Merging a statement with its exhibits
One witness, one file. Merging the statement and its exhibits keeps the bundle index honest and stops exhibits arriving detached from the evidence they support.
Order is the whole job
The statement comes first, exhibits follow in the order they are referenced. If EX2 is cited before EX1, the bundle should say so — merging in the wrong order makes the exhibit references in the statement wrong, which is exactly the kind of error that gets picked up in cross-examination.
Slate lists the files as rows with arrows, and the list order becomes the page order. Reordering after merging means merging again, so the list is worth checking against the statement before pressing the button.
Merge then paginate, not the other way round
Pagination has to happen on the finished file. Numbering the statement and the exhibits separately produces three sequences, and a bundle with three sequences cannot be cited.
Merge first, then run the page-number tool on the merged file, then check that the last page number matches the page count in the index.
What it will not do
It does not insert separator sheets, build an index, or detect that a file has already been merged into the bundle you are building. Password-protected PDFs are refused rather than merged incorrectly.
Is there a limit on how many files I can merge?+
No limit on the count. Each individual file must be under 100 MB.
Does merging preserve each page’s size and orientation?+
Yes. Pages are copied as they are, so an A4 statement and an A3 plan both keep their own dimensions.
Can I merge with exhibits that are scans?+
Yes. Merging copies pages rather than re-rendering them, so scanned pages merge just as cleanly as text pages.
Files are processed in the browser tab and are never uploaded. Slate is not legal advice or a case management system.