Build a court book you can actually use

Do not print a moving target

A court book should be the physical expression of a settled document set. Printing early feels productive, but a late insertion can break the index, page references and tabs all at once.

1. Write down the filing and delivery deadline.
2. Confirm who is responsible for preparing the book.
3. Confirm whether the book is agreed, joint, tendered, or one party's bundle.
4. Confirm the required contents, order, page numbering and number of copies.
5. Lock the source documents before building the final print PDF.

Plan the book before you touch the printer

Make a simple table with one row per section. This becomes both your production checklist and the index at the front of the finished book.

Use the document titles that appear on the documents. If you need a friendlier description for navigation, keep the formal title first and add the explanation after it.

Build one controlled print file

Keep editable originals in Word or their native format. Create clean PDFs only when the content is final, then combine them into a single master PDF in index order.

• Each document is the correct and final version.
• Sealed or filed copies are used where required.
• Pages are upright, legible and the same paper size.
• No tracked changes, comments, blank accident pages or duplicate documents remain.
• Continuous page numbers match the index and every internal reference.
• Colour is retained only where it carries information.
• The final PDF opens, searches and prints correctly.

A safe final-file pattern

The first file is the controlled master. Add _PRINTED to a copy only after checking that the physical book matches it. Never alter a document received from another party.

Order the printing

Leave enough time for an upload failure, rejected order, unavailable stock or a reprint. If the deadline is tight, confirm the turnaround with the store before relying on it.

Prepare the order

• Upload the single final PDF—not a loose folder of documents.
• Select A4 and print at actual size unless the source or court requires something else.
• Use double-sided printing only if permitted and suitable for the documents.
• Choose black and white unless colour is genuinely necessary.
• Choose paper that turns cleanly and does not show distracting print-through.
• Order every required identical copy in the same job.
• Buy the lever-arch folders, numbered dividers or tabs, and removable flags at the same time.

Before leaving the store

Open every pack. Check the first page, last page, a page in the middle, orientation, page order, print darkness, colour pages and the total number of copies. A printing problem is much easier to fix while you are still there.

Assemble it in document order

1. Clear the table. Keep food, drinks and unrelated papers away from the job.
2. Lay out the sections. Put each document in index order before punching anything.
3. Check each transition. The last page of one document should be followed by the first page of the next.
4. Punch in small batches. Use the same alignment every time and do not force an overloaded punch.
5. Load the binder. Keep every page upright and facing the same way.
6. Add numbered tabs. Put the tab on the first page of its indexed section and match the tab number to the index.
7. Add only useful passage flags. Mark the few passages you expect to need quickly; a forest of flags destroys the navigation system.
8. Repeat exactly. Assemble additional copies from the same checked stacks.

Give the cover and spine a job

The cover identifies the book when it is lying flat. The spine identifies it when it is standing among other folders. They should say the same thing in the same order.

Cover checklist

• Court and division or list
• Proceeding number
• Party names and roles
• Clear title describing the book
• Hearing date or purpose where useful
• Who prepared or filed it, if required

Spine checklist

Use large type and fewer words. The proceeding number, short party names, book title and hearing date are normally enough for identification. Print a test strip on ordinary paper, trim it, and check the fit before using the final insert.

Design for the stressful moment

The test is not whether the folder looks impressive. The test is whether you can hear “take me to the chronology” or “where is that passage?” and arrive there without losing the conversation.

Keep a working copy for yourself if permitted. Write or highlight only in that copy, and distinguish it clearly from any clean copy intended for the court or another party.

Run the final check from the index

Do not “have a quick flick.” Read down the index and physically locate every section in every copy.

• Correct binder and correct title
• Cover sits straight inside the clear pocket
• Spine text is upright and readable from a shelf
• Index descriptions, tabs and page numbers agree
• Every indexed document is present once
• Pages are complete, upright and legible
• No confidential working notes are trapped in a clean copy
• Binder closes easily and pages turn without catching
• Electronic master matches the physical books
• Delivery labels, recipients and deadline are confirmed

The Ash v Machine specimen

The fictional example on this page preserves the useful structure of a real working court book while replacing every identifying detail. Ash's book is deliberately plain: a formal cover, matching spine, one-page index, one-page chronology, numbered section tabs and a handful of flags on the passages that matter.