A production request arrives with the usual specifics: numbered pages, a load file the other side's review platform can ingest, a privilege log, and redactions where they are needed. Building that from a mailbox export by hand is slow and easy to get wrong. mailin's Production Run workflow takes the job from assembling a batch to producing the set, and this post covers each step, what Bates numbering does along the way, and what to do when something goes out that should not have.
Why you Bates stamp emails before producing them
A Bates number is a unique identifier stamped on every page of a production, usually a prefix followed by a zero-padded sequence. It gives everyone the same way to refer to the same page, which is the whole point when two sides are arguing about a document. Email makes this harder than paper because one message can be one page or forty once attachments are rendered.
mailin generates Bates-stamped PDFs with a configurable prefix and padding. You set the prefix to whatever your matter uses and the padding to however many digits you need, and the numbering is applied when the batch is produced. The stamped PDFs sit alongside the per-email formats mailin can export, which include EML, PDF, TIFF and MSG.
The Production Run workflow, step by step
Production Run is one of the ten Legal / eDiscovery guided workflows in mailin 2.0, modeled on EDRM. It runs in the step-by-step runner with a roadmap rail, auto-saves, and files a numbered document you can reopen from Documents & History. The five steps are:
- Assemble Batch. Pull together the messages for this production, for example from a saved search or a review batch that has already been worked.
- Review & Code. Confirm each message's coding as responsive, non-responsive or privileged.
- Privilege Log. Record the withheld and partially withheld items.
- Bates & Redact. Apply the numbering scheme and redactions.
- Produce. Export the set together with a defensibility summary.
Each step can carry the exact files and emails it relied on, and the optional one-tap sign-off records who completed it and when. Notes on the document are append-only.
Coding and the privilege log
Coding is where most of the judgment lives, and mailin keeps it simple: each message is responsive, non-responsive or privileged. Review batches let you split a large set among reviewers or across days, and evidence tags and annotations carry your reasoning with the message rather than in a separate spreadsheet.
The privilege log step captures what was withheld and why. Because coding happened in the previous step, the log is built from decisions already recorded against specific messages, which is easier to defend than a log assembled from memory at the end. If you are still at the stage of deciding what matters, the first-pass review post covers Early Case Assessment and First-Pass Review, which come before Production Run in the EDRM-modeled sequence.
Redaction and what a redacted export contains
Redacted exports remove personal data or mark redactions on the page, depending on what the matter requires. mailin's on-device PII detection can find emails, phone numbers, SSNs, card numbers, IPs and more, grouped by type with source and risk, so the Bates & Redact step has a list to work from rather than relying on a reviewer to spot every number.
Treat that list as a starting point. Detection is a scan, and a human pass over the redacted output before it leaves the building is still part of the job.
Concordance load files and the produce step
The Produce step writes the set. mailin exports Concordance and Relativity load files so the receiving review platform can ingest the production, alongside the Bates-stamped PDFs. Exports can also be cryptographically signed with Ed25519, and forensic reports carry SHA-256, SHA-1 and MD5 hash manifests, so the recipient can verify that what arrived is what you sent.
The defensibility summary produced at this step is the written account of the run: what was assembled, how it was coded, what was logged and redacted, and what was exported. Together with the numbered document and the tamper-evident audit log that Offline Mode enforces, it is the record you reach for when the production is questioned later. The integrity features post explains that log in detail.
When something slips through: Clawback
Productions are not always perfect, and mailin includes a Clawback workflow in the same Legal / eDiscovery set for the case where material was produced that should have been withheld. Like every workflow it produces its own numbered document, and because Documents & History keeps a per-email history, you can see the original production decision and the clawback side by side. A reversal document records the correction without editing the original.
These features are designed to support common records-integrity and eDiscovery workflows. Admissibility of digital evidence is jurisdiction-specific and depends on factors beyond any single software tool — consult qualified legal counsel for evidentiary use. mailin makes no warranty of fitness for any specific legal or regulatory purpose.
FAQ
Can I set my own Bates prefix and number length?
Yes. Both the prefix and the zero-padding are configurable, so the numbering follows your matter's convention.
Which tier do I need for Bates numbering and Concordance export?
Professional. It includes Bates numbering and Concordance export, redaction, Offline Mode with the audit log, and Ed25519-signed exports, at $9.99 per month, $79.99 per year or $249.99 lifetime. See pricing.
Does any of this require an internet connection?
No. Import, review, numbering, redaction and export all happen on your device. mailin has no account and never contacts an email server.