Uniform Task-Based Management System
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Uniform Task-Based Management System (UTBMS) is a set of codes designed to standardize categorization and facilitate analysis of legal work and expenses. UTBMS was produced through a collaborative effort among the American Bar Association Section of Litigation, the American Corporate Counsel Association, and a group of major corporate clients and law firms coordinated and supported by Price Waterhouse LLP (now PricewaterhouseCoopers).
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[edit] Background
UTBMS coding is reflected in legal bills sent from a law firm to its corporate clients. 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 the Legal Electronic Data Exchange Standard (LEDES).
Fees, which are charges for attorney and legal assistant time, are coded with task and activity codes. There are four sets of task codes: Litigation, 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 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.
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.
[edit] Lists of the Codes
The code lists are taken from http://www.abanet.org/litigation/utbms/home.html, which has the following Disclaimer & Copyright message:
The authors hereby grant permission to use the codes and related definitions, in whole or in part, on a non-exclusive, royalty-free basis. In addition, this document may be freely reproduced and distributed in any electronic or hardcopy medium, on a nonexclusive, royalty-free basis, provided that this reproduction and distribution are not for profit, and that this title page is included in its entirety.
[edit] Litigation Code Set
- L100 Case Assessment, Development and Administration
- L110 Fact Investigation/Development
- L120 Analysis/Strategy
- L130 Experts/Consultants
- L140 Document/File Management
- L150 Budgeting
- L160 Settlement/Non-Binding ADR
- L190 Other Case Assessment, Development and Administration
- L200 Pre-Trial Pleadings and Motions
- L210 Pleadings
- L220 Preliminary Injunctions/Provisional Remedies
- L230 Court Mandated Conferences
- L240 Dispositive Motions
- L250 Other Written Motions and Submissions
- L260 Class Action Certification and Notice
- L300 Discovery
- L310 Written Discovery
- L320 Document Production
- L330 Depositions
- L340 Expert Discovery
- L350 Discovery Motions
- L390 Other Discovery
- L400 Trial Preparation and Trial
- L410 Fact Witnesses
- L420 Expert Witnesses
- L430 Written Motions and Submissions
- L440 Other Trial Preparation and Support
- L450 Trial and Hearing Attendance
- L460 Post-Trial Motions and Submissions
- L470 Enforcement
- L500 Appeal
- L510 Appellate Motions and Submissions
- L520 Appellate Briefs
- L530 Oral Argument
[edit] Counseling Code Set
- C100 Fact Gathering
- C200 Researching Law
- C300 Analysis and Advice
- C400 Third Party Communication
[edit] Project Code Set
- P100 Project Administration
- P200 Fact Gathering/Due Diligence
- P210 Corporate Review
- P220 Tax
- P230 Environmental
- P240 Real and Personal Property
- P250 Employee/Labor
- P260 Intellectual Property
- P270 Regulatory Reviews
- P280 Other
- P300 Structure/Strategy/Analysis
- P400 Initial Document Preparation/Filing
- P500 Negotiation/Revision/Responses
- P600 Completion/Closing
- P700 Post-Completion/Post-Closing
- P800 Maintenance and Renewal
[edit] Bankruptcy Code Set
- B100 Administration
- B110 Case Administration
- B120 Asset Analysis and Recovery
- B130 Asset Disposition
- B140 Relief from Stay/Adequate Protection Proceedings
- B150 Meetings of and Communications with Creditors
- B160 Fee/Employment Applications
- B170 Fee/Employment Objections
- B180 Avoidance Action Analysis
- B185 Assumption/Rejection of Leases and Contracts
- B190 Other Contested Matters (excluding assumption/rejection motions)
- B195 Non-Working Travel
- B200 Operations
- B210 Business Operations
- B220 Employee Benefits/Pensions
- B230 Financing/Cash Collections
- B240 Tax Issues
- B250 Real Estate
- B260 Board of Directors Matters
- B300 Claims and Plan
- B310 Claims Administration and Objections
- B320 Plan and Disclosure Statement (including Business Plan
- B400 Bankruptcy-Related Advice
- B410 General Bankruptcy Advice/Opinions
- B420 Restructurings
[edit] Activity Codes
- A100 Activities
- A101 Plan and prepare for
- A102 Research
- A103 Draft/revise
- A104 Review/analyze
- A105 Communicate (in firm)
- A106 Communicate (with client)
- A107 Communicate (other outside counsel)
- A108 Communicate (other external)
- A109 Appear for/attend
- A110 Manage data/files
- A111 Other
[edit] Expense Codes
- E100 Expenses
- E101 Copying
- E102 Outside printing
- E103 Word processing
- E104 Facsimile
- E105 Telephone
- E106 Online research
- E107 Delivery services/messengers
- E108 Postage
- E109 Local travel
- E110 Out-of-town travel
- E111 Meals
- E112 Court fees
- E113 Subpoena fees
- E114 Witness fees
- E115 Deposition transcripts
- E116 Trial transcripts
- E117 Trial exhibits
- E118 Litigation support vendors
- E119 Experts
- E120 Private investigators
- E121 Arbitrators/mediators
- E122 Local counsel
- E123 Other professionals
- E124 Other
