PDF Tools for Law Firms

Bates numbering that matches how firms actually work

Set a matter or party prefix, a starting number, and a zero-padding width, and the tool produces consistent identifiers such as ABC000001 through ABC001250. Stamps are placed clear of page content, conventionally bottom-right.

For a production spanning several files, merge the set first so the sequence runs continuously — restarting numbering per document is the single most common production error, and it defeats the purpose of Bates numbering.

• Custom prefixes. Matter codes and party abbreviations formatted the way your firm does it.
• Zero-padded sequences. Consistent width so identifiers sort correctly in a folder, a database, and a spreadsheet.
• Position control. Place the stamp without covering substantive page content.
• Continuous across a set. Merge first, stamp once, and the sequence never restarts mid-production.

Sanitise before you disclose

Every PDF carries metadata beyond its visible pages: author, organisation, the producing application, and creation and modification timestamps. That layer has revealed the true author of documents, exposed that a filing was adapted from another client's version, and given away internal timelines through modification dates.

Run the Sanitize tool over a document before it goes out and that layer is stripped. Doing this locally is the only version that makes sense — uploading a document to have its identifying data removed rather defeats the exercise.

A practical production workflow

Merge the set into a single file. Sanitise to strip metadata. Apply Bates numbering. Spot-check the first page, the last page, and a handful in between. Every step runs on the machine the documents started on, so the chain of custody never leaves your control.

Because PDF Vault installs as a Progressive Web App and works with no network connection, this workflow also runs on an air-gapped machine — which some firms require for particularly sensitive matters.