Taskbill: LEDES

Taskbill Integration Requirements for
TABS III and LEDES

This document provides technical information about how to set up TABS III in order to facilitate the export of information to the format required by LEDES. Please review this document carefully before attempting to export data for LEDES.

Execution Notes

When exporting information for LEDES, you will be asked to specify the LEDES Subformat. The following is a list of available subformats. If the company or processor you use is not in the list, select the Standard subformat. (Note: the "LEDES Subformats" section documents how each subformat differs from the Standard subformat.)

Standard
AIG
Allegient
Exelon
Home Depot
Honda
Liberty Mutual
Merrill Lynch
TyMetrix
Union Pacific
UPS
Visibillity

You also have options for the Timekeeper ID and the Timekeeper Name. The Timekeeper ID field determines if the TABS III timekeeper number or timekeeper initials are exported for the LEDES Timekeeper ID. The default is "Timekeeper Number", but it can be changed to "Timekeeper Initials". The Timekeeper Name field determines if the timekeeper name is exported in "First Name-Last Name" order or "Last Name-First Name" order. The default is "First M. Last", but it can be changed to "Last, First M.".

Task Based Billing

Some companies using the LEDES format may require the use of Task Based Billing Codes when entering Work-In-Process while other companies may not. If the company does require the use of Task Based Billing Codes, the Task Based Billing Client check box must be selected in TABS III for all of that company’s matters. This option is found on the Status tab in the client data entry program in TABS III. Selecting this option will force you to enter task codes instead of transaction codes when entering Work-in-Process for the company’s matters.

LEDES Subformats

When exporting information for LEDES, one of the following subformats must be specified in the LEDES Subformat field:

Standard Subformat: The Standard subformat exports Phase/Task codes and Activity codes on fees but exports only Expense codes on costs. Any fee or cost tax amounts are exported as cost transactions with a default Expense code of E124.

AIG Subformat: The AIG subformat does not require Phase/Task codes, but it does require a set of custom three digit Activity codes that differ from standard Activity codes. Since the Phase/Task codes are not required, TASKBILL allows you to enter these custom Activity codes as if they were Phase/Task codes. Entering these custom codes as Phase/Task codes eliminates the need to enter extra Activity codes. When you run TASKBILL (with the AIG subformat selected), it will move the Phase/Task code into the Activity code field.

You will need to enter a new set of Phase/Task codes in TABS III that have a different leading letter (for example, starting with the letter "G") combined with the custom three digit AIG Activity codes. This is done via the Task Code program in TABS III (File | Open | Miscellaneous | Task Code). Use whatever leading letter you want, as long as it isn’t A, B, C, E, L, or P. As you enter fees into TABS III, use these new Phase/Task codes and enter any Activity code in the Activity code field (since it will be overwritten with the Phase/Task code).

There are no special instructions for entering cost transactions. Enter the "normal" Phase/Task codes and Expense codes. As TASKBILL exports information, it will export only Expense codes on costs, just like it does for the Standard subformat.

Note: If you have been using LEDES for AIG prior to the 08/2000 release date of TASKBILL, you were required to enter extra Activity codes into TABS III to accommodate AIG’s custom activity codes. If you prefer to continue entering data into TABS III with these custom codes, be sure to select the "Standard" subformat when you export LEDES information.

Allegient Subformat: The difference between the Allegient subformat and the Standard subformat is in how credit amounts are handled. Allegient fee credits are exported as "Invoice Level Fee Adjustments" (which is code "IF" rather than "F") and cost credits are exported as "Invoice Level Expense Adjustments" (which is code "IE" rather than "E"). Standard fee and cost credits are exported the same way as normal fee and cost transactions.

Exelon Subformat: The difference between the Exelon subformat and the Standard subformat is in how credit amounts are handled. Exelon fee credits are exported as "Invoice Level Fee Adjustments (which is code "IF" rather than "F") and cost credits are exported "Invoice Level Expense Adjustments" (which is code "IE" rather than "E"). Also, the number of units is exported as 1 and the unit cost is made to be the same as the credit amount. When the Standard subformat is selected, fee and cost credits are exported in the same way as normal fee and cost transactions.

Home Depot Subformat: The difference between the Home Depot subformat and the Standard subformat is in how taxes are exported. Home Depot requires the presence of timekeeper information on tax records. The TABS III primary timekeeper number (or initials), name, and classification are exported on all tax records. Standard tax records contain no timekeeper information.

Honda Subformat: The Honda subformat is virtually the same as the Standard subformat. The only difference is that Phase/Task codes are exported on cost transactions.

Liberty Mutual Subformat: The difference between the Liberty Mutual subformat and the Standard subformat is in how fee taxes are exported. Liberty Mutual fee taxes are exported with Phase/Task code P220 and Activity code A111. Cost tax amounts are handled exactly as they are for the Standard subformat. Standard fee taxes are exported as expenses with Expense Code E124.

Merrill Lynch Subformat: The difference between the Merrill Lynch subformat and the Standard subformat is the inclusion of special records that contain contact and charge number information. Whenever this information needs to be included on an invoice, you must enter a fee transaction with Task Code X100 (for contacts) or X200 (for charge numbers) and put the contact name or charge number in the description. Fee transactions with Task Code X100 or X200 will be exported as "Invoice Level Fee Adjustment" records with the hours, rate, and amount zeroed out as well as the Activity Code and timekeeper information blanked out.

Another difference between the Merrill Lynch subformat and the Standard subformat is in how the invoice number is exported. The Merrill Lynch invoice number is in the CCCMMXNNN format, where CCC is the client number, MM is the matter number, X is the Billing Frequency Report Character, and NNN is the Invoice Number. The Standard invoice number is in the NNN-CCC.MM format.

TyMetrix Subformat: The difference between the TyMetrix subformat and the Standard subformat is in how the LEDES Client ID (field 3) and Law Firm Matter ID (field 4) are exported. For the TyMetrix subformat, the TABS III Client Name is exported in the LEDES Client ID field and the entire TABS III Client ID is exported in the LEDES Law Firm Matter ID field. For the Standard subformat, the client portion of the TABS III Client ID (characters preceding the decimal point) is exported in the LEDES Client ID field and the matter portion of the TABS III Client ID (characters following the decimal point) is exported in the LEDES Law Firm Matter ID field.

Union Pacific Subformat: The difference between the Union Pacific subformat and the Standard subformat is in how the invoice number is exported. Union Pacific requires that invoices can not contain any punctuation and that all letter O’s must be replaced with number 0’s. For example, the Union Pacific invoice number would be NNNCCCMM, where NNN is the invoice number, CCC is the client number, and MM is the matter number. The same invoice number for the Standard subformat would be NNN-CCC.MM.

UPS Subformat: The difference between the UPS subformat and the Standard subformat is in how courtesy discount amounts are handled. When the UPS subformat is selected, an extra "Invoice Level Fee Adjustment" record is exported with the total courtesy discount amount for that invoice reflected in the "Line Item Total" field. When the Standard subformat is selected, each fee record contains the appropriate fraction of the total courtesy discount amount in the "Line Item Adjustment Amount" field.

Visibillity Subformat: The Visibillity subformat requires a set of custom Phase/Task codes with no Activity codes on fees. However, no Phase/Task codes are required with the standard Expense codes on costs.

Visibillity Fees: TABS III requires that you enter both a Phase/Task code and an Activity code when entering fees for a task based billing client. The custom Visibillity Task code is a three or four digit code, which means it can’t be stored as a standard Phase/Task code in TABS III. Instead, the custom code must be entered as part of the fee description surrounded by a pair of "[" and "]" characters. When you run TASKBILL (with the Visibillity subformat selected), it will ignore the TABS III Phase/Task and Activity code fields. It will extract the custom Visibillity Task code from the fee description and move it into the LEDES Phase/Task code field as well as export nothing into the LEDES Activity code field.

There are three methods you can use to get the custom Visibillity Task code into the TABS III fee description.

Method 1: You could define a new range of Activity codes in TABS III, one for each custom Visibillity Task code. For example, if you decided to start your range of custom Activity codes with A200 in TABS III, the A200 code would correspond to the first custom Visibillity code, the A201 code would correspond to the second custom Visibillity code, etc. The text description associated with code A200 would have the text "[111] Initial Client Interview", code A201 would have "[112] Review of Client Documents/File", etc. Then, whenever you need to enter a fee transaction that uses Visibillity Task code 111, you would specify A200 in TABS III, and the appropriate code enclosed in the "[" and "]" characters would automatically be present in the description.

Method 2: You could define a text macro for each custom Visibillity Task code. For example, you could define text macro code V111 to have the text "[111] Initial Client Interview", code V112 to have "[112] Review of Client Documents/File", etc. Then, whenever you need to enter a fee transaction that uses Visibillity Task code 111, you would specify text macro code V111 as you are entering the description, and the macro text with the appropriate code enclosed in the "[" and "]" characters would automatically be present in the description.

Method 3: You manually enter the correct custom Visibillity Task code (enclosed in the "[" and "]" characters) along with the description each time you need to enter fees for a Visibillity matter. This method would require the least setup in TABS III.

Visibillity Costs: There are no special instructions for entering cost transactions. Enter the normal Phase/Task codes and Expense codes. As TASKBILL exports information, it will export only Expense codes on costs, just like it does for the Standard subformat.

Firm Information

The tax ID number for the firm must be set up in the STI System Configuration program.

Special Fields

There are several fields required for LEDES that are not in TABS III. These fields are the Invoice Description, Law Firm ID, and Client/Matter ID. During configuration, you are given the choice of where to store these fields in the TABS III client file. Available places are miscellaneous lines 1-3, beginning statement notes lines 1-4, ending statement notes lines 1-4, and client notes lines 1-150. If you are not required to provide information for these fields, select the option "Field Not Used" (for Invoice Description and Client Matter ID only). You will have to make sure to set up all of your LEDES matters the same way so these fields are not missing in the electronic data file for any individual matters.

Invoice Description Note: The invoice description (if it is needed at all) is used by some companies to indicate when the current statement is the final statement. You would need to make sure the field mapped to the Invoice Description remains blank until the last statement is processed.

Law Firm ID Note: Some companies assign a Vendor ID Code or some other firm identification code to the firms that represent them. If no such code is necessary, select the "STI System Configuration Federal Tax ID" option when setting up the Law Firm ID.

General Note: It is not uncommon to need to use the LEDES format for several different companies, each of which may have different requirements for the fields listed in the "Special Fields" section. For example, one company may require the Law Firm ID to use the firm’s federal tax ID. However a different company may require an assigned Vendor ID Code to be used for the Law Firm ID. Let’s say you decide to store this information in the Miscellaneous Line 1 field of the TABS III client file. In this situation, you would need to enter the firm’s federal tax ID in the Miscellaneous Line 1 field of the TABS III client file for the first company (even though you may already have the firm’s federal tax ID number entered in STI System Configuration). For the second company, you would need to enter the Vendor ID Code in the Miscellaneous Line 1 field of the TABS III client file.

Timekeeper Level Mapping

During configuration, there is an additional window of configuration options that must be set up. This window can be accessed using the More Config button shown at the bottom of the Task Billing Configuration window. The More Config button opens a window called Other Taskbill Configuration. The left side of this window consists of the 9 TABS III timekeeper levels. You must map each TABS III timekeeper level to an associated LEDES timekeeper class. There are 8 timekeeper classes for LEDES: Partner, Associate, Of Counsel, Legal Assistant, Other Timekeeper, Paralegal, Nurse Paralegal, and Nurse Consultant. You will be required to map every TABS III timekeeper level even if you do not currently use all of the levels. Once the timekeeper levels have been mapped, the right side of this window will show the associated LEDES timekeeper class.

Note: The last 3 timekeeper classes, Paralegal, Nurse Paralegal, and Nurse Consultant, should only be used if you need to do electronic billing for PHICO, a company that is processed by TyMetrix. If you choose any of these classes with any other company that requires data in the LEDES format, your electronic bills will probably be rejected.

To map a timekeeper level (or edit a timekeeper level mapping), highlight the desired TABS III Timekeeper Level. Then, select the desired LEDES timekeeper class from the lookup list shown at the bottom of this window. Click the Save Item button to save the mapping and update the information shown in the window. Repeat these procedures for each TABS III timekeeper level. When you are finished, click OK to close the Other Taskbill Configuration window.

2003/03