---

name: prompt-pack-convert-law-into-checklist
description: Use when a lawyer or compliance professional needs to convert a legal provision, regulation, or statute into a practical, actionable compliance checklist for business use. The output enables non-lawyers to self-assess compliance without re-reading the underlying law. Applicable to any legal instrument and any jurisdiction; particularly useful for MENA regulations (UAE, KSA, LB, EG, DIFC/ADGM) that are frequently updated and not always available in accessible English-language summaries.
license: MIT
metadata:
id: prompt-pack.convert-law-into-checklist
category: prompt-pack
practice_area: corporate-commercial
priority: P2
intent: [compliance, convert-law-into-checklist, compliance-checklist, regulatory-compliance, legal-translation]
related: [prompt-pack-complex-law-simple-summary, prompt-pack-convert-complex-document-into-key-points, prompt-pack-data-retention-policy, prompt-pack-data-subject-access-request-procedure]
source: Louis — HAQQ Legal AI (github.com/sboghossian/mini-claude-for-legal)
version: "1.0"

Convert Law Into Checklist

Compliance checklists are the bridge between legal analysis and operational action. A checklist converted from a legal provision tells the finance team, HR department, or operations manager exactly what they need to do — without requiring them to interpret the law themselves.

When to use this

• A new law or regulation has come into force and the compliance team needs a self-assessment tool.
• The legal team is advising a client on compliance with a specific provision and wants to give them a structured action list rather than a memo.
• A business is conducting an internal compliance audit and needs structured questions to test each obligation.
• An in-house team is onboarding a new business line and needs compliance checklists for the relevant regulatory framework.
• The company operates in multiple MENA jurisdictions and needs parallel checklists to compare obligations across jurisdictions.
• A due diligence exercise requires testing compliance with a specific legal framework.

Required inputs

Input	Why it matters	Sensible default
The legal provision or document to be converted	The source text	User pastes the provision, or names the law and article
Jurisdiction	The law is jurisdiction-specific; the checklist must reflect the applicable rules	Ask the user
Target audience for the checklist	Determines technical depth and language	Ask the user: compliance officer / finance / HR / all-staff
Entity type being assessed	Some obligations apply only to certain entity types (regulated firms, large employers, publicly listed companies)	Ask the user

Optional inputs

• Whether the checklist should include the underlying legal reference for each item (recommended for legal use; may be omitted for operational all-staff checklists).
• Whether deadlines should be included in the checklist or in a separate timeline.
• Whether the checklist should distinguish between obligations already met and those requiring action.
• Whether a "consequence of non-compliance" column should be included (recommended for high-stakes checklists).

Methodology

Step 1 — Parse the provision into discrete obligations

Read the provision and identify each distinct obligation:

• Who must act? (Subject of the obligation.)
• What must they do? (The required action.)
• When? (Deadline, frequency, or trigger event.)
• How? (Prescribed method or form, if specified.)
• To whom / with whom? (Regulatory authority, counterparty, internal function.)

One obligation = one checklist item. Do not combine separate obligations.

Step 2 — Classify each obligation

Obligation type	Description
Affirmative duty	Must do something (register, file, appoint, train)
Prohibition	Must not do something
Conditional	Must do something if a trigger event occurs
Threshold	Obligations change at a specified size/volume/risk threshold
Periodic	Must do something regularly (annually, quarterly, on each transaction)

Step 3 — Draft each checklist item

Format each item as an actionable question or statement:

Format A — Yes/No question (for audit checklists):
"Has the company registered with [Authority] as required under [Law/Article]? [ ] Yes / [ ] No / [ ] N/A"

Format B — Action statement (for compliance programs):
"[ ] Register with [Authority] by [Date] if [condition applies]. Responsible: [Role]. Reference: [Law/Article]."

Format C — Status table (for assessment reports):

#	Obligation	Legal reference	Status (Compliant / Gap / N/A)	Action required	Owner	Deadline
1	Appoint a Data Protection Officer	UAE PDPL Art. 12	Gap	Identify and appoint a DPO	Legal / HR	[Date]
2	Register data processing activities	UAE PDPL Art. 5	Compliant	—	—	—

Step 4 — Add explanatory notes where needed

For provisions that are ambiguous or that require judgment (e.g., "reasonable measures," "material breach," "significant risk"), add a short explanatory note:

• "What counts as 'significant' is not defined in the law; consult legal counsel if in doubt."
• "This obligation applies only if the company processes data of more than [threshold] data subjects."

Step 5 — Review completeness

After drafting, re-read the original provision to confirm:

• No obligation has been missed.
• No threshold or exception has been omitted that would change a "must do" to "need not do."
• The checklist reflects the current version of the law (confirm with local counsel if any amendments are possible).

Checklist design principles

Be binary: Each item should be answerable Yes/No or Compliant/Non-Compliant. Ambiguous items cannot be audited.

One item per obligation: If a provision has three sub-clauses, write three checklist items.

Include the reference: Always cite the article or provision number. This lets users go back to the source if needed.

Deadline first for time-sensitive obligations: If an item has a deadline, put the deadline at the start of the item — deadlines are the most commonly missed compliance trigger.

Tailor the consequence column to the risk level: For high-risk obligations (criminal penalties, license revocation), state the consequence explicitly in the checklist. It focuses minds.

MENA compliance context

When converting MENA laws, note:

• Arabic is the official language in UAE onshore, KSA, LB, and EG. English translations are unofficial; if the checklist is for operational use, the English translation must be verified against the Arabic source.
• Amendment risk: MENA regulatory instruments are frequently amended by Ministerial Decisions, Cabinet Resolutions, or Central Bank circulars. State the version of the law the checklist is based on and recommend periodic review.
• DIFC/ADGM: Legislation is in English; the DFSA and FSRA publish guidance documents that are a necessary complement to the primary rules.
• KSA: Compliance obligations for foreign-owned entities may be more onerous than for Saudi-owned entities (Nitaqat, transfer pricing, customs). Distinguish.

Common MENA compliance frameworks for which this skill is most useful:

• UAE Federal Corporate Tax Law (UAE CT)
• UAE VAT Law and Executive Regulations
• UAE Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL)
• UAE AML Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2018)
• KSA Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA) regulations
• KSA AML Law
• DIFC Data Protection Law and DFSA Rulebook
• ADGM Financial Services and Markets Regulations
• Lebanon AML Law No. 318 of 2001
• Egypt Data Protection Law (Law No. 151 of 2020)
• GCC VAT Unified Agreement

Common mistakes

• Writing a narrative summary instead of discrete checklist items — summaries cannot be audited or assigned.
• Omitting exceptions and safe harbours — these are often the items the client most needs to know about.
• Creating a checklist from a summary of the law rather than the law itself — secondary sources introduce errors.
• Not stating the law version and date — a checklist based on an amended provision gives wrong guidance.
• Making items too vague ("comply with data protection law") — a checklist item must be specific enough to be testable.

Related skills

• [[prompt-pack-complex-law-simple-summary]]
• [[prompt-pack-convert-complex-document-into-key-points]]
• [[prompt-pack-data-retention-policy]]
• [[prompt-pack-data-subject-access-request-procedure]]
• [[prompt-pack-cross-border-data-transfer-assessment]]