Missing Pages in a Client Document: Marking a Partial Copy on an AI-Drafted File

A client uploads a bank statement, and the footer on the first page reads "Page 1 of 4." The upload holds pages 1, 3 and 4. Or a brokerage summary stops partway down a table, and the last page the client sent isn't the last page the document has. The pages that arrived may be clear; the gap is in what didn't.

In this method, the Preparer records missing pages in a client document on the file index, setting the pages received against the pages the document says it has. The Preparer asks the client for the full copy and keeps the partial copy in the folder, labelled as partial. Any entry drafted from a partial copy gets a mark set by hand, so the Reviewer sees it. When the full copy arrives, it gets its own index row, and the Preparer changes the marks by hand.

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 an index row layout, a client request message, an instruction line, a marking table, a pre-review check and a Doe example.

Missing pages, unreadable pages and missing documents

Three cases look alike in a folder. Pages present but hard to read are covered in when a source page can't be read.

A whole document that never arrived goes on the client request list, as in missing items and the client request list.

This piece is about the middle case: the document is in the folder, and some of its pages aren't. In this method, the Preparer reads the page count on the document, not the file name.

The file index row: pages seen and pages stated

The Firm can add these columns to the file index it already keeps, as in setting up the client folder. Each copy of a document gets its own row.

Pages stated comes from a total given in the document, such as a footer page count or a contents list. A last page that stops mid-table, or a running total carried from a page that isn't there, also points to a gap. If there's no count, the Preparer writes "not stated" and notes why a page looks absent.

In this method, a copy with any page absent is labelled partial on the index and in its file name, and it stays in the folder, not deleted or swapped out.

Asking the client for the full copy

In this method, the Preparer asks the client for the full copy and names the pages that are absent. The Firm can adapt this message:

Hi Jane, thanks for sending the statement for the business account. The copy we have shows pages 1, 3 and 4 of 4, so page 2 isn't there. Could you send the full statement, all four pages, as a single file? A download from the bank's site works, or a scan of the paper copy. Thanks, Alex at the Firm

The message names the document the way the client knows it, says which pages to look for, and says nothing about the draft.

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 whenever a partial copy goes in. A version to adapt:

"Partial copy: [document, copy ID]; pages seen: [labels]; pages stated: [total or "not stated"]; pages absent: [labels or description]. Draft only from the pages present, cite the page for each entry, and leave open, with a note, any entry that rests on an absent page."

The line repeats what the index records. The Preparer still checks each drafted entry against its cited page and sets the marks by hand.

Marking entries drafted from a partial copy

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

New entries from the full copy carry no mark.

When the full copy arrives

In this method, the full copy gets its own row on the file index, with its own pages stated and pages seen. The partial copy's row stays, still labelled partial, and the partial copy moves to the set-aside place the folder already uses.

For a corrected copy rather than a fuller one, see two copies of one statement.

The Preparer checks each marked entry against the full copy and changes its mark by hand: to full copy, unchanged, or to full copy, changed, with a note of what changed. Entries from the pages that were absent are drafted from the full copy and checked like any other. The Firm takes the partial-copy line out of its instructions.

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 copy has pages seen recorded; pages stated holds the document's total or "not stated," with a note.
• Every copy with an absent page is labelled partial, on the index and in its file name.
• Every partial copy has a client request that names the pages absent.
• Every entry drafted from a partial copy carries a mark set by hand.
• Each full copy has an index row; marks on entries from the partial copy have been changed by hand.
• The Firm's instructions hold a line for each partial copy still in use, and none for a replaced one.
• Any entry marked no full copy has a note for the Reviewer saying what's absent and what was asked.

Who marks and who decides

The Firm decides who does each step. In this method, the Preparer who has the file records the pages, asks the client, labels the copies and sets the marks, or the Firm names someone else. Either way, people at the Firm do every step.

A mark 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 decides what happens with each, and the Reviewer signs off on the whole file, marked entries 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 owns Doe Holdings, a synthetic client of the Firm. Alex Doe is the Preparer and Pat Doe is the Reviewer.

Jane uploads the statement for the business account. Alex reads the footer, which numbers each page against a total, and sees that a page isn't in the upload. Alex records pages stated, seen and absent on the index, labels the copy partial, and adds "partial" to the file name.

Alex sends Jane the request message, adds the partial-copy line to the Firm's instructions, and supplies the partial copy for drafting. Alex checks each drafted entry against its cited page and marks it partial copy by hand. Alex leaves the closing balance entry open, marks it partial copy, gap, by hand, and writes a note that it relies on the absent page.

Jane sends the full statement. Alex gives it its own index row, labels it full, and moves the partial copy to the set-aside folder with its row kept. Alex checks the marked entries against the full copy; all but the closing balance entry hold, and Alex marks them full copy, unchanged. Alex reworks the closing balance entry from the full copy and marks it full copy, changed, by hand, with a note of what changed.

Alex checks new entries from the formerly absent page against the full copy. Alex takes the partial-copy line out of the instructions, runs the pre-review check and sends the file to Pat. Pat reviews each marked entry, decides what happens with each, 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.