The board does not need the pleadings. It needs the decision.
Board reporting should compress the dispute into exposure, expected outcome, strategic choices, budget, timeline, recoverability, reputational / operational effects and the approvals management needs.
One-Page Board Dispute Screen
Boards need decisions, not procedural detail.
The One-Page Board Screen
Convert a complex legal file into a controlled executive choice.
The One-Page Board Screen
Executive decisionOnly facts material to the board decision.
Claim, defence, counterclaim and recoverability.
Proceed, resolve, fund, protect or defer.
Legal spend, management burden and timing.
Authority, settlement range, budget or strategic direction.
What can change the answer.
The decision should be refreshed when a material assumption changes.
Avoid false precision
Use ranges / scenarios with assumptions.
Distribution control
Board materials may need careful legal handling.
Finance / legal alignment
Exposure language should not contradict financial reporting.
Stakeholder impact
Include only where materially relevant.
Business continuity
Project, supplier, customer or licence effects may dominate.
Decision cadence
Update after material evidence / tribunal / settlement events.
Make the conclusion auditable.
A decision record should state the current recommendation, the assumptions behind it, the downside if wrong and the next event that will cause management to revisit it.
| Output | Question | Board / management use |
|---|---|---|
| Recommendation | What should we do now? | Approve / reject / sequence the action. |
| Assumptions | What facts make the recommendation rational? | Understand fragility of decision. |
| Downside | What if the assumption fails? | Set risk tolerance / reserve strategy. |
| Next gate | What event changes the answer? | Create disciplined re-review. |
| Owner | Who is accountable for execution? | Avoid diffusion between legal / finance / business. |
The institution can support the business decision before the case becomes procedural momentum.
UNIONE™ assessment outputs, procedure selection, ERR™ and enforcement mapping can be compressed into an executive board decision record without forcing directors through the arbitral file.
A legal file asks how to prosecute or defend.
The legal case dominates the decision even if the commercial outcome says otherwise.
A business decision asks which outcome is worth pursuing.
Legal strength is only one input into an outcome decision.