For example, MasterFile's document production briefcases are based on MasterFile's unique "document-centric" repository which was designed and built for both native and PDF document review and production so you're able to meet the developing demands of native document production as well as avoid initial TIFF conversion of native documents.
And unlike conventional litigation support systems, which force you into a "document production" mode that require you to finish the production at one sitting, MasterFile's document production technology uses a novel, easy to understand, three step process that separates the selection of documents to produce from the actual production of those documents so each can proceed independently and incrementally:
1. Accumulation phase: Accumulating the documents to produce
First, you and your team accumulate documents to be produced in a special MasterFile database called a briefcase which like regular MasterFile databases, can be shared with your team. In fact, if you have several production requests to fill, for the same or different cases, you are able to address them all in parallel by simply creating a MasterFile briefcase for each production request.
Your team is able to add, review or remove documents from this briefcase at anytime, even when they are working with notebook computers on the road, disconnected from the office network. Document review, selection and accumulation does not have to be completed at one sitting but can be completed as time is available or as documents are found.
When adding documents to a briefcase you're warned if the document has been flagged as privileged or if the document has already been added to the briefcase, thus helping to prevent mistakes. Furthermore, since MasterFile does not assign document and/or Bates numbers when documents are added to the briefcase, rather assigning them when production actually commences during the next phase, "gaps" in Bates number sequences are impossible and users do not have to worry about dealing with such complexities which plague other products.
2. Production Phase: Format conversion, bates/document number assignment
Once the documents to be produced have been accumulated in a briefcase, all or some of the documents in the briefcase can be "produced" in native or PDF format.
MasterFile's standard features let you create and produce native format briefcases while PDF format briefcases require the Evidence Cruncher -- which also allows you to stamp details such as Bates numbers and dates on each page of the document, as shown below:
Native format briefcases retain the native format documents without any alteration.
PDF briefcases convert all native format documents to "TIF in PDF" format. This format rasterizes all document pages to TIF images and then reassembles the TIF images back into PDF documents. This process also burns any redactions or other markups of existing PDF documents into the TIF image and thus ensures the underlying information neither exists in the produced document nor can it be recovered by hacking or other means. The source documents (native or PDF) are retained unaltered in the source MasterFile database they came from.
PDF format briefcases are assigned and stamped both document and Bates numbers, while native format briefcases are assigned just a document number. Both native document numbers and PDF Bates page numbers are recorded in the production history of the document. This let's you keep track of documents produced in a professional managed manner rather than by simplistic methods such as making copies of native documents in special directories which are risky and error prone.
When all documents have been produced, the briefcase can then be locked to prevent further documents from being added to it, or it left unlocked in case additional documents need to be added to it.
If documents must be produced in both native format and PDF format, simply create two briefcases; MasterFile will track the history of all produced documents, even if produced several times in either or both format.
3. Distribution Phase: Generating physical copies of the produced documents
Once a briefcase has been produced and locked, it becomes a permanent archive of the disclosed documents, complete with document or Bates page numbers and stamped information, for subsequent reproduction in whole or in part, as shown below:
The briefcase's contents can be provided to other parties either as a MasterFile briefcase itself, printed to paper or the documents can be dumped to disk and provided on CD/DVD. Documents in native format briefcases are dumped in native format while PDF format briefcases allow the PDF documents to be delivered as individual PDF or TIF format files, or merged into one or more PDF files with bookmarks to each document.
