The tools are the ones a practice actually reaches for. Header & Bates draws sequential stamps as real text across a whole production set in one pipeline. Redact re-renders marked pages so the covered text ceases to exist rather than hiding under a rectangle, with regex lists and a downloadable log. Compare diffs two drafts line by line. Certify adds a cryptographic signature, and Request signatures gets a document signed by several parties without the contract ever sitting on a server in the clear. PDF/A conversion with a readable preflight handles the court’s filing format.
The jobs, and the tool for each
Bates-number a production set
Discovery documents are exactly the files a third-party server should never hold. The stamps are drawn as real text on your device, and a Pipeline runs the counter across every file in order.
Bates Numbering →Redact privileged or personal content properly
Marked pages are re-rendered with the boxes burned in, so the text underneath is removed rather than covered. Search-and-redact lists, PII suggestions and a downloadable redaction log support a two-person review.
Redact PDF →Send a contract for signature without a server holding it
The document is sealed in your browser; each signer signs on their own device through a tokenized link; the broker stores only ciphertext and hashes. Completion appends a hash-chained audit page and a trusted timestamp.
Request PDF signatures →Certify a filing so tampering is detectable
A real detached CMS signature with a key that is generated non-extractable in your browser, or your own imported .p12/.pfx certificate — the private key never leaves the device.
Certify PDF →Compare two versions of a draft
Contracts mid-negotiation are the most sensitive documents of all. Both versions are diffed line by line in your browser, side by side, with a plain-text report of every change.
Compare PDF →Convert to PDF/A for e-filing
The preflight explains each objection in plain language before converting, and the report says exactly what changed — pointing to veraPDF for a certified verdict rather than promising a pass.
PDF to PDF/A →What leaves your device
The documents never leave the device: there is no upload endpoint for PDFs, so Bindery holds no copy of a matter, a client name or a page of discovery, and nothing exists on a server to be preserved, produced or breached. An optional account stores an email address and sign-in identity, the plan you are on, a minimal daily job count and any Pro recipes or tool presets — settings, never documents. Two features deliberately use Bindery’s storage, and both hold only what your browser sealed first: Secure handoff links and signature requests upload AES-256 ciphertext together with token hashes and SHA-256 hashes of each version; Bindery never has the key. Teams adds a count-only activity view (jobs per member, no file names, tools or sizes) and an audit log of admin events such as invites and shared assets. None of this is a substitute for your own confidentiality obligations, and Bindery makes no certification claim; it simply removes the upload.
The full list of services, retention periods and subprocessors is on the security page; the verify page shows how to confirm the no-upload claim in your own browser.
Questions people ask
Is Bindery’s redaction defensible for disclosure?
The mechanism is sound: redacted pages are rasterized with the boxes burned in, leaving no text layer beneath them, and untouched pages keep their text. What software cannot do is decide what is privileged. Use the redaction log, strip metadata afterwards, and have a second person run the copy-and-search test before release.
Can the whole firm share the same Bates and stamp settings?
Yes. Teams shares recipes, tool presets, signature images and a logo with every member, and admins can set defaults such as stripping metadata from every output. Presets are settings only — the documents they are applied to stay on each member’s device.
Are signature requests legally binding?
The completed file carries each signer’s drawn signature, a hash-chained audit page and a certification with an RFC 3161 timestamp — the evidence trail electronic-signature laws describe. Whether that suffices depends on your jurisdiction and the document type; Bindery does not offer legal advice on that point.