LEDES Invoice File Basics

SimpleLegal and CounselGO strongly encourage vendor law firms to use LEDES (Legal Electronic Data Exchange Standard) files and codes for building invoice files for a number of reasons, including the ease of processing your invoices from submission to approval and payment. 

CounselGO supports all of the most commonly used LEDES file formats, such as LEDES 1998B and 1998BI. Please check your billing software to see if producing LEDES invoices is possible, and if so, in which format(s).

Format Layout/Requirements

LEDES98B format
LEDES98BI V2 format

Sample Files

Sample LEDES98B file
Sample LEDES98BI V2 file

Task Codes

The American Bar Association (ABA) has published a Uniform Task-Based Management System reference (UTBMS codes), which includes activity- and task-based billing codes organized into phases. These codes make it possible for vendor law firms to submit standardized billing and for corporate law departments to work with their vendors in an efficient manner.

UTBMS task codes are not a hard requirement to submit LEDES invoices in CounselGO. However, please coordinate with clients regarding their specific billing guidelines. Task codes may be a requirement for clients, based on the nature of the work being billed.