Legal Definitions - Bates stamp

A Bates stamp refers to a system used to apply a unique, sequential identifier, typically a number, to documents or individual pages of documents. This process is crucial in legal and administrative contexts for organizing, tracking, and referencing large volumes of paperwork or digital files. It ensures that every single page has a distinct mark, making it easy to locate, refer to, and confirm the completeness of document sets. The term can also refer to the act of applying these identifiers to documents.

Here are some examples of how Bates stamping is used:

• Corporate LitigationDiscovery: A technology company is involved in a lawsuit and must provide all relevant internal emails, project plans, and financial reports to the opposing legal team.

  To manage the potentially hundreds of thousands of pages, the legal team uses Bates stamping. Each page receives a unique, sequential number (e.g., "TECH-000001," "TECH-000002," etc.). This ensures that both sides can precisely refer to specific documents during depositions or court proceedings, preventing confusion and confirming that all required documents have been produced.

• Reviewing Medical Records for a Personal Injury Claim: An attorney is preparing a personal injury case and needs to review extensive medical records from various hospitals, clinics, and specialists over several years for their client.

  Before organizing and analyzing these diverse records, the attorney's office applies Bates numbers to every page. This allows them to maintain a clear, chronological order, easily cross-reference specific medical findings, and confidently present a complete and organized set of records to insurance adjusters or in court, knowing that every page can be uniquely identified.

• Government Regulatory Investigation: A financial institution is under investigation by a government agency and is required to submit all transaction logs, compliance reports, and internal audit documents from the past three years.

  To comply with the request and demonstrate thoroughness, the institution's legal department Bates stamps every page of the submitted documents. This system provides an irrefutable record of what was submitted, allowing both the institution and the regulatory agency to accurately cite specific pages or documents during their review and discussions, ensuring transparency and accountability.