SmartCheck
Handing an evidence bundle to an expert
When what you kept separately has to travel together to a lawyer, an expert or a court, and arrive checkable.
The day comes when what you certified over two years has to leave your organisation as a single bundle. And there the question is no longer whether you have the evidence: it is whether it will arrive in a state where the recipient can check it themselves.
What the bundle must carry
| Piece | What it is for | What happens if missing |
|---|---|---|
| The original files, untouched | They are what gets checked | Without them there is nothing to verify |
| Each one's seal or record | Fixes content and moment | You are left with a file whose date cannot be proven |
| How to check it, explained | So the recipient does it alone | You have to do it for them, and that counts for less |
| An index of what each item is | So it is understood without calling you | The expert works blind and asks about everything |
| The context: what happened and when | It orders the reading | Each document is read in isolation |
Important
There is a technical error that ruins whole bundles and is invisible while doing it: **if you convert the file, it stops matching its seal**. Reprinting a PDF, recompressing a photo to save space, exporting from another program or even a plain «save as» can change the file's bytes — and verification runs on those exact bytes, not on what is displayed. The original travels as it is, unoptimised and untouched. If a lighter version is needed for comfortable reading, it goes separately and is labelled a reading copy.
How to prepare it without spoiling it
- 1
Export the whole file, not document by document
That way each file travels with its record.
- 2
Do not open and resave the originals
Reading them changes nothing; saving them again does.
- 3
Include a page on how to check it
Half a page, with the address where anyone can verify.
- 4
And number everything with an index
Whoever receives it usually does not know your work.
Watch out
The detail that buys the most credibility for the least effort: **let the recipient run the check, not you**. A screenshot from you saying everything matches is a screenshot from you. Give them the file and the way to check it, and they verify it in a minute — from then on they are not trusting anyone, they are checking. That difference is exactly what certifying is for.
What to ask before sending it
Worth knowing
What is submitted in proceedings, in what form and under which formal requirements is decided by your lawyer — and it varies by type of proceeding. **Ask before preparing the bundle**; here we explain how to make sure what you hand over is still checkable on arrival.
›Can I send it zipped?
Yes: compressing does not change the files inside. Converting them does.
›What if they ask for paper?
Print it, but send the digital original too: paper cannot be verified.
›Should I send the whole history?
Ask: too much also complicates, and sometimes it is unwise.
A real case
The situation
A company prepares evidence for an expert and recompresses the photos to fit an email.
What you do
- Sends the originals untouched and attaches a lighter reading copy separately
What you get
The expert verifies each photo independently, which is what had to be possible.
The situation
A folder of loose files is sent to the expert.
What you do
- Provides the evidence with its references
What you get
They can verify each item themselves.
The situation
Context about what each document is missing.
What you do
- Adds an index of what is provided
What you get
The bundle is understood without phone calls.
The situation
Files that were opened and re-saved are handed over.
What you do
- Provides the originals exactly as sealed
What you get
Verification comes out correct.
The situation
More than necessary is handed over just in case.
What you do
- Selects what belongs to the case
What you get
No unnecessary information is provided.
The situation
There is no record of what was handed over.
What you do
- Records the bundle and its date
What you get
The handover is demonstrable afterwards.
This article answers
- preparing evidence for an expert
- handing documents to a lawyer with validity
- sending evidence to a court
- keeping the file verifiable