Discovery workflow
Index and marshal exhibits with Claude
A three-step workflow for organizing Bates-stamped discovery, building an exhibit list, and creating working exhibit PDFs.
Practice note
Preserve the originals and verify every step.
Exhibit organization workflow
| Factor | Raw production set | Reviewed working exhibit set |
|---|---|---|
| Organization | Bates-stamped files may be difficult to scan and group quickly. | Create an index, then confirm document families and Bates ranges. |
| Selection | Identify possible exhibits from the full production. | Use the reviewed index to choose document numbers for an exhibit list. |
| Working files | Keep original productions unchanged. | Compare every working PDF against its source before use. |
Example conversion prompt
Index and marshal exhibits
Index the documents in the folder.
Group documents that obviously belong together.
List, in table form, the document number, assigned Bates number, title, date, if any, and a brief description of eight words or fewer.Edited transcript
Transcript
Hey lawyers, this is how you can use Claude to help marshal your exhibits.
1. Build and Review an Exhibit Index
First, you want to have Claude index them. Put all of your Bates-numbered documents into one folder. I ran this prompt earlier today:
Index the documents in the folder.
Group documents that obviously belong together.
List, in table form, the document number, assigned Bates number, title, date, if any, and a brief description of eight words or fewer.
Claude will go through and index all the documents in that folder. Then you want to go through the index and make sure it grouped them correctly.
For example, if document five needs to be broken up into three different documents, tell it, and it'll do that. If documents six and seven need to be combined, tell it, and it'll do that.
2. Select Exhibits From the Reviewed Index
Once you get your index down, tell Claude which document numbers you want to use as exhibits, and tell Claude to make an exhibit list with those document numbers. It will do that.
3. Compare Every Working PDF Against the Source
The final step is to ask Claude to make individual PDFs of each exhibit. It will do that too.
Starting with a folder containing all of the Bates-stamped documents produced in discovery, Claude can help you create an index, an exhibit list, and individual PDFs of each exhibit.
This is how you can use Claude to better prepare for trial. Follow me for more tips.