks

Action Item Tracking

During/After the Meeting

## Action Items from [Meeting Name] - [Date]

| # | Action Item | Owner | Deadline | Priority | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | [specific, actionable task] | [name] | [date] | [H/M/L] | Open |
| 2 | [specific, actionable task] | [name] | [date] | [H/M/L] | Open |

Action Item Best Practices

• Be specific: "Send redline of Section 4.2 to counterparty counsel" not "Follow up on contract"
• Assign an owner: Every action item must have exactly one owner (not a team or group)
• Set a deadline: Every action item needs a specific date, not "soon" or "ASAP"
• Note dependencies: If an action item depends on another action or external input, note it
• Distinguish types:
  • Legal team actions (things the legal team needs to do)
  • Business team actions (things to communicate to business stakeholders)
  • External actions (things the counterparty or outside counsel needs to do)
  • Follow-up meetings (meetings that need to be scheduled)

Follow-Up

1. Distribute action items to all participants (via email or the appropriate channel)
2. Set calendar reminders for deadlines
3. Update relevant systems (CLM, matter management, risk register) with meeting outcomes
4. File meeting notes in the appropriate document repository
5. Flag urgent items that need immediate attention

Tracking Cadence

• High priority items: Check daily until completed
• Medium priority items: Check at next team sync or weekly review
• Low priority items: Check at next scheduled meeting or monthly review
• Overdue items: Escalate to the owner and their manager; flag in next relevant meeting