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Task and Activity Codes

About UTBMS Codes

If you post invoices in the LEDES format, your client may require you to use Uniform Task-Based Management System (UTBMS) task, activity, or expense codes in your invoices. Task code requirements can differ depending on the matter type and expense codes can be required for all invoices. Tracker clients can also create custom task codes.
  • Expense codes are used to classify expenses. Almost all clients require expense codes. For example, a law firm administrator could select E101 (copying) to charge a client $ 0.10 for 400 copies ($40).
  • Task codes are sets of codes, each unique to a type of work performed, that can be used to identify what the timekeeper was doing when working on a particular task. Many clients require task codes for at least some types of work. For example, a lawyer could select L240 (Dispositive Motions) in the Litigation task code set for “1/1/2020/.6 hours/Research regarding duty to warn for summary judgment motion” in her time and billing system.
  • Activity codes
     identify the specific activity performed by lawyers and other legal staff and, unlike task codes, are not unique to types of work. Few clients require activity codes. For example, a lawyer could select A102 (Research) for “1/1/2020/.6 hours/Research regarding duty to warn for summary judgment motion” in her time and billing system.
Task codes can be optional. You can include optional task codes in your invoices. Your client company can require specific types of task codes for selected matters or matter types, and can also create custom task codes to more accurately categorize the work you do for them.
If task codes in specific categories (such as Trademark or Litigation) are required, you cannot include task codes in other categories. This issue can arise because some time and billing systems require you to include UTBMS task and activity codes with expense codes. In other words, you cannot provide only expense codes. You must provide all of the codes or none of the codes.
To determine whether your client requires expense or task codes by default on its templates, select
Users
, then
Company Profile
 in the left navigation. Go to the System Configuration section. If UTBMS expense codes are required, they are required for all LEDES invoices in all matters. Task code requirements, however, are set for specific matter types.

This article applies to:

  • Product: Legal Tracker
  • Audiences: Firm