Six photographs arrive from a client reporting a leak in a rented flat. Two show the same brown patch, one shows a bucket, and the rest are close-ups of plaster. A week later, counsel asks which photograph shows the bedroom before the repair. A useful index lets a colleague open the right image and see who can confirm the timing.
Start with the file you received
Keep the received files together in the matter folder. Give each image a short reference such as P01 and record the filename, including its extension. If two messages contain files named IMG_1042.jpg, put them in separate folders and include the folder in the index. A colleague should be able to locate either image from its row alone.
Record the sender separately from the photographer. A tenant who forwards a contractor's photograph can usually explain how it reached them. The contractor may be the person who can identify the room or say when the picture was taken.
Copy this example into the matter file
The following entries use a fictional matter. Each caption describes something a reviewer can point to in the image. The last column holds questions for the next client call.
| Ref and file | Supplied by | Date taken and basis | Visible detail | Follow-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P01 · tenant/IMG_1042.jpg | Tenant, who says she took it | 3 Nov, according to tenant | Brown patch above a window, with bed frame in view | Ask which bedroom window this is |
| P02 · contractor/IMG_1042.jpg | Tenant, forwarded from contractor | Unknown; tenant received it on 5 Nov | Close-up of exposed plaster beside a white frame | Ask contractor to identify the room and date |
In P01 the bed frame helps someone recognise the room. In P02 the white frame alone gives little sense of location. Keep those details in the captions. A label such as “damage before repair” would quietly assume the very sequence counsel wants to establish.
Use the index during the client call
Open P01 and P02 side by side. Ask the client to identify a fixed feature visible in both, such as a window latch or the corner of a sill. If she recognises only P01, record her identification against that row and leave P02 open. Ask whether a wider view exists that includes both the exposed plaster and a recognisable part of the room.
If the contractor later supplies a wider photograph, add it as P03 and cross-reference P02. Record who linked the images and when. A colleague reading yesterday's note about P02 can then find the same file even after the collection grows.
Check the handover
Give a colleague the index and ask them to find the bedroom photograph and explain its date. If they can open P01, identify the tenant as the source of the date, and tell you what still needs confirmation about P02, the index has answered the practical questions for the next review.