Resource
Bates numbering a medical records set
A Bates number gives every page one address. A deposition, a motion and a chronology can then cite the same page the same way.
What a Bates number is
A Bates number is a label stamped on each page in sequence. It is a prefix and a fixed count of digits: SMITH-000001.
The prefix usually names the case or the producing party. Leading zeros keep the pages in order when a list of them is sorted.
Three rules for a set that stays citable
- One sequence for the whole set. Records from several custodians take one run of numbers with no restarts.
- Stamp the final set. A page removed after stamping leaves a hole in the sequence that reads as a missing page.
- A number stays with its page. Renumbering a set breaks every citation already made to it.
The ABA’s Mass Torts newsletter calls stamping records before disclosure an often-overlooked step.
The custodian’s stamps stay readable
Many productions arrive already stamped by the custodian. Those stamps are how a missing page is proven. A new stamp belongs in a margin they do not occupy.
What the production log records
One line per range: the first number, the last number, the custodian and the date produced.
What Claracord delivers
Productions from several custodians are combined into one record set. It comes back deduplicated, indexed and Bates-stamped, with a log of every page removed.
Human-verified. A complete sample case is on the home page. Synthetic demo case.