Bates numbering

Definition

A sequential numbering system stamped on every page of a document production, so each page can be identified and cited by number. It turns a mountain of paper into a tidy, searchable mountain.

Example Usage

Opposing counsel cited page BATES-004417 in the deposition, and everyone rolled their eyes in unison.

Origin

Named for the Bates Manufacturing Company, whose numbering machines became the standard stamp in legal offices.

Source: Legal practice terminology

Related Terms

Intermediate

expressly

The adverb lawyers use when they want to emphasize that something is explicitly and unambiguously stated, leaving zero room for creative interpretation. It's the legal equivalent of writing something in all caps with three exclamation marks. If a contract doesn't say something expressly, clever lawyers will find seventeen ways to argue what it might have meant instead.

⚖️ Legal

Advanced

declaratory judgment

A court ruling that clarifies everyone's legal rights before anything bad actually happens. It's like asking a judge 'can I do this?' and getting an official answer instead of just doing it and hoping for the best.

⚖️ Legal

Beginner

offender

Someone who breaks the law or violates the rules in a significant way—basically the person everyone's mad at. The protagonist of most police dramas.

⚖️ Legal

Advanced

capias

A fancy Latin term for an arrest warrant that literally means "that you take"—because apparently regular arrest warrants weren't intimidating enough without the dead language. It's a court order commanding law enforcement to haul someone's behind into custody, typically when they've failed to show up for court or need to be detained. These days it's mostly used in civil cases or when someone skips bail.

⚖️ Legal

Advanced

Coram Nobis

A request to a court to reconsider a judgment after conviction, typically on the grounds of error not addressed in the original trial. It's basically asking the court to admit it made a mistake.

⚖️ Legal

Intermediate

arbitrators

Professional dispute settlers who make binding decisions when parties can't work things out themselves, essentially paid referees for grown-up arguments. They wield less power than judges but more than your HR department, and their decisions typically can't be appealed—so pick carefully. The business world's way of saying 'we need an adult in the room.'

⚖️ Legal

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