Create LEDES 1998B Bills

Invoice files conforming to the LEDES 1998B format can be generated individually or in bulk directly in Filevine. LEDES 1998B is a common standardized electronic billing format.

• Setup LEDES 1998B Formatting
• Generate LEDES Files

Setup LEDES 1998B Formatting

Generating fully compliant LEDES 1998B files requires setup at the Org level in the Billing Setup Advanced tool, and at the project level in the project Billing section. Follow the steps below to set up LEDES 1998B Formatting.

Set Timekeeper IDs and Classifications

Timekeeper IDs and classifications are set by rate schedule. To set up the rate schedule timekeeper information, click main menu > Advanced > Billing Setup > Rates. In the Rate Schedules tab, select the rate schedule you would like to enter the timekeeper information for.

Set the Timekeeper ID and Classification for any team members whose time will be billed:

1. In the Timekeepers table, select a team member to open the Edit Timekeeper flyout.
2. Enter the Timekeeper ID and select a Classification from the dropdown. This dropdown contains all timekeeper classifications permitted for LEDES 1998B.
3. Click Save. 
4. Repeat steps 2-3 for other team members. 

Tip

When creating new rate schedules, you can use the “Create rate schedule based off of existing” dropdown to copy over Timekeeper IDs and classifications. That way, you won’t have to reenter this information from scratch.

Add Required Billing Codes

To navigate to billing codes, click main menu > Advanced > Billing Setup > Codes. Make sure the Codesets tab is selected.

LEDES 1998B requires three groups of codes or “codesets”: two for time entries (one for Task and one for Activity), and one for expenses. The codesets should have the required UTBMS codes. 

The Codes tab contains six codesets: two each for time, expense, and flat fee. To set the Org up for LEDES:

• Make TimeCode the “Task” codeset
• Make TimeCode2 the “Activity” codeset
• Make ExpenseCode the “Expenses” codeset

The codes in each codeset must follow the codes defined by LEDES 1998B format:

• Task codeset: task code sets differ by practice area. Different practice area task codes can be found on the UTBMS website under "UTBMS by Type".
• Activity codeset
• Expense codeset

Heads Up!

To successfully adhere to LEDES 1998B standards, individual billing items must have their relevant codes applied from the matching code set(s).

Tip

To speed up the process of adding billing codes, you can import a spreadsheet.

Generate LEDES Files

Once the setup is complete, you can generate and download LEDES files. LEDES files can be generated and downloaded individually or in bulk.

Individual Generation

To generate an individual LEDES file, open the desired invoice in the project or in the Billing Advanced tool. In the menu along the top, click Generate Doc, and then select Generate LEDES from the dropdown.

The generated file appears directly below the description field, next to the generated PDF, with a gray paper icon.

If the LEDES file contains errors, the title of the file will read “CONTAINS LEDES ERRORS.” Click to preview the file and review the errors. If the title does not include this text, the file successfully adheres to LEDES 1998B standards. 

Click the caret to the right of the file name and select Download from the dropdown to download the file. 

Bulk Generation

To generate and download LEDES files in bulk, navigate to the Invoices tab of the Billing Advanced tool. Click Main Menu > Advanced and then select Billing from the left side menu. Click the Invoices tab. 

Select the desired invoices, or choose all invoices by selecting the checkmark box at the top of the list. Click the vertical ellipsis ⋮ and select Download LEDES. In the modal, click Download.

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The LEDES files will be downloaded as a zipped file. If a LEDES file contains errors, the title of the file will read “CONTAINS LEDES ERRORS.” If the title does not include this text, the file successfully adheres to LEDES 1998B standards. 

If a file contains errors, open the file to review the errors line-by-line.

Contains Errors

If the generated file name includes “CONTAINS LEDES ERRORS,” the file has at least one LEDES compliance error. Preview or open the file to review the errors. Each line item with errors is followed by a detailed description of the errors.

For example, if a project is missing the client matter ID, the generated file will read “##Error: CLIENT_MATTER_ID is required.”

Once you’ve addressed the listed errors, generate the LEDES file again. If the title does not contain “CONTAINS LEDES ERRORS,” the LEDES file is successful.