Several Documents in One File: Mapping a Combined Client Upload for the AI Pass

Jane Doe sends the Firm one PDF, scanned in one go from a stack on her desk. Inside it are a bank statement, a brokerage statement and a page with no heading. Every page is there. They just share one file.

That's the case this piece covers: combined file client documents, where several documents arrive as one scan or one PDF. In this method, the Preparer lists each document inside it with its page range on a page map, then runs the drafting pass. The Firm's instructions ask for each drafted entry to cite the document and the page, not just the file, and the Preparer checks each citation by hand. An entry that rests on a page the Preparer can't place stays open, marked by hand, for the Reviewer's decision.

The plugin drafts; the Firm's preparer prepares; the Reviewer signs off. Every step here is one the Firm writes and keeps, in whatever systems the Firm already uses, and the Firm can adapt the document-handling steps; the Reviewer's sign-off on the whole file stays as it is.

This piece gives a page map layout, a citation pattern, a client message, a marking table, a pre-review check, a Doe example and a line for the Firm's AI instructions.

Separate files, missing pages, several documents in one file

Separate files that need names and an index are covered in setting up the client folder before any AI pass.

A document with pages that never came in is covered in missing pages in a client document.

This case is different: nothing is absent, but several documents share one file.

What counts as a combined file, in this method

In this method, the Preparer treats a file as combined when any of these is true:

• It's a scan that runs across pages with different headings or issuer names.
• It's a PDF the client put together from more than one document.
• It's an attachment saved as one file that holds pages from more than one account or issuer.

If the Preparer can't tell, the Preparer treats the file as combined and builds a page map.

The page map

In this method, the Preparer reads every page and builds a page map on the file index, then runs the drafting pass. The Firm can add this layout to its index.

The page map uses the page order of the file, not the page numbers printed on each document. If a document's pages are scattered through the file, the Preparer lists each run of pages on its own line under that document.

A page the Preparer can't place with a document goes on its own line, with "Unplaced" under Document and a plain note of what the page shows. The Preparer doesn't guess where it belongs from the figures on it.

In this method, the Preparer keeps the combined file as it came in. If the Firm's own policy calls for saving each document as its own copy, the Preparer notes on each copy the file and the pages it came from.

Citing by document and page

In this method, the Firm's instructions ask for each drafted entry from a combined file to cite the document and the page, and the Preparer checks each one. A pattern the Firm can adapt:

"[file, copy ID], [document name from the page map], file page [page]"

A citation to the file alone sends the Reviewer back through every page.

A line for the Firm's AI instructions

In this method, the Firm adds a line, in its own words, to its instructions for the drafting pass on a folder that holds a combined file. A version to adapt:

"Combined file: [file, copy ID]. This file holds several documents; the page map lists them by file page. Cite each entry by document and file page, not by file alone; the Preparer checks and marks entries by hand."

The line is the Firm's wording, not a promise about what any drafting software does. The Preparer still checks each entry against the page it cites and the page map.

Asking about a page that can't be placed

In this method, the Preparer asks the client about each unplaced page, as in the client question log. The Firm can adapt this message:

Hi Jane Doe, thanks for sending your documents. The file holds a page our Preparer can't place: it shows [what the page shows, including any heading or account name]. Could you tell us which document it belongs to, or send that document on its own through our usual upload? Thanks, [Preparer name] at [Firm]

If the Firm's own policy calls for other wording, the Firm's wording wins.

Marking entries drafted from a combined file

In this method, the Preparer marks by hand, in the entry's note, every entry drafted from a combined file. The Firm can rename the marks.

Every mark stays on its entry for the Reviewer's decision.

When the client answers

If the client names the document, the Preparer moves the page to that document's line, quotes the answer, checks the entry against the page and marks it "Placed by client answer" for the Reviewer.

If the client sends the document on its own, the Preparer indexes it like any other document, runs the drafting pass again, checks the new entries against it, and notes the client's answer on the original entry, which stays for the Reviewer's decision.

If the client can't place the page, the Preparer notes the answer on the entry and marks it "Still unplaced" for the Reviewer. What the Firm does next is for the Firm's own policy to decide.

The pre-review check

In this method, the Preparer reads the file against this check before it goes to the Reviewer. The Firm can add its own lines.

• Each combined file in the folder has a page map.
• Each page map covers every page in the file and names who listed it.
• Each page sits on a document line or an "Unplaced" line.
• The Firm's instructions hold a combined-file line for each combined file in the drafting folder.
• No entry from a combined file cites the file alone.
• Entries drafted from combined files carry marks set by hand.
• Each unplaced page has a client question and a note for the Reviewer.

Who lists and who decides

The Firm names people for the document-handling steps; the Reviewer decides on entries and signs off. People at the Firm do every document-handling step.

A mark or a page map line tells the Reviewer where to look. It isn't a sign-off and doesn't stand in for one. The Reviewer sees every marked entry and the page map and decides what happens with each entry, and the Reviewer signs off on the whole file, page map included. No file is done without the Reviewer's sign-off.

A Doe example

The names and file below are made up for illustration.

Jane Doe is a synthetic client of the Firm. Alex Doe is the Preparer and Pat Doe is the Reviewer. Jane sends a PDF that holds pages from Doe Bank and Doe Brokerage.

Alex reads every page. The opening pages show the Doe Bank heading, the next pages the Doe Brokerage heading. A page near the end shows a list of figures and no heading. The last pages show the Doe Bank heading again.

Alex builds the page map: a Doe Bank line for each run of its pages, a Doe Brokerage line, and an "Unplaced" line for the page with no heading.

Alex adds the combined-file line to the Firm's instructions and runs the drafting pass on the folder. Alex checks entries against their cited pages and map, marking placed entries "Cited by page" by hand. Alex marks the entry from the page with no heading "Page unplaced, open" by hand.

Alex sends Jane the message and logs it. Jane says the page belongs to her Doe Brokerage statement. Alex moves the page to the Doe Brokerage line with a note quoting Jane's answer, checks the entry against it, and marks it placed by client answer.

Alex runs the pre-review check and sends the file to Pat. Pat reviews the marked entries and the page map, decides what happens with each entry, and signs off on the whole file.

Where TracePrep fits

We've built a TracePrep plugin that drafts these steps in your Firm's workflow, while your preparer decides and your Reviewer signs off. Join the waitlist and we'll tell you when plugin access opens.

Get on the list for plugin access

This is general information, not tax or legal advice. In TracePrep's workflow, the plugin drafts, the Firm's preparer prepares, and the Firm's Reviewer signs off. Access to the plugin is by waitlist. Keep client data inside the systems your Firm has approved.