Why you need Bates tools
Any lawyer who has handled more than two cases simultaneously, knows that even when you're organized, you can’t keep track of every document with your mind alone. An even more familiar situation can be when you're exchanging documents and you can’t remember which documents are where and what you have shared. The worst being a similar mistake happening when motions should be filed or during trial. Aside from damage to your case, mismanaging documents can have huge effects on maintaining client relationships and chances for repeat business. For these exact reasons, Bates number systems need to be included in part of your firm’s technology practice. Without them, you are at risk for a variety of common document management problems and will decrease your office’s efficiency.
What are the best Bates numbering tools/systems?
The original Bates stamping tool’s features, developed pre-1900s, were paper based, and used a mechanical stamp. Today’s tools are very different, and there’s a list of expectations you should have for whatever Bates stamping tool you choose. Your tool should be flexible to different document types like .PDF, .TIF/.TIFF, .JPG/.JPEG, and .PNG. It should make the numbering process super fast and guarantee accuracy well past the intake process. It should be straightforward for internal collaborators to process documents and opposing counsel to receive them with a simple export. It also should be easy for anyone in the firm to implement. It should have a prefix to identify the party associated with the document and should have leading zeros in the numbering so that the corner of a large document can be flipped through rapidly without changing the alignment of the numbers. Most importantly, it should have the ability to adapt to changing needs and continue providing new solutions to deal with firm-specific needs well into the future.
Many firms send documents to a third party or service bureau for Bates stamping. Whether that service bureau applies the stamps electronically, or uses a physical stamping tool, it is time consuming and expensive. Worse, any necessary changes cannot be carried out in-house, rather, the documents have to be sent out again for re-processing.
One of the most common in-house Bates numbering tools is Adobe Acrobat (Pro version), however anyone who has ever used Adobe knows just how slow it can be. Often it isn’t so much that the firm selected Adobe for Bates stamping, but that it is a tool you already have that has a Bates stamping capability. However, what if learning and implementing a purpose-built Bates stamping tool took less than the time it takes to use a tool like Adobe?
Start numbering in less than 5 minutes
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