Preparing trial exhibits is one of the most time-consuming tasks in litigation. A single case can involve hundreds of documents that each need a number, a label, a Bates range, and an entry on a formatted list the court will accept. Done by hand, this is slow and error-prone. This guide explains the full workflow and how to do it quickly.
What is a trial exhibit list?
A trial exhibit list is a formatted index of every document or piece of evidence a party intends to introduce at trial. Each entry typically includes:
- Exhibit number — a sequential identifier (e.g. Exhibit No. 1, or a party prefix like PLF-1)
- Description — a short title of the document
- Bates range — the span of Bates numbers the document covers
- Date — the document's date
Most courts require the exhibit list to be filed before trial, and many have local formatting rules. The list works alongside the physical or electronic exhibits, which must be individually labeled.
Exhibit numbering vs. Bates numbering
These two are often confused, but they serve different purposes:
- Bates numbering assigns a unique sequential identifier to every page of every document, used for tracking and citation during discovery. A document might be stamped ABC-000001 through ABC-000012.
- Exhibit numbering assigns one number to each whole document for use at trial. One exhibit can span many Bates-numbered pages.
A complete trial set usually needs both: Bates numbers for reference, and exhibit numbers for presentation.
How to create your exhibit list and label documents, step by step
Step 1 — Upload and organize your documents
Gather your full document set and load it into your exhibit tool. In Exhibix, you can drop in an entire batch at once, and documents are automatically tagged by type (contract, invoice, correspondence) so your set is organized immediately. All processing happens in your browser, so the document contents are not uploaded to a server.
The Exhibix upload screen — drop your full document set or browse by folder. Documents stay in your browser and are never sent to a server.
Step 2 — Clean up existing filenames
Documents often arrive with inconsistent prefixes or numbering. Strip those out so every file starts from a clean, consistent name before you apply your own numbering.
Step 3 — Generate exhibit numbers
Choose your prefix (for example, "Exhibit No." or a party-specific code like "PLF-") and a starting number. The software applies sequential numbers across every document in order. This is the core of building your exhibit list.
The document list after uploading: auto-detected types (Contract, Invoice, Email), exhibit numbers assigned, and Bates ranges auto-detected from existing PDFs shown as green badges.
Step 4 — Apply Bates stamps
Set a Bates prefix and starting number, choose where the stamp appears on the page, and stamp every page across the set. Good tools can also detect existing Bates numbers already present on uploaded PDFs, so you don't double-stamp.
After Bates stamping: each exhibit shows its assigned range (e.g. PLF-000001 – PLF-000002) as a green badge. The Export buttons appear at the bottom.
Step 5 — Add evidence stickers to label each exhibit
Apply court-specific exhibit stickers to each document. Different jurisdictions use different sticker formats, so choose the one your court requires and place it consistently on each exhibit.
Supported evidence sticker formats
Exhibix includes ready-made evidence sticker formats for the following courts and jurisdictions, so each exhibit is labeled exactly the way the court expects:
- Palm Beach County — Circuit Court & Comptroller
- Broward County — Clerk of Courts
- Orange County — Clerk of Courts (9th Judicial Circuit)
- Hillsborough County — Clerk of Circuit Court (13th Judicial Circuit)
- Miami-Dade County — Clerk of the Court (11th Judicial Circuit)
- U.S. District Court — Middle District of Florida (federal)
- U.S. District Court — Southern District of Florida (federal)
- U.S. District Court — Northern District of Florida (federal)
- Federal exhibit format — Plaintiff's / Defendant's / Government Exhibit
- General Civil — Plaintiff/Defendant, numbers or letters (works for most state courts)
- Texas / Ohio — PX / DX prefix format
Each format can be color-coded by party (for example, plaintiff in one color and defense in another) and applied across an entire document set at once.
Step 6 — Export the exhibit list
Export a formatted exhibit list to Word or Excel. Choose which columns to include — exhibit number, description, Bates range, date, admitted, objection — and reorder them by dragging. The Word export uses a narrow number column and separated columns ready to file with the court.
The Export Exhibit List modal: pick and reorder columns, preview the result live, then export to Word or Excel in one click.
Step 7 — Download the complete labeled set
Download every document — stamped, stickered, numbered, and renamed — in a single archive, ready for the courtroom or e-filing.
The finished output: a court-ready exhibit with the Palm Beach County Clerk of Court evidence sticker applied to the top-right corner and Bates stamp PLF-000001 at the bottom-right.
How long should this take?
By hand, labeling and listing a few hundred exhibits can take a paralegal an entire day or more. With dedicated browser-based software, the same set can be numbered, stamped, stickered, and exported in a matter of minutes, because the numbering and stamping are applied across the whole set at once rather than one document at a time.
Build your exhibit list in minutes
Exhibix handles numbering, Bates stamping, evidence stickers, and exhibit list exports — entirely in your browser. Free 14-day trial.
Try Exhibix FreeFrequently asked questions
What is a trial exhibit list?
A trial exhibit list is a formatted index of every document a party intends to introduce at trial, typically including an exhibit number, description, Bates range, and date. It is filed with the court before trial.
How do I number trial exhibits?
Number them sequentially with a consistent prefix — "Exhibit No. 1, 2, 3…" or a party code like PLF-1 (plaintiff) and DEF-1 (defendant). Software applies these across an entire set automatically.
What's the difference between Bates numbering and exhibit numbering?
Bates numbering identifies every page for discovery reference; exhibit numbering identifies each whole document for trial. One exhibit can span many Bates-numbered pages.
Can I create an exhibit list without expensive litigation software?
Yes. Browser-based tools like Exhibix let you number, label, and list exhibits and export to Word or Excel without large enterprise installations.
Which court evidence sticker formats are supported?
Exhibix includes sticker formats for Palm Beach, Broward, Orange (9th Circuit), Hillsborough (13th Circuit), and Miami-Dade (11th Circuit) counties; the U.S. District Courts for the Middle, Southern, and Northern Districts of Florida; a general federal Plaintiff's/Defendant's/Government format; a General Civil format for most state courts; and a Texas/Ohio PX/DX format. Each can be color-coded by party.