Messages and emails: preserving correspondence when a dispute arises

1. 01Original source
2. 02Complete sequence
3. 03Organised copy

An offer may arrive by email, a change may be agreed in a message and delivery may be acknowledged in a chat. If disagreement follows, the useful task is to preserve and organise those records, rather than collect isolated screenshots without a clear connection to events.

01Preserve the source before preparing a summary

Keep correspondence in its original medium where available and maintain an appropriate backup. When exporting a chat or email, check that relevant attachments and dates remain accessible. Avoid deleting original records as part of tidying the file.

Distinguish a working or redacted copy from the source. If unrelated personal information is removed from a sharing copy, retain the complete original securely. Do not rewrite a message thread or present a reconstruction as the source record.

02Keep enough context to understand the exchange

A short message can mean something different when read with the question and replies around it. Keep enough of the conversation to understand the subject, and identify the account and the sender’s role using the information available to you.

Connect references to an attached proposal or agreement with the relevant version. Similar filenames do not establish that the parties were discussing identical documents. Preserve the files, versions and dates together.

03Connect records to a chronology

Create a simple index with the date, event, related message and supporting document. An offer, approval, change request, delivery and payment request can then be followed in sequence.

Separate the contents of a record from your interpretation. Explain what the message says and the question it raises without treating an inference as an established fact. Organisation supports a legal review; it does not replace that assessment.

04Understand the limits of a screenshot

The Evidence Law and its procedural guidance address digital evidence and verification. The treatment of a particular item depends on its nature, attribution, correspondence with the source and the circumstances. A displayed name or photograph does not automatically settle those questions.

Further material may be needed for verification. Discuss preservation and presentation with an adviser. Avoid altering or cropping a record in a way that changes its meaning. The objective is an accurate account of events.

05Share a focused, organised file

Use clear filenames and a short index explaining how each item relates to the matter. Choose an appropriate sharing channel rather than publishing private conversations or third-party information to a wider audience.

When seeking advice, begin with the chronology and the question you need answered, then provide relevant documents through the agreed channel. Flag any existing claim or procedural deadline early, so preparing the file does not delay necessary action.