You can assign one or more document custodians to files at the time of upload. Select custodians from the Assign Custodian(s) dropdown in the upload dialog before you start. Hintyr automatically tags every file in that batch with the selected custodians, keeping custodial attribution intact from the start.
Why custodian attribution matters in document review
In litigation, a custodian is the person who had possession, custody, or control of a set of documents. Attributing files to their custodian during upload helps you stay organized, satisfy preservation obligations, and track production requirements.
Assigning custodians at upload time is faster than uploading everything first and tagging files one by one afterward. You select the custodians once, and the assignment applies to every file in the batch. This also reduces the risk of files going unattributed, which can complicate privilege review and production tracking later.
How to assign custodians during file upload
Follow these steps to assign document custodians when uploading files to a case:
- Open your case and click the Upload button to open the upload dialog.
- Find the Assign Custodian(s) dropdown at the top of the upload dialog. This dropdown appears when your case has at least one custodian defined. If the case has default custodians, they're pre-selected automatically.
- Click the dropdown and check the custodians you want to assign. You can select one or several from the list.
- With your custodians selected, upload files using any method: drag and drop, browse files, browse folders, or cloud import from a connected provider.
- Hintyr automatically assigns every file in this upload batch to your selected custodians. The document browser shows the custodian attribution once processing completes.
Adding document custodians to a case
The Assign Custodian(s) dropdown in the upload dialog only appears when your case already has custodians defined. To add custodians to a case, use the custodians panel in case settings.
- Open case settings from the case toolbar.
- Go to the custodians panel. Type the custodian's name in the text field and click Add.
- The new custodian appears in the list. Add as many as you need.
- Return to the upload dialog. Your new custodians now appear in the Assign Custodian(s) dropdown.
You can also create custodians directly from the document browser by right-clicking a file and using the custodian assignment menu.
Assigning multiple custodians
The Assign Custodian(s) dropdown supports multi-select with checkboxes. Check multiple custodians at once, and Hintyr assigns all of them to every file in the batch. This is useful when a set of documents was in the possession, custody, or control of more than one person.
If different files belong to different custodians, upload them in separate batches. Change the custodian selection between batches. You don't need to wait for one batch to finish before starting the next. Hintyr queues and processes all uploads concurrently and applies custodian assignments as each file uploads.
Uploading files without custodian assignment
Custodian assignment during upload is optional. If no custodians have been defined for the case, the dropdown won't appear and files upload without custodian attribution. If custodians exist but you clear the selection, files also upload without assignment. Either way, you can assign or change custodians later from the document browser.
Whenever possible, assign custodians at upload time. Every file then carries proper custodial attribution from the moment it enters the case, which keeps your tracking organized and your review structured.