For the Paralegalat 4 p.m.

Most Bates numbering tools fall into one of three categories, each with a different friction point that lands on the paralegal rather than the partner who chose it.

• Adobe Acrobat Pro— works perfectly, but it requires a license, IT approval, and isn't available on every workstation in the firm.
• Cloud Bates tools— fast and capable, but they require uploading the PDFs to a third party. For client-confidential or privileged documents that's a non-starter, even when the vendor is reputable.
• Desktop applications — Bates Express, BatesPro, and others. Often dated, often paid, and routinely blocked by corporate IT policies the moment you try to install one.

BatesStamp lives in the browser tab you already have open. No install. No admin rights. No upload.

• It is a webpage. There are no executables to whitelist.
• During processing, there are zero outbound network requests. You can verify this in DevTools or, if your IT team prefers, with Wireshark.
• The tool functions with no internet connection at all after the first load.
• Forward your IT team to the privacy verification page — a printable one-pager designed to satisfy a software approval ticket.

• Custom prefix — typically the matter or party identifier (e.g., SMITH 0000001).
• Configurable padding — one to ten digits, to match firm convention or a specific court order.
• Continuous numbering across files — drop your whole production set in order and receive a single sequential numbering across the entire collection.
• Position presets — bottom-right is the default and the universal standard, but all four corners and the top and bottom centers are available.
• Optional date suffix — production date inline with the Bates number when needed.