Earlier in the blog series, we discussed tips for requesting, organizing and summarizing records in personal injury cases.

Today, we will cover how to Bates number those documents. This information can be applied to all types of records (not just medical) in litigation matters.

What is Bates Numbering?

Bates numbering – also known as bates stamping – is when you add numbers to label, identify and index documents. You can Bates number a single document or an entire set. In litigation, this may include medical, employment and insurance records, as well as legal pleadings and exhibits that are pertinent to the client’s case.

You can later reference the Bates numbers in chronologies, summaries and indexes you prepare for the case.

How to Bates Number Documents?

Gone are the days of relying on hand-held Bates stamps and bulky numbering machines – which was the case when I took my first job as a legal professional.

With today’s technology, you can Bates stamp documents in a couple of minutes with programs like CutePDF Professional (my choice!) and Adobe Acrobat.

Here are step-by-step instructions for using CutePDF to add Bates numbers to documents:

1.    First, make sure the document is in PDF format. (If not, you will need to convert the document to PDF first.)

2.    Open the CutePDF program.

3.    Open the document that you want to Bates number.

4.    Select “Header and Footer” in the menu bar.

5.    Choose a location to insert the Bates number. Generally, it is added to the right footer area of the document. However, CutePDF gives you an option to add it to the left or middle footer areas as well as the header area.

6.    Use the tag function (<b>) for chronological numbering of the pages, and be sure to set the length of the Bates number to 5 or 6 digits. For example, you will enter <b>000001 where you want the numbering to appear.

Note: If you do not use the <b> tag, the Bates number you entered in step #5 will repeat throughout the entire document.

7.    Select the font type and size. You can also change the margins if you need to.

8.    Select Ok and check your document.

Are the Bates numbers in the right place and on each page? Are the numbers in chronological order?  Great! You’re done.

If you are using Adobe Acrobat, you can find Bates numbering instructions here.

Litigation of serious personal injury cases can involve loads of documents. When you add multiple parties, the records you are responsible for increases drastically.  Bates stamping will make the document review and production process less of a headache for you and the attorney you support.

How about you: Do you have any bates stamping tips or tools to share? Please share them in the comments section below.

This article is part of the “How To” blog series in which I offer practical tips that paralegals can use to support attorneys before, during and after litigation. Subscribe to get updates so you won’t miss the next article in the series!

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