Reconcile a criminal brief with its exhibits
Match a served brief’s item references to actual received evidence and flag unreadable or inconsistent exhibit identities.
Tools for the documented steps
Practice relevance
Practice-specific administrative workflow · Matches a criminal brief’s contents list and exhibit identifiers to received evidence.
Scope: AU-NSW: lawyer-approved criminal brief scope
The problem
A brief contents list can refer to statements, recordings or exhibits that were not received or cannot be read.
Why it matters: A missing exhibit or unreadable recording can leave hearing preparation based on an incomplete brief. Reconciling the contents list with received files shows what staff need to locate or refer to the lawyer.
Sources & evidence
Primary workflow and tool capabilities documented; editorial adaptation, untested.
What’s been verified
No measured outcome for this exact adaptation. Run synthetic acceptance tests before deployment.
What to measure: In a synthetic pilot, record confirmed findings, false alarms, missed items and preparation/review time. Do not infer a saving from an untested draft.
- Legal Aid NSW: preparing for a defended hearing ↗Explains brief contents and that not every charge requires a brief.
- Legal Aid NSW: preparing a defended Local Court hearing ↗Lawyer training identifies checks for signed and dated statements.
- Smokeball AU: Archie supported matter context and limitations ↗Matter-native document and note review with source links. Images, rendered PDFs and spreadsheets are not extractable; broader contacts and trust transaction history are unavailable. This is capability evidence, not validation of this recipe.
- Smokeball AU: reviewing documents with Archie ↗Documents native review UI and matter-context limitations; no recipe testing claimed.
Source checked: October 15, 2026. This is an editorial adaptation of documented methods and tool features. No customer result or end-to-end test is claimed. We wrote these prompts. The adapted workflow hasn’t been tested.
The source method
Start when: A police brief or supplementary brief is received.
- Confirm authority for the existing indexed matter context before opening AI review.
- Collect the approved original records and make only the checked text copies needed for readability.
- Run the bounded comparison with source IDs, item coverage and explicit incomplete flags.
- Check the report against the originals and retain it for internal human review.
Limits and review
Internal administrative review only. Do not infer legal compliance from completeness; do not file, serve, contact anyone, change originals or decide legal rights.
Who reviews it: No conclusion about completeness under law, admissibility, credibility, guilt or plea. Media review and original signature verification remain human tasks; comply with restrictions on protected evidence and AI use.
What you need
Archie inside the authorised Smokeball matter
- Responsible lawyer confirms jurisdiction, applicable court AI rules, scope, client confidentiality, processing terms and authority before real matter data is indexed. Test in a synthetic matter first.
- Existing licensed, authorised AU Smokeball and Archie access. Add-ons and specialised modules must already be enabled; no new permissions or connections are included.
- Lawyer supplies the current matter-specific review checklist, permitted source list, and any controlling orders. No automatic deadline calculation.
- Before using real data, the responsible lawyer must approve the existing indexed matter context, processing terms, staff access and shared chat history. Archie may index the last 50 recently worked matters when enabled. Selecting attachments or saying ONLY in a prompt is not a privacy boundary. Do not enable Archie or change permissions as part of this recipe. If existing access exceeds authority, stop; use an already-approved segregated matter/workspace or a human review.
- Create an expected-source and covered-item register with stable document IDs and original page/section/record locators. Use bounded batches of at most 20 attached files, smaller where text is long. Combined text may be trimmed. Confirm every expected source and item was actually read; any absent, unreadable, truncated or unprocessed batch means INCOMPLETE, never a completeness assurance. Do not invent page numbers.
How to use
Needs planning · Documentation-checked steps; this adaptation has not been run in a live account.
- Before using real data, the responsible lawyer must approve the existing indexed matter context, processing terms, staff access and shared chat history. Archie may index the last 50 recently worked matters when enabled. Selecting attachments or saying ONLY in a prompt is not a privacy boundary. Do not enable Archie or change permissions as part of this recipe. If existing access exceeds authority, stop; use an already-approved segregated matter/workspace or a human review.
- Create an expected-source and covered-item register with stable document IDs and original page/section/record locators. Use bounded batches of at most 20 attached files, smaller where text is long. Combined text may be trimmed. Confirm every expected source and item was actually read; any absent, unreadable, truncated or unprocessed batch means INCOMPLETE, never a completeness assurance. Do not invent page numbers.
- Preparing and checking the source packet takes staff time. For a small record set, use direct human review if preparation would take longer. No efficiency gain has been measured.
Check access and setup
- Existing AU Smokeball/Archie licensing, required modules and staff access must be confirmed by the firm; the directory has not inspected its account.
- Jurisdiction, court AI rules, source-processing terms and client authority require the responsible lawyer’s approval. This guide does not enable AI, connect accounts or change access.
Approve indexed-context access
Authorised source application / human reviewer · Responsible lawyer: existing matter/indexed-context access review
Before using real data, the responsible lawyer must approve the existing indexed matter context, processing terms, staff access and shared chat history. Archie may index the last 50 recently worked matters when enabled. Selecting attachments or saying ONLY in a prompt is not a privacy boundary. Do not enable Archie or change permissions as part of this recipe. If existing access exceeds authority, stop; use an already-approved segregated matter/workspace or a human review.
- Expected output
- Documented authority and scope, or BLOCKED before AI access
- Next step
- Continue only with verified authority and the listed output; otherwise stop and record the blocker. Pass source IDs and coverage status to the next step.
- Check before continuing
- Verify against original source evidence. Missing authority, unreadable inputs, absent batches or uncertain text trimming blocks completeness claims.
Acquire original sources
Authorised source application / human reviewer · Authorised source application/matter; acquisition instructions below
Open the criminal matter and preserve the supplied brief, its original contents list and each attachment. Record file names, page ranges and exhibit identifiers without altering evidence.
- Expected output
- Identified authorised original sources and IDs, or an acquisition blocker
- Next step
- Continue only with verified authority and the listed output; otherwise stop and record the blocker. Pass source IDs and coverage status to the next step.
- Check before continuing
- Verify against original source evidence. Missing authority, unreadable inputs, absent batches or uncertain text trimming blocks completeness claims.
Prepare source-first inputs
Authorised source application / human reviewer · Authorised source application/matter; acquisition instructions below
Have staff prepare a text-bearing exhibit manifest from the received files, including unreadable scans, media and missing attachments. Attach the original text-bearing contents list, manifest and lawyer-approved statement metadata to the matter. Do not upload restricted evidence without authority.
- Expected output
- Readable verified input packet with original locators, or manual-review gaps
- Next step
- Continue only with verified authority and the listed output; otherwise stop and record the blocker. Pass source IDs and coverage status to the next step.
- Check before continuing
- Verify against original source evidence. Missing authority, unreadable inputs, absent batches or uncertain text trimming blocks completeness claims.
Plan bounded source coverage
Authorised source application / human reviewer · Internal expected-source/covered-item register
Create an expected-source and covered-item register with stable document IDs and original page/section/record locators. Use bounded batches of at most 20 attached files, smaller where text is long. Combined text may be trimmed. Confirm every expected source and item was actually read; any absent, unreadable, truncated or unprocessed batch means INCOMPLETE, never a completeness assurance. Do not invent page numbers.
- Expected output
- Bounded batch plan and complete expected-source register
- Next step
- Continue only with verified authority and the listed output; otherwise stop and record the blocker. Pass source IDs and coverage status to the next step.
- Check before continuing
- Verify against original source evidence. Missing authority, unreadable inputs, absent batches or uncertain text trimming blocks completeness claims.
Open native document review
Smokeball Archie · Smokeball matter > Archie tab > paperclip, or Files > select files > right-click > Ask Archie about these documents
Open the authorised matter > Archie tab > paperclip; alternatively Files > select approved documents with Shift/Ctrl > right-click > Ask Archie about these documents. Wait for ingestion. Use only verified text-bearing sources; unreadable media or scans require human transcription and verification.
- Expected output
- Ingested approved text-bearing source batch, or INCOMPLETE input
- Next step
- Continue only with verified authority and the listed output; otherwise stop and record the blocker. Pass source IDs and coverage status to the next step.
- Check before continuing
- Verify against original source evidence. Missing authority, unreadable inputs, absent batches or uncertain text trimming blocks completeness claims.
Run the bounded comparison
Smokeball Archie · Archie question field, with batch ID and source register
Paste the starter prompt with the expected-source register and explicit batch ID. Require a covered-item list plus missing/truncated/unreadable sources. If coverage cannot be verified, mark the run incomplete and stop any completeness conclusion.
- Expected output
- Draft rows plus actual covered-source/item register and explicit incomplete flags
- Next step
- Continue only with verified authority and the listed output; otherwise stop and record the blocker. Pass source IDs and coverage status to the next step.
- Check before continuing
- Verify against original source evidence. Missing authority, unreadable inputs, absent batches or uncertain text trimming blocks completeness claims.
Verify and retain the internal review
Microsoft Word / human reviewer · Archie response > Copy or Open in Microsoft Word
Copy the result or open it in Word for internal review only. Verify every exception and cited locator against the original, reconcile covered items across every batch, and retain unresolved/manual-review rows. Do not use Outlook/Client Portal send, update native records, file, serve or release originals.
- Expected output
- Human-checked internal report with unresolved items preserved; no external action
- Next step
- Continue only with verified authority and the listed output; otherwise stop and record the blocker. Pass source IDs and coverage status to the next step.
- Check before continuing
- Verify against original source evidence. Missing authority, unreadable inputs, absent batches or uncertain text trimming blocks completeness claims.
What you’ll get
An exhibit reconciliation: listed-but-not-received, received-not-listed, inconsistent exhibit labels, and statement signature/date checks for lawyer verification.
Inputs and a sample test Synthetic example · not a measured result
Input files
- approved-scope-template.docx: the lawyer’s scope, permitted sources and context-access checks.
- synthetic-source-packet.docx: a fictional test packet only; replace it with approved actual source records only after all access and scope gates pass.
- source-coverage-register.csv columns: batch_id, source_ref, original_locator_range, expected_items, covered_items, readability, truncation_check, coverage_status, reviewer
- review-output.csv is a blank OUTPUT table, not source evidence. Columns: brief_item, exhibit_id, listed_description, received_file, page_range, readability, signature_date_evidence, exception, source_ref, source_locator, batch_id, coverage_status, manual_review
- expected-results.csv and EXPECTED-CASES.md are answer keys. Keep them outside the AI’s indexed test context.
Synthetic example
Use the kit’s synthetic-source-packet.docx and approved-scope-template.docx. The packet includes matching, conflicting, missing, excluded and human-recorded unreadable cases, plus separate withheld-source, unprocessed-batch, simulated-trimming and wrong-client-access tests. Do not give the answer key to the model.
Expected output
The expected-results.csv answer key shows the exact output columns and source locators. Missing, unreadable or unprocessed sources keep the overall run INCOMPLETE. An unauthorised indexed context is BLOCKED before AI access. These are expected test behaviours, not observed results.
Test a failure
Include at least one exact match, one conflicting value, one missing source, one explicitly out-of-scope item and one unreadable attachment. Pass only if each is labelled correctly with a source or explicit absence, and no external action occurs. Include a withheld source, a second batch not processed, a simulated trimmed source and a wrong-client access case. Every run must remain incomplete or blocked until those are resolved; selected attachments must never be described as isolating indexed context.
Try with the sample files
Follow the tool steps above and use the inputs named in each step. Where provided, native-* files are blank scaffolds and NATIVE-INPUT-MAPPING explains their fields. Original examples and the optional full review prompt use a separate prepared-input schema. Keep them separate unless the mapping explicitly connects them. Downloading a kit does not connect accounts or prove the workflow works.
Download inputs and checklist 10 files
Instructions, blank templates and separate synthetic examples; these files do not install an automation. Blank templates still need verified source data.
- Download starter kit All inputs, synthetic examples and review notes in one ZIP. No automation is installed.
- Source acquisition and execution guide Documentation-checked source acquisition, exact seven-step execution chain, privacy boundary, manual handoff and review limits
- Approved scope and source template Blank internal lawyer and staff preparation record; no authority is granted by an unfilled template
- Synthetic text-bearing source packet Fictional source scope, manifest and source excerpts; separate coverage scenario metadata; no answer key
- Blank review output Exact-schema header-only output template; not a native input export
- Expected baseline review results Separate synthetic answer key; keep outside all indexed test context
- Blank source coverage register Exact-schema blank expected-versus-actual coverage register
- Synthetic source coverage plan Populated planning example with covered items and reviewer blank; NOT RUN statuses are not observed results
- Exact reviewed starter prompt Exact locked-source prompt; operator supplies selected scenario and batch ID separately
- Expected coverage and access cases Separate synthetic case answer key for baseline, withheld source, second batch, trimming and wrong-client access; do not ingest
Optional full review prompt for prepared inputs
Prepared-input review prompt with Archie inside the authorised Smokeball matter
Editorial prompt · proposed, not tested. This prompt uses the original prepared-input schema shown in the sample test. Step prompts may use different tables. Follow NATIVE-INPUT-MAPPING where supplied; do not mix the original examples with native-step inputs without mapping and checking every field.