LEDES Billing Format
Legal Electronic Data Exchange Standard for invoicing, a standardized electronic billing format required by many corporate legal departments and insurance companies, ensuring consistent time entry data structure for automated processing and cost management.
Last updated: 2026-03-18 00:29
Overview
LEDES (Legal Electronic Data Exchange Standard) is a standardized electronic billing format widely used in the legal industry. Many corporate legal departments and insurance companies require law firms to submit invoices in LEDES format for automated processing.
Common Formats
- LEDES 1998B: Most common format for electronic billing
- LEDES 1998BI: Includes additional invoice-level data
- LEDES 2000: More detailed task and activity codes
Why It Exists
Provides consistent structure for:
- Automated invoice processing
- Cost analysis and reporting
- Budget tracking
- Outside counsel management
- Data aggregation across firms
Required Data Fields
- Client/matter numbers
- Date of service
- Attorney/timekeeper ID
- Hours worked
- Rate
- Amount
- Task codes (what type of work)
- Activity codes (specific activities)
- Expense codes
Time Tracking Implications
Law firms must:
- Use LEDES-compliant task codes
- Track time in appropriate increments
- Include required narrative details
- Maintain consistent coding
- Export data in LEDES format
Most legal time tracking software includes LEDES export functionality.
Pricing
Free standard — using LEDES format has no cost, though software must support it.
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