What format do lawyers want text messages in?
Lawyers usually want the complete conversation, or every message in a set date range, with the date, time and sender’s number on each message, as a PDF they can read and number, plus the original photos and files. Every lawyer and court has preferences, so ask yours before you export, and keep the phone itself unchanged until they say otherwise.
Questions to ask your lawyer
- The whole thread, or a date range? If a range, from when to when?
- Which time zone should times be in?
- PDF, a spreadsheet, or both? Do they also want the native data or a forensic copy of the phone?
- Should you add Bates numbers or an exhibit label, or will they?
- Do they need the photos and videos as separate files?
- How should you send it to them? See sending texts to your lawyer.
What a useful export usually has
- One message per line, in order, with the date, the time to the second and the time zone.
- The sender’s name and phone number or email address on each message.
- Photos where they were sent, and the original files alongside.
- Page numbers, and Bates numbers if asked. See Bates numbering.
- A cover page on how, when and from which source it was made, and hashes of the files.
How TextExhibit covers these
TextExhibit writes the PDF this way by default, can add a case name, an exhibit label and Bates numbers, and can export the same conversation as a CSV spreadsheet and an HTML page at the same time. Attachments go into the same folder, with manifest.txt listing a SHA-256 hash for every file.
What to keep in mind
- This is general information, not legal advice.
- In some cases a lawyer will want a forensic examination of the phone instead of, or as well as, an export. An export does not replace that.
- Do not mark up or edit the export you send. If you want to point things out, send your notes separately.
Questions
Is a spreadsheet useful to a lawyer?
Often, alongside the PDF: a CSV can be sorted and searched, and a paralegal can filter by date or sender. The PDF is what gets read and filed.
Should I export everything with the other person?
Ask. Some lawyers want everything; others want only what matters, and a huge export can be harder to work with.
Can I delete unrelated messages first?
Do not delete anything without asking your lawyer. Deleting messages can cause serious problems in a legal matter. Export a date range instead if you only need part.
Export the whole conversation
TextExhibit turns a conversation into one PDF with exact times, names and numbers, photos in place and page numbers, on your Mac. Free to preview; $24.99 once to export.