UTBMS litigation task codes (L-codes)
The ABA litigation code set, released in 1997, has 5 phases and 29 task codes (per utbms.com). It is meant for adversarial matters — litigation, binding arbitration and regulatory proceedings. Put the task code in the LEDES field LINE_ITEM_TASK_CODE of each fee line, and pair it with an activity code.
⬇ All UTBMS codes (Excel) ⬇ CSV
L100 — Case Assessment, Development and Administration
| Code | Name |
|---|
L110 | Fact Investigation/Development |
|---|
L120 | Analysis/Strategy |
|---|
L130 | Experts/Consultants |
|---|
L140 | Document/File Management |
|---|
L150 | Budgeting |
|---|
L160 | Settlement/Non-Binding ADR |
|---|
L190 | Other Case Assessment, Development and Administration |
|---|
L200 — Pre-Trial Pleadings and Motions
| Code | Name |
|---|
L210 | Pleadings |
|---|
L220 | Preliminary Injunctions/Provisional Remedies |
|---|
L230 | Court Mandated Conferences |
|---|
L240 | Dispositive Motions |
|---|
L250 | Other Written Motions and Submissions |
|---|
L260 | Class Action Certification and Notice |
|---|
L300 — Discovery
| Code | Name |
|---|
L310 | Written Discovery |
|---|
L320 | Document Production |
|---|
L330 | Depositions |
|---|
L340 | Expert Discovery |
|---|
L350 | Discovery Motions |
|---|
L390 | Other Discovery |
|---|
L400 — Trial Preparation and Trial
| Code | Name |
|---|
L410 | Fact Witnesses |
|---|
L420 | Expert Witnesses |
|---|
L430 | Written Motions and Submissions |
|---|
L440 | Other Trial Preparation and Support |
|---|
L450 | Trial and Hearing Attendance |
|---|
L460 | Post-Trial Motions and Submissions |
|---|
L470 | Enforcement |
|---|
L500 — Appeal
| Code | Name |
|---|
L510 | Appellate Motions and Submissions |
|---|
L520 | Appellate Briefs |
|---|
L530 | Oral Argument |
|---|
Bill the specific task (L120), not the phase heading (L100) — many portals reject phase codes on line items. See common rejection errors.
Next step: Tag each time entry with one of these codes. LedesReady reads the codes from your Toggl, Clockify or Harvest tags or an Excel column, flags missing or invalid codes, and writes a validated LEDES 1998B file — free up to 25 line items, in your browser.
Create a LEDES file → Source: utbms.com — aba litigation codes and the LEDES Oversight Committee's spreadsheet of the original ABA codes (1997), reproduced with permission of the ABA. Checked 2026-10-27. Official definitions are in that spreadsheet; your client's billing guidelines decide which codes you may use.
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