Uniform Task-Based Management System: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 15:50, 24 September 2019

Revision as of 01:33, 28 November 2020

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==Background==

UTBMS coding is reflected in legal bills sent from a [[law firm]] to its [[corporation|corporate]] clients.<ref>{{Citation |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Uniform Task-Based Management System |publisher=American Bar Association |url=http://www.americanbar.org/groups/litigation/resources/uniform_task_based_management_system.html |accessdateaccess-date=27 Feb 2016 | quote=The Uniform Task-Based Management System enables lawyers to budget and bill by litigation task, aiding client and counsel in understanding, managing and conducting litigations. }}</ref> Law firms will usually use coding on time and expenses only for those clients who explicitly request it. Most clients who use UTBMS also require electronic billing, usually with an invoice in a LEDES e-billing format.

Fees, which are charges for [[Lawyer|attorney]] and [[paralegal|legal assistant]] time, are coded with task and activity codes. There are five sets of task codes: [[Litigation]], Intellectual Property, Counseling, Project and [[Bankruptcy]]. The set used for a given matter (i.e., case or transaction) depends upon the nature of that matter. Tasks may be summarized into phases. Tasks are often reported without reporting the phase, as this can be deduced from the task. The phase/task hierarchy is uniform in the Litigation, Intellectual Property and Bankruptcy task code sets. In the Project set, only the second phase contains multiple tasks. The Counseling set has only a single level. (In such situations, a code may be considered both a phase and a task, and it may be necessary to program the time and billing software this way.) There is a single set of activity codes, which is used in conjunction with each of the four task code sets. There is also a single set of expense codes, which are independent of phase, task and activity codes.

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The codes themselves are composed of a letter (the first letter of the task code set), followed by a three-digit number. Tasks sharing the same letter and first digit belong to the same phase.

From time-to-time, the LEDES Oversight Committee (LOC), the administrative body that oversees these codes, adds and changes codes. In 2007, a set of Intellectual Property codes (for patents and trademarks) were finalized and ratified. <ref>https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20071023005247/en/Legal-Electronic-Data-Exchange-Standard-LEDES-Finalizes</ref>In 2011, a set of "eDiscovery" codes were ratified.<ref>{{Citation |last=Roach |first=Michael |date=20 Sep 2012 |title=LEDES Adds Activity, Expense to E-Discovery Billing Codes | work=EDD Update |publisher=ALM | url= http://www.eddupdate.com/2012/09/ledes-adds-activity-expense-to-e-discovery-billing-codes-.html | accessdateaccess-date=27 Feb 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=UTBMS eDiscovery Code Set |publisher=EDRM |publication-place= |page= |url=http://www.edrm.net/projects/metrics/utbms |accessdateaccess-date=27 Feb 2016 | quote=The LEDES Oversight Committee (LOC) Uniform Task Based Management System (UTBMS) eDiscovery Code Set, ratified in 2011, is based on the EDRM Metrics Code set. }}</ref> In 2015, the LOC ratified a set of Governance, Risk and Compliance codes based on the Open Compliance & Ethics Group (OCEG) GRC Capability Model.

==Lists of the Codes==