Bates Range and Production Log

The single most useful document in a long-running matter is a plain table that says which Bates numbers have already been used. Without it, the next paralegal to touch the case has to open old production letters, guess at the last number, and hope nothing was skipped. With it, planning a new volume takes a minute: read the last number in the table, leave a gap, and start there. Our article at /blog/consistent-numbering-across-sets/ explains why this matters across separate productions; this worksheet is the tool that makes it routine.

Fill in one row per volume as it is served, not before. The example rows below use a placeholder prefix and typical shapes of entries; replace them with your own matter details. The Legend column records what confidentiality or privilege wording was stamped so a later challenge can be answered from the log, and the Verified column records who ran the full-set number check and on what date. Keep this file with the originals manifest for the matter.