How Do Legal Tabs Work? Key Tools for Effective Legal Organization
What Is a Legal Tab?
Legal tabs are an important part of organizing legal documents. They are used to separate sections of documents, making it easier for practitioners and their clients to find the information they need. For example, a complaint may be divided into sections with legal tabs, such as "Parties," "Jurisdiction," "Facts," "Claims for Relief," "Prayer for Relief," "Exhibits," and "Signature Block." The use of legal tabs explains what each section of the complaint addresses, allowing practitioners and their clients to identify the appropriate section more quickly .
An additional benefit of legal tabs is to prevent the table of contents in a multi-tab document from being separated during the printing process. For example, the table of positions in a brief would be listed on a tab before the first page of the brief, with the three holes punched in the tab aligned with the three holes in the left margin that correspond with the three holes in the left margin of the three hole punch. This allows the table of contents to not only appear as the first page of the brief, but also ensures that the table of contents will remain attached to the brief itself during the printing process. Legal tabs are a practical, cost-effective, and efficient method of organizing legal documents.
Different Types of Legal Tabs
The world of legal tabs is broad, and the needs of each law office are varied. Legal tabs are used to create order and to help attorneys and paralegals locate the information they need quickly and easily. The two most common types of legal tabs are pre-printed tabs, which are tabs that have standard language that is appropriate for a variety of documents, and custom tabs, which are used in specific circumstances, or where special circumstances apply, and custom language is required. The language of pre-printed tabs are very practical, and are almost always just a few words. The language comes in two sizes, 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch. Some pre-printed tabs include shaded or bolded tabs for sub-tabs, the reason being to clearly delineate between main tabs. Other than size and shading, or bold, there is not much variation in pre-printed tabs between types of cases.
Custom tabs are more commonly used in specific situations, or where a firm uses a lot of one type of document and would prefer to have the document named on the spine, rather than the generic name like "motion" or "brief." Rather than have to sift through a variety of pre-printed tabs looking for the one in question, the attorney can just pull the tab off the shelf and type in the language needed. Most custom tabs are printed on white paper depending on the type of case, some are clear vellum stock so that the tab shows some of the underlying text. Many of the main tabs have a topper tab that is used with a category of documents where the main tab would be attached to the front of the document, and the topper tab identifies the type of document. For example, in a category of discovery documents, the main tab would be "discovery" and then the topper tab would identify the specific nature of the document, such as request for production of documents, or general interrogatories.
Advantages of Using Legal Tabs
Legal tabs offer substantial benefits when organizing legal documents and making information retrieval more efficient. One of the most significant advantages is the improved organization they bring to document management. By categorizing content and providing a quick visual reference, tabs simplify the location of key information in a matter of seconds rather than diving into a lengthy search. This factor is especially important in high-stakes legal situations like depositions and trials where time is often of the essence.
Next, legal tabs can considerably speed up the process of retrieving documents. Instead of sifting through a large binder or folder for an important pleading or exhibit, an attorney can easily zero in on the tabbed section. This efficiency not only saves time but can also facilitate the seamless presentation of arguments and evidence before a judge or jury.
Additionally, the use of legal tabs extends beyond just being a matter of convenience; they also elevate the professionalism of legal practitioners. When documents are properly tabbed and organized, it sends a message that the issuer values clarity, detail, and preparedness. Judges and clients alike appreciate an attention to detail and well-structured, organized documents.
In reviewing the main advantages of legal tabs, improved organization for easier document tracing and faster document retrieval are critical benefits for any attorney. On the professional front, legal tabs impart professionalism in the eyes of judges and clients. In any legal setting, the impact that legal tabs have on legal documents is to improve and organize them appropriately.
How to Select the Right Legal Tabs
It is important to choose legal tabs that will be able to withstand the rigors of courtroom use without the risk of coming off or tearing easily. Durability is especially important for legal tabs that are placed on the top of a pleading, as these tabs experience much more wear and tear than other filed documents. Many legal tabs are sold unbridged, which means that they cannot be used solely with other unbridged legal tabs. Unbridged legal tabs cannot be used on their own and must be bridged to a page in order to be utilized. Knowing whether to use bridged or unbridged legal tabs will depend on your current filing system. If you already utilize bridged legal tabs, then you will need to select unbridged legal tabs for any new filings.
Best Practices for Legal Organisation with Tabs
To ensure that your tab sections work in concert with each other, it is important label them all in a similar manner. A few note-worthy suggestions include: legal tabs should be color-coded, the type of legal tabs used should be consistent, and the filing system used is a common one. Implementing a color-coding system with your legal tabs is an easy way of helping you quickly locate what you need while reviewing or copying a file. For example, red legal tabs could be used to signify a pre-existing contract or agreement in the front portion of the document, while orange legal tabs can be used to identify the main provisions of the same agreement in the middle or body of the document. The type of legal tabs used in an organized filing system should be consistent. For example, if you choose to use divider legal tabs for organizing only the case information, then all legal divider tabs used in your files should be the same color and style. There are several colors and types of legal tabs available for organizing your files. Some of the more common legal tabs include: divider legal tabs , letter legal tabs, report cover legal tabs, separator legal tabs, color tab legal tabs, and removable legal tabs. Consider using removable legal tabs when you need to transfer a document between multiple files. Similar to highlighters, the color-coded removable legal tabs help you identify the contents of the file quickly. Some removable legal tabs are specifically offered in colors, which can be an advantage in organizing your filing system. When maintaining files, consider the amount you write on the same subject. For example, if you write in your fictitious commencement dispute case that you received the opposition’s motion for summary judgment, file it behind your current filed motion folder. This way, when you prepare your opposition to that motion, you will be able to easily access all related correspondence to avoid forgetting what was previously filed.
Legal Tabs and Regulatory Compliance
Effective documentation is a critical component of compliance efforts across all levels of government and across numerous industries. Regulated businesses are usually required to retain specific records or provide access to records upon demand, but keeping track of these requirements can be difficult. Using color-coded legal tabs to make certain statutes, regs, and other sources of legal duties more visible and retrievable can be a great solution.
We discussed these obligations in our article The Role of Legal Tabs in Responding to Government Investigations. This was about a set of 50 "frequently asked questions" that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued for the investigation of a natural gas pipeline company. In that set of questions, FERC asked what laws or regulations addressed the company’s obligations to disclose to state and federal regulatory authorities all information reasonably known to the company regarding an incident involving pipeline service and reliability. The answer was another set of those questions, which were also known as the "demand documents," which were assembled by the company and its counsel.
They addressed the following compliance obligations, among many others: In preparing these capture all of the credible documents requested for each of these requirements, tabs were used to differentiate between the sources of laws or regulations Solicited.
In addition to helping with responding to FERC’s demands, color-coded legal tabs were used to assemble other "hot documents" when responding to other requests made by FERC and other regulatory agencies investigating this pipeline company. These agency demands included, among others, requests for explanations of the company’s procedures to conduct annual pressure tests for pipeline safety, and the company’s obligations to report safety-related incidents to the State of California and the Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. Also included in this set of documents was an explanation of the company’s obligation to provide monthly pipeline operational data to the Interstate Gas Pipeline and Storage Association.
The color-coded tabs for those papers were a great way to speed up the review process. Each of these pieces of legal advice were highlighted using a different color, and every document was organized in a manner that helped the company efficiently understand how the statutes and regulations applied to its business.
Tabbing important documents for receipt and distribution purposes is one of the most obvious, and likely the most common, purposes for having a ready supply of legal tabs on hand. Although not discussed in detail in this article, it would not be unusual to have numerous sets of non-compliance documents, compliance documents, demand documents, and other documents for the most significant investigations, in order to be able to quickly track down information when the need arises.
A careful review of the applicable rules and regulations should be made during the drafting of responses to any request for documents, or during compliance with any obligation to create and maintain documents. In addition to helping identify your most significant "hot documents" color-coded tabs, a second set of tabs can be a useful and effective way to flag compliance documents that will have to be maintained and updated over time.
Leading Innovations in Legal Tabs
The legal industry has embraced digital solutions in many ways, and the use of electronic tabs is no exception. With the advent of cloud storage and virtual filing cabinets, documents that were once printed and tabbed for reference have now become link upon link within a document management system. Lawyers can easily include links within their documents to other relevant documents without the use of physical dividers and tabs. Lawyers are also becoming increasingly aware of the need for paperless solutions that are more environmentally friendly . Instead of using plastic cover sheets to protect the tabs, some lawyers use paper divider sheets. While the durability of mylar is superior, they cannot be recycled. Since new technologies have become available at lower costs, the market for tabs has grown significantly. While tab dividers were once produced solely by bindery companies, many office supply wholesalers now produce a range of legal tabs. And while some of them are of questionable quality, there are definitely some great product lines on the market.