Case File Naming Standard — Template

Version: 3.0 Applies to: all non-evidentiary files in any matter folder. Last updated: 2026-07-01

This is the reusable, case-agnostic version. Fill the variables below per matter, or map them to fields in the CMS/workflow. Everything else is fixed firm policy.

Case variables

Set these once per matter. They are the only case-specific values in this standard.

Variable	Meaning	Example value
`{{CASE_CAPTION}}`	Full matter caption	`State v. Joseph Pucciarelli`
`{{DEFENDANT}}`	Defendant, surname-first, hyphenated	`Pucciarelli-Joseph`
`{{PARTY}}`	Any other named person, surname-first	`Johnson-David`

Placeholders use {{DOUBLE_CURLY}}. If your CMS uses a different token style ([defendant], %defendant%, merge tags), swap the delimiters but keep the surname-first, hyphenated value.

The convention

[Subject]_[DocType]_[Detail]_[YYYY-MM-DD]_[vN].ext

Fields are separated by underscores. Words inside a field are joined by hyphens. Title-Case throughout. Include only the fields that apply, always in the order above, and drop the rest. There are no spaces, parentheses, or ALL CAPS.

Every filename leads with what the document is about (its subject, or its type when there is no single subject), never with a date. The date lives at the end as a sort key. This keeps every file, dated or not, starting the same way, and keeps each person’s and witness’s documents grouped together.

Field rules

Subject — first. The person, entity, or statute the document is about. People are surname-first and supplied by variable: the defendant is always {{DEFENDANT}} (never a bare surname); any other person is a {{PARTY}} value. Statutes use their citation (e.g. PL-353-a). If the document has no single subject (a pleading, a piece of correspondence), omit this field and lead with the DocType instead.
DocType — always present. Use the controlled vocabulary below so the same kind of document always reads the same way. Established two-word legal types are single hyphenated tokens (Engagement-Letter, Criminal-Complaint, Background-Report, Jury-Instructions, Question-Bank, Case-Summary).
Detail — optional. Variants, scope, or status: Redacted, MP-Notes, Donahue-Clean, Grid, Verified, Expert-Witnesses, to-Counsel.
Date — optional, second to last, ISO YYYY-MM-DD. Include it only when the document has a real controlling date (correspondence, filings, a generated report). Evergreen or reference material has no date and omits this field. Year-only (YYYY) is allowed when that is the true granularity, e.g. an annual report.
Version — optional, last: v2, v4.

DocType vocabulary

Complaint, Indictment, Motion, Order, Opinion, Memo, Letter, Report, Background-Report, Dossier, Case-Summary, DD5, Jury-Instructions, Questionnaire, Question-Bank, Assessment, Assessment-Report, Guide, Direct, Cross, Profile, Notes, Relationship-Map

Add a new type only when nothing here fits, and keep it a short noun.

Worked examples

Each row shows the abstract pattern and how it renders once the variables are filled.

Pattern	Rendered example	Reading
`{{DEFENDANT}}_Background-Report_July 1, 2026.pdf`	`Pucciarelli-Joseph_Background-Report_2026-04-14.pdf`	person-subject report, dated
`{{PARTY}}_Dossier.docx`	`Delfino-Robert_Dossier.docx`	person-subject dossier, no date
`{{DEFENDANT}}_Question-Bank_MP-Notes.docx`	`Pucciarelli-Joseph_Question-Bank_MP-Notes.docx`	defendant, doc type, annotated variant
`Consultants_Report_Expert-Witnesses_July 1, 2026.pdf`	`Consultants_Report_Expert-Witnesses_2026-01-09.pdf`	subject leads, detail, date trailing
`Memo_to-Counsel_July 1, 2026.pdf`	`Memo_to-Counsel_2026-01-09.pdf`	no single subject, so DocType leads; date trailing
`[Statute]_[Offense]_Jury-Instructions.pdf`	`PL-353-a_Aggravated-Cruelty-to-Animals_Jury-Instructions.pdf`	statute-subject, offense name, doc type
`[Entity]_Annual-Report_[year].pdf`	`NYC-Courts_Annual-Report_2017.pdf`	entity-subject, doc type, year-level date
`[DocType].ext`	`Indictment.pdf`	whole-case pleading, no subject or date needed

One placement only. The date is always at the end. Files that lead with a date are non-conforming and should be realigned.

Exemptions

These are deliberately left outside the convention:

Evidentiary media in 02_Discovery (photos, incident videos, body-worn-camera). Original filenames are preserved for authenticity and chain of custody. Never rename these; if a descriptive name is needed, record it in a separate manifest.
Assets such as _Assets/letterhead.svg.
Working drafts inside any _Working subfolder.
06_Media-Review clips, which are held pending classification.
99_Non-Case_Review and Duplicates, which are holding areas.

Folder map

00_Case-Admin/          engagement, funding, memos to counsel
01_Pleadings/           complaint, indictment, motions, orders
02_Discovery/           case summary, DD5s, BWC, incident video/photos
03_People/              parties, witnesses, dossiers, background reports, maps
04_Experts-Consultants/ consultant reports, expert list, reference authority
05_Trial-Prep/          jury instructions/research, witness prep, mock trial
06_Media-Review/        unclassified media (hold)
99_Non-Case_Review/     personal files that do not belong in the case file

Revision history

v3.0 — 2026-07-01. Abstracted into a reusable template. Case-specific values (caption, defendant, parties) are now {{variables}} set per matter, so one standard drives every case and can be loaded into the CMS/workflow. Worked examples show pattern plus rendered output.
v2.0 — 2026-07-01. Switched the date from leading to trailing so every filename begins with its subject or type, not a number. Standardized the defendant surname-first. Retired the earlier dual date-placement allowance.
v1.0 — 2026-07-01. Initial standard following the reorganization. Date-first template with an allowance for trailing dates on subject-sorted files.