What Is LEDES?
LEDES (Legal Electronic Data Exchange Standard) defines a structured format for electronic invoices. It was created to let law firms submit bills to corporate clients in a machine-readable format that feeds directly into e-billing systems without manual re-entry.
LEDES 1998B vs LEDES 2000
LEDES 1998B is the most widely used format. It uses a flat pipe-delimited structure and is accepted by virtually every corporate legal department and e-billing vendor. LEDES 2000 is XML-based and supports multi-currency invoices — preferred by some global companies. Check with your client which format their system requires.
UTBMS Task Codes
Every time entry in a LEDES invoice must carry a Uniform Task-Based Management System (UTBMS) task code. The most common codes are L100 (case assessment), L200 (pre-trial pleadings), L300 (trial preparation), and L400 (appeal). Billing time without a code will cause the invoice to be rejected.
Activity Codes
Activity codes describe what you did within a task — A101 (planning), A102 (research), A103 (drafting), A104 (review), A105 (communication). Most corporate clients require both a task code and an activity code on every line.
Common Rejection Reasons
The most common LEDES rejections are: missing UTBMS codes, invoice total mismatch (line items don't sum to the invoice total), date format errors (LEDES expects YYYYMMDD), and non-compliant matter IDs. Run a validation pass before submitting.
Submitting Through Gavel
Open the matter, go to Billing, select the time entries you want to include, and click 'Generate LEDES Invoice'. Gavel pre-validates the output and flags any missing codes before you download the file. You can also schedule automatic invoice generation at the end of each month.