UTBMS code lookup
Search by code or by what you did, such as deposition or travel, and copy the code. Every litigation, activity, expense, bankruptcy, counseling and project code is in the table below.
UTBMS code list
Every code with its name and what it is for. Pick a code set, or search above, and download the list as Excel or CSV.
| Code | Name | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| L100 | Case Assessment, Development and Administration | Work on the case as a whole rather than on one step of it. |
| L110 | Fact Investigation/Development | Learning the facts: client and witness interviews, reading documents for the facts, working with an investigator. |
| L120 | Analysis/Strategy | Thinking and planning case strategy, including early research to assess the case. |
| L130 | Experts/Consultants | Finding, retaining and working with experts and consultants, and their reports. |
| L140 | Document/File Management | Setting up and filling document databases and filing systems. |
| L150 | Budgeting | Drafting, negotiating and revising the budget for the matter. |
| L160 | Settlement/Non-Binding ADR | Settlement talks, mediation and other non-binding ADR, and pre-suit demand letters. |
| L190 | Other Case Assessment, Development and Administration | Case-level work that fits no other L100 task. |
| L200 | Pre-Trial Pleadings and Motions | Pleadings and every pre-trial motion except discovery. |
| L210 | Pleadings | Complaints, answers, counterclaims, third-party complaints, and motions attacking pleadings such as motions to dismiss. |
| L220 | Preliminary Injunctions/Provisional Remedies | Injunctions and other provisional remedies, from the papers to the hearing. |
| L230 | Court Mandated Conferences | Preparing for and attending conferences the court or the rules require, other than settlement conferences. |
| L240 | Dispositive Motions | Summary judgment and judgment on the pleadings, for or against, through the hearing. |
| L250 | Other Written Motions and Submissions | Any other motion: to consolidate, stay, remand, transfer venue, compel arbitration. |
| L260 | Class Action Certification and Notice | Class certification and notice, and the same steps in derivative suits. |
| L300 | Discovery | All discovery under the court's or agency's rules. |
| L310 | Written Discovery | Interrogatories, requests to admit, initial disclosures and the meet-and-confer around them. |
| L320 | Document Production | Document requests, collecting and reviewing for production and privilege, privilege logs. |
| L330 | Depositions | Everything around fact depositions: notices, preparing witnesses, taking and defending, summaries. |
| L340 | Expert Discovery | The same work as L330, for expert witnesses. |
| L350 | Discovery Motions | Motions arising from discovery, including protective orders. |
| L390 | Other Discovery | Less common discovery such as medical examinations and site inspections. |
| L400 | Trial Preparation and Trial | From the point trial is likely and imminent, through post-trial work in the trial court. |
| L410 | Fact Witnesses | Preparing to examine and cross-examine fact witnesses. |
| L420 | Expert Witnesses | Preparing to examine and cross-examine expert witnesses. |
| L430 | Written Motions and Submissions | Trial motions and filings: motions in limine, jury instructions, witness lists, trial briefs. |
| L440 | Other Trial Preparation and Support | Other trial preparation: trial strategy, openings and closings, exhibits, demonstratives. |
| L450 | Trial and Hearing Attendance | Time in court at trial, hearings and pre-trial conferences. |
| L460 | Post-Trial Motions and Submissions | Post-verdict work in the trial court: new trial, stay pending appeal, costs, fee requests. |
| L470 | Enforcement | Enforcing and collecting a judgment, and defending against that. |
| L500 | Appeal | All work on appeal or before a reviewing body. |
| L510 | Appellate Motions and Submissions | Motions and other filings before the reviewing body. |
| L520 | Appellate Briefs | Writing and reviewing appellate briefs. |
| L530 | Oral Argument | Preparing for and arguing the appeal. |
| A101 | Plan and prepare for | Getting ready for a task: outlines, planning, preparation. |
| A102 | Research | Legal and factual research. |
| A103 | Draft/revise | Writing and revising documents. |
| A104 | Review/analyze | Reading and analysing documents, correspondence and filings. |
| A105 | Communicate (in firm) | Talking or writing to colleagues inside the firm. |
| A106 | Communicate (with client) | Calls, emails and meetings with the client. |
| A107 | Communicate (other outside counsel) | Contact with opposing or co-counsel. |
| A108 | Communicate (other external) | Contact with anyone else outside the firm: courts, witnesses, experts, vendors. |
| A109 | Appear for/attend | Attending a hearing, deposition, meeting or conference. |
| A110 | Manage data/files | Organising files and data. |
| A111 | Other | Activity that fits none of the others. |
| E101 | Copying | In-house photocopying. |
| E102 | Outside printing | Printing done by an outside vendor. |
| E103 | Word processing | Word processing charged as an expense. |
| E104 | Facsimile | Fax charges. |
| E105 | Telephone | Telephone and conference-call charges. |
| E106 | Online research | Database charges such as Westlaw, Lexis and PACER. |
| E107 | Delivery services/messengers | Couriers, overnight delivery and messengers. |
| E108 | Postage | Postage. |
| E109 | Local travel | Mileage, taxis and parking near the office. |
| E110 | Out-of-town travel | Flights, hotels and other travel away from home. |
| E111 | Meals | Meals charged to the matter. |
| E112 | Court fees | Filing and other court fees. |
| E113 | Subpoena fees | Fees for serving subpoenas. |
| E114 | Witness fees | Statutory fees paid to witnesses. |
| E115 | Deposition transcripts | Court reporter and transcript costs for depositions. |
| E116 | Trial transcripts | Transcripts of trial and hearings. |
| E117 | Trial exhibits | Making trial exhibits and demonstratives. |
| E118 | Litigation support vendors | Outside litigation support such as e-discovery and database vendors. |
| E119 | Experts | Expert and consultant fees. |
| E120 | Private investigators | Investigator fees. |
| E121 | Arbitrators/mediators | Arbitrator and mediator fees. |
| E122 | Local counsel | Fees of local counsel. |
| E123 | Other professionals | Other outside professionals. |
| E124 | Other | Expenses that fit no other code. |
| B100 | Administration | Running the bankruptcy case. |
| B110 | Case Administration | Schedules, statements, reports and compliance with the court and trustee. |
| B120 | Asset Analysis and Recovery | Finding and reviewing assets, including claims the estate may bring. |
| B130 | Asset Disposition | Sales, abandonment and other disposals of assets. |
| B140 | Relief from Stay/Adequate Protection Proceedings | Lifting or keeping the automatic stay, and adequate protection. |
| B150 | Meetings of and Communications with Creditors | The creditors' meeting and other contact with creditors and committees. |
| B160 | Fee/Employment Applications | Applications to employ professionals and to be paid, for the firm or others. |
| B170 | Fee/Employment Objections | Reviewing and objecting to others' employment and fee applications. |
| B180 | Avoidance Action Analysis | Reviewing possible avoidance actions before an adversary proceeding is filed. |
| B185 | Assumption/Rejection of Leases and Contracts | Leases and executory contracts, and the motions to assume or reject them. |
| B190 | Other Contested Matters (excluding assumption/rejection motions) | Other contested motions and objections. |
| B195 | Non-Working Travel | Travel time when no work is done, where the court pays it at a reduced rate. |
| B200 | Operations | The debtor's business while the case runs. |
| B210 | Business Operations | Running the business as debtor in possession: employees, vendors, tenants. |
| B220 | Employee Benefits/Pensions | Severance, retention plans and pensions. |
| B230 | Financing/Cash Collections | Cash collateral, financing and secured claims. |
| B240 | Tax Issues | Tax questions in the case. |
| B250 | Real Estate | Real estate matters in the case. |
| B260 | Board of Directors Matters | Board meetings and governance. |
| B300 | Claims and Plans | Claims, and the plan. |
| B310 | Claims Administration and Objections | Bar dates, claim review and objections. |
| B320 | Plan and Disclosure Statement (including Business Plan) | Drafting, confirming and carrying out the plan and the disclosure statement. |
| B400 | Bankruptcy-Related Advice | Advice where no bankruptcy case is pending. |
| B410 | General Bankruptcy Advice/Opinions | Advice and opinions on bankruptcy questions. |
| B420 | Restructurings | Restructuring agreements and debt outside a case. |
| C100 | Fact Gathering | First instructions and collecting the facts and documents. |
| C200 | Researching Law | Legal research for the advice. |
| C300 | Analysis and Advice | Analysing facts and law, and giving the advice. |
| C400 | Third Party Communication | Contact with third parties such as regulators and other counsel. |
| P100 | Project Administration | Planning, budgeting and running the deal or project. |
| P200 | Fact Gathering/Due Diligence | Due diligence and collecting the facts. |
| P210 | Corporate Review | Corporate due diligence. |
| P220 | Tax | Tax due diligence. |
| P230 | Environmental | Environmental due diligence. |
| P240 | Real and Personal Property | Property due diligence. |
| P250 | Employee/Labor | Employment and benefits due diligence. |
| P260 | Intellectual Property | Intellectual property due diligence. |
| P270 | Regulatory Reviews | Regulatory due diligence. |
| P280 | Other | Other due diligence. |
| P300 | Structure/Strategy/Analysis | Planning how the deal or project is structured. |
| P400 | Initial Document Preparation/Filing | First drafts of the transaction documents and opinions. |
| P500 | Negotiation/Revision/Responses | Negotiating and revising the documents. |
| P600 | Completion/Closing | Signing and closing. |
| P700 | Post-Completion/Post-Closing | Work after closing, such as amendments and filings. |
| P800 | Maintenance and Renewal | Ongoing maintenance and renewals the documents require. |
Source: ABA UTBMS code sets (1997), as published by the LEDES Oversight Committee on utbms.com (as of 9 November 2026). Notes are our own summaries.
How task, activity and expense codes fit together
Every time entry carries two codes: a task code for the part of the matter the work served, and an activity code for what was done. An expense line carries one expense code and no task or activity code.
| Entry | Task | Activity or expense |
|---|---|---|
| Prepared witness for deposition | L330 | A101 |
| Drafted motion for summary judgment | L240 | A103 |
| Call with client on settlement offer | L160 | A106 |
| Reviewed opposing party's document production | L320 | A104 |
| Courier to court | - | E107 |
Research is the code people get wrong most. It belongs to the task it was for: research for a summary judgment motion is L240 with A102, not L120. L120 takes only the early research that shapes the case strategy.
Which code set applies
The litigation set covers every adversarial matter, including binding arbitration and regulatory proceedings. The counseling set is for advice work, the project set for transactions, and the bankruptcy set for bankruptcy cases. The activity and expense codes are used with all of them.
The client decides. Its billing guidelines name the code set, and some list codes they will not pay at all, often administrative work. The LEDES Oversight Committee also publishes newer sets, among them patent, trademark and e-discovery codes, which this lookup does not carry yet.
UTBMS codes on a LEDES invoice
In a LEDES 1998B file each invoice line has three code fields: LINE_ITEM_TASK_CODE, LINE_ITEM_ACTIVITY_CODE and LINE_ITEM_EXPENSE_CODE. A fee line (type F) fills the first two and leaves the expense code empty; an expense line (type E) does the opposite.
The client's e-billing system reads those fields before anyone reads the narrative. A missing code, a retired code or an activity code on an expense line can send the line, or the whole invoice, back to the firm. Coding at the time of entry is cheaper than recoding a month of time at invoice day.
The code does not replace the narrative
A code tells the client where the time went; the narrative tells it why. "L330 A101 Prepare" will be questioned. "L330 A101 Prepare J. Smith for deposition; review emails she will be asked about" will not.
Most billing guidelines also set the increment, usually a tenth of an hour (see the billing increment chart), and refuse block billing, where several tasks share one entry. Each task needs its own line and its own code. That is easier when the entries are written as the work happens, which is what Sixminute does: it drafts each entry with its duration and narrative for the lawyer to review.
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