Exhibit labels
What Exhibit labels actually does
An exhibit label and a Bates number look similar and do opposite jobs. A Bates number is applied during discovery to every page of a production, so that any single page can be cited unambiguously months later. An exhibit label is applied later, for a motion or a hearing or a trial, and marks one whole document with one identifier so it can be referred to as a unit: the deposition transcript is Exhibit 4, the contract is Exhibit B. The two commonly appear on the same first page doing different work, and the mistake worth avoiding is treating one as a substitute for the other. This page does the exhibit half. The numbering style is a control because courts differ, and the difference is not cosmetic: many jurisdictions have plaintiffs use numbers and defendants use letters, and some local rules invert it, so the style has to follow the rule in front of you rather than a default. The wording is a control for the same reason, since some courts want Exhibit and some want a party designation in front of it. Scope is a control because a short document takes the label on its first page while a long one is often labeled throughout so a page separated from its neighbors still identifies its exhibit.
How to use it
- Choose the document that will become the exhibit.
- Choose numbers or letters and the value to start from.
- Set the wording, which is what appears around the value.
- Choose whether the label goes on the first page only or on every page.
- Check the placement in the board and download.
Useful for
- Label documents for a motion in the order they are cited in the brief.
- Follow a local rule that assigns letters to one party and numbers to the other.
- Label a long transcript on every page so a page pulled out of the binder still names its exhibit.
- Prepare a hearing set where each document carries both an exhibit label and its existing production numbers.
Limits worth knowing
- One label per run, which is one document per run. A set of exhibits is a document at a time, carrying the value forward yourself.
- The label is drawn over the existing content in the chosen corner. There is no reserved band and no page shift to make room for it.
- It is not a substitute for page-level production numbering. Bates numbering is a separate tool on this site and the two are usually both present.
- The label becomes page content and cannot be turned off later, which is what an exhibit sticker is for.
Questions people ask
Numbers or letters?
It depends on the court and often on which party you act for. Many jurisdictions give one party numbers and the other letters, so check the local rule rather than a default.
How is this different from Bates numbering?
A Bates number identifies a page within a production during discovery. An exhibit label identifies a whole document at a hearing or trial. Documents frequently carry both.
Can I label a whole folder at once?
Not here. It is one document per run, and you carry the starting value forward to the next.
First page or every page?
A short document is usually labeled on the first page. A long one is often labeled throughout so that a loose page still identifies its exhibit.