- Washington exhibit marking and exchange rule (CR 16) (CR 16)
Governs exhibit marking, exchange deadlines, and disclosure for commercial litigation cases in Washington courts.
Commercial Litigation Exhibits in Washington
Your summary-judgment opposition is due on Friday. The master agreement, three amendments, an email production and a damages report go in as exhibits to your declaration, in an order that follows the argument, with a contents page the court can navigate.
Complete guide to preparing commercial litigation exhibits that comply with Washington court requirements. Learn the correct labeling conventions, exchange deadlines, and e-filing procedures.
- Washington's primary rule governing exhibit preparation is CR 16.
- Plaintiffs in Washington label exhibits with Numbers (1, 2, 3...).
- Defendants in Washington label exhibits with Numbers with prefix (D-1, D-2...).
- Washington courts require electronic exhibits to be filed through Check filing and exhibit delivery with your court.
- Exhibits must be exchanged with opposing counsel 14 days before trial (CR 16) under CR 16.
- Common commercial litigation exhibits in Washington include contracts, financial records, business communications.
- ExhibitPrep applies Washington exhibit stamps entirely in the browser, so commercial litigation case files never leave the user's computer.
What goes wrong with commercial litigation exhibits, and how it is handled
What goes wrongThe exhibits go in as one bookmarked PDF in the order the brief cites them, with a table of contents.
How ExhibitPrep handles itCombining produces one PDF in exhibit order, with an optional table of contents and clickable bookmarks; each contents entry lists the exhibit label, its title when you add one, and the page it starts on.
What goes wrongThe argument moves while you draft, and the exhibit order has to move with it without relabeling by hand.
How ExhibitPrep handles itDrag exhibits into a new order and the labels reassign in that order; exhibit titles stay with their documents.
What goes wrongThe other side's production carries its own Bates range, and your exhibits need page references of their own.
How ExhibitPrep handles itBates numbering adds page numbers with the prefix, starting number and zero padding you set — ABC-001 onward — and the count continues across the documents in a set or restarts in each file.
What goes wrongThe local rule wants a multi-page exhibit internally paginated, so a 60-page agreement has to read 3, 3-2, 3-3 … on every page.
How ExhibitPrep handles itTurn on Number every page of each exhibit and the stamp itself carries the page number — Exhibit 1 on the first page, then Exhibit 1-2, Exhibit 1-3 to the last page — with a hyphen or a period, previewed page by page and read back from every page before the file is delivered.
Essential tools for commercial litigation exhibits
Combine with a table of contents
One PDF in exhibit order, with an optional table of contents and clickable bookmarks
How it worksBates numbering
Page numbers with the prefix, starting number and zero padding you set — ABC-001 onward
How it worksExhibit list
A captioned Exhibit List PDF built from the labels and titles you assigned
How it worksWashington Exhibit Requirements at a Glance
| Plaintiff Exhibits | Numbers (1, 2, 3...) |
| Defendant Exhibits | Numbers with prefix (D-1, D-2...) |
| Exchange Deadline | 14 days before trial (CR 16) |
| Primary Rule | CR 16 |
| E-Filing System | Check filing and exhibit delivery with your court |
Common Commercial Litigation Exhibits
Contracts
Agreements, amendments, exhibits, and related documents. For Washington e-filing on Check filing and exhibit delivery with your court, confirm the current file-size cap (Confirm the limit for the intended delivery system) before uploading.
Financial Records
Invoices, payments, accounting records, P&L statements
Business Communications
Emails, letters, meeting notes documenting the dispute
Expert Reports
Damages calculations, industry experts, accountants
Corporate Documents
Board minutes, resolutions, organizational documents
Due Diligence Materials
Transaction documents, representations, disclosures
Ready to Stamp Your Exhibits?
Create exhibits for Washington filing review in under 2 minutes
Washington-Specific Considerations
- Washington's Evidence Rule 904 admits documents without live testimony if opposing counsel gets 30 days' notice and doesn't object within 14 days.
- Commercial Litigation exhibits filed through Check filing and exhibit delivery with your court must stay within the court's file-size cap (Confirm the limit for the intended delivery system).
- Plaintiffs in Washington mark exhibits with Numbers (1, 2, 3...); defendants use Numbers with prefix (D-1, D-2...).
- Exchange your commercial litigation exhibit list 14 days before trial (CR 16), and confirm any county-level variations with the clerk before trial.
How to Prepare Your Exhibits
Gather Your Documents
Collect all documents relevant to your commercial litigation case. This typically includes contracts, financial records, business communications, and other supporting evidence.
Convert to PDF
Convert all documents to PDF format. Washington courts require electronic exhibits to be filed via Check filing and exhibit delivery with your court. Scan paper documents at 300 DPI.
Apply Exhibit Labels
Use ExhibitPrep to add exhibit stamps for Washington filing review. Plaintiffs commonly use Numbers (1, 2, 3...), while defendants commonly use Numbers with prefix (D-1, D-2...); verify the governing rules.
Exchange with Opposing Counsel
Exchange your exhibit list and copies with opposing counsel 14 days before trial (CR 16) per CR 16.
Save Hours on Exhibit Preparation
ExhibitPrep stamps all your commercial litigation exhibits in minutes, not hours. Upload your documents, select the correct Washington template, and download court-ready exhibits.
Frequently Asked Questions
How should I label commercial litigation exhibits in Washington?
Use Numbers (1, 2, 3...) for plaintiff exhibits and Numbers with prefix (D-1, D-2...) for defense exhibits, per CR 16. Washington's Evidence Rule 904 admits documents without live testimony if opposing counsel gets 30 days' notice and doesn't object within 14 days. ExhibitPrep's Commercial Litigation templates apply the right prefix automatically, so you're not re-deriving the local convention on every filing.
When do I have to exchange commercial litigation exhibits in Washington?
Washington sets the exhibit exchange window at 14 days before trial (CR 16), though the exact date can shift with your assigned judge's scheduling order. Confirm the deadline in your case's pretrial order before you start stamping, then batch-process the full commercial litigation production in one ExhibitPrep session once it's locked in.
What e-filing system handles commercial litigation exhibits in Washington?
Washington runs electronic filing through Check filing and exhibit delivery with your court. Check the current upload cap before filing (Confirm the limit for the intended delivery system), export each exhibit as a text-searchable PDF, and split any long contracts into separate files so a single scanned record doesn't blow past the limit.
What exhibits come up most in a Washington commercial litigation case?
Commercial Litigation matters in Washington typically turn on contracts, financial records, business communications, plus whatever case-specific records the dispute calls for. Washington's Evidence Rule 904 admits documents without live testimony if opposing counsel gets 30 days' notice and doesn't object within 14 days. Stamp them all inside ExhibitPrep using the matching plaintiff or defense template, so every exhibit in the production carries a consistent, consistent exhibit mark before it goes to opposing counsel.
Can I stamp a large commercial litigation production for Washington courts?
Yes. The Day Pass ($14.99) gives you unlimited stamping for 24 hours, which covers hundreds of exhibits in a single commercial litigation case. Processing runs entirely in your browser, so your Washington case files never leave your computer. That matters here because e-filing upload caps (Confirm the limit for the intended delivery system) often force a large production into multiple separate uploads.
Related Resources
Ready to Stamp Your Washington Exhibits?
Create commercial litigation exhibits for Washington filing review in minutes with ExhibitPrep.
Start Stamping ExhibitsFree to preview • No account required • $4.99 to download
ExhibitPrep formats documents; it does not provide legal advice or filing approval. Some guidance remains unverified. Citations support only their stated claims and scope. Review the finished files against current court instructions and case orders before filing. Check requirements and the finished PDF before filing.