The bundle deadline
The hearing is Thursday. The bundle has to be agreed and filed before then. A paralegal has been collecting documents from the matter folder, Outlook attachments and a few scans the client dropped off. They are converting Word files to PDF, merging them in order, typing an index in Word, and then stamping page numbers. At ten at night the other side sends a further witness statement that needs to go in section C, and every page number after it changes.
So the index gets retyped, the page references in the skeleton argument need checking, and the paralegal goes home late again.
Why bundles take so long
Most of the time is not spent choosing documents. It is spent on mechanics: converting formats, merging, ordering, numbering, bookmarking and keeping the index in step with the pages. Those steps are done in a specific order, so any change near the front means redoing everything after it.
General PDF tools can merge and stamp numbers, but they do not know about sections, tabs, the court's or tribunal's practice requirements for bundles, or your firm's own layout. And documents do not live in one place, so collecting them is a separate job before the bundling even starts.
| Step | What goes wrong |
|---|---|
| Collecting documents | Latest versions missed, duplicates included |
| Converting to PDF | Tracked changes or comments left visible |
| Ordering and sections | Date order broken by late additions |
| Index and pagination | Index typed separately and falls out of step |
| Bookmarks and links | Missing, so the judge cannot jump to a tab |
What the late nights cost
The obvious cost is staff time at the worst moment, just before a hearing. The less obvious cost is error: a mis-numbered bundle means page references in submissions are wrong, and correcting them in front of a judge is not a good look for the firm. Where bundle work is not recoverable, or is capped, the hours are simply absorbed.
There is also the fee earner's time, checking the bundle page by page because they do not trust how it was put together.
How we build a bundle tool around your files
- Document picker: the fee earner or paralegal selects documents straight from your document management system or matter folders, with the latest version shown by default and older versions flagged.
- Conversion checks: Word files are converted to PDF with a check for tracked changes, comments and hidden text, which are flagged before the document is accepted.
- Sections and ordering: documents are dragged into sections, with an option to sort each section by the document date held in your system.
- Index and pagination together: the index, page numbers, section tabs and bookmarks are generated in one pass from the same data, so they cannot disagree. Your firm's template controls the layout.
- Rebuild on change: adding a late document is one step, and the whole bundle, index and bookmarks are regenerated. A change report shows which page references moved.
- Output and record: the final PDF is saved back to the matter with a record of which document versions went into it.
Which documents go in, and in what order, stays with the lawyer. The tool handles the mechanical part so that decision is not made at midnight.
What bundle day looks like afterwards
Bundling becomes choosing and ordering, then pressing a button. A late document from the other side is an irritation rather than an evening's work. Page references in submissions can be checked against the change report instead of by flicking through the whole bundle.
Paralegals and trainees spend their time on the parts of litigation that need thought, and partners stop worrying about the numbering.
Does this sound familiar?
- Bundles are built by merging PDFs and typing the index separately.
- Late additions mean renumbering and retyping the index.
- Tracked changes or comments have slipped into a filed bundle.
- The fee earner checks every page because the process is fragile.
- Bundle preparation regularly runs into the evening before a hearing.