Control Numbers

General

Control numbers are a unique string of consecutive numbers.  They are similar to Bates numbers (sequential and can be printed on documents) and can be automatically assigned after a batch upload in the Lexbe eDiscovery Platform (LEP).

Purpose

Control numbers simplify the task of organizing documents, assembling document issues, and managing the review before Bates stamping is applied to a production.  Control numbers are document specific in LEP, meaning the same control number is applied to the entire document. LEP will automatically put documents in alphabetical order by Title, so assigning control numbers to un-produced documents ensures that the email families are maintained when exporting to a briefcase, or needing to sort for other reasons. 

Assigning Control Numbers 

Users can add control numbers by selecting the Case tab and choosing Add Case Documents. After all uploads in the queue have been completed, expand the Control Numbers drop-down and click "Assign to Case Docs" button. A control number will be assigned to each document in the case. 


Once document control numbers have been added to the files, LEP will automatically check to ensure the numbers are not duplicated.  If control numbers are added to subsequent batches of files, LEP will start where the last control number left off, avoiding the possibility of two users creating the same document control number at any time. If control numbers are being used in a case, each time new documents are added, the user must click "Assign to Case Docs" for the numbers to populate on the new documents.  It is not done automatically.

Processing Time

Applying control numbers is not instantaneous. For a small case, it should complete within a few minutes.  For a very large case, the process of assigning control numbers could take several hours to complete.  

Control Number Label Location

To print the control number on the bottom-right of the page, select that option in the Download Briefcases dialog box. See Download Briefcase for more information.

Showing the Association of Email Messages and Their Attachments

Control numbers will order email attachments after the email body for MSG files and can be filtered and sorted with attachments nested after the email, then filtered by Doc Type from the Browse page.  The result will be an ordered list of email parents followed immediately by the attachment children.

Export to Excel

From the Browse and Search pages, select documents and the Control Number column to export to an Excel spreadsheet. The Excel log generates a report that can be filtered and sorted for further analysis. LEP supports the two most recent versions of Excel for Excel integration (2010 and 2013).