Export legal billing data in LEDES 1998B format for law firm invoicing

Steps

1. Collect billing line items from your time-and-billing system with required LEDES 1998B fields: invoice date, invoice number, client ID, law firm matter ID, billing period start/end, timekeeper ID, timekeeper name, timekeeper classification, task code (UTBMS L-codes), activity code (UTBMS A-codes), expense code, hours, rate, and fees.
2. Map your internal billing categories to UTBMS (Uniform Task-Based Management System) task and activity codes; maintain a mapping table as codes differ by matter type (litigation L-codes vs transactional B-codes vs counseling C-codes).
3. Format the output as a pipe-delimited flat file with the header line 'LEDES1998B' on the first row, a column header row on the second row, and one billing line per subsequent row; terminate each line with a pipe character.
4. Validate the file against LEDES 1998B format rules: all required fields present, date format YYYYMMDD, numeric fields without currency symbols, task/activity/expense codes from the approved UTBMS code set.
5. Transmit the validated file to the client's e-billing platform (e.g., TyMetrix, eBillingHub, Counsel Go) via their upload portal or API; handle rejection codes and resubmit corrected invoices.
6. Retain a copy of each submitted LEDES file and the platform's acceptance/rejection confirmation as billing records.