Timekeeper Classifications
The 2014 LOC Revised Timekeeper Classifications, the who-and-at-what-level axis of eBilling, with 51 classifications and their vendor-type applicability.
The 2014 Revised Timekeeper Classifications are the who axis of eBilling analytics: task codes say what was done, activity codes say how, and timekeeper classifications say who did it and at what expected rate level.
Released in 2014 and applying across vendor types, the classifications are what make rate benchmarking honest: rate-per-classification comparisons only hold when classifications are applied consistently. The table below records each classification, which vendor types it applies to, whether it exists only to support fee entries in older flat-file formats, and its official definition. Every code set is searchable alongside this one at the UTBMS code database.
Timekeeper classification is the axis a legal spend management program leans on for rate work: comparing rates within a classification across firms is only meaningful when everyone codes the classification the same way, which is what this reference standardizes.
What are the timekeeper classifications?
Each classification records which vendor types it applies to (client, law firm, eDiscovery vendor, temporary or contract service provider, other legal service provider), whether it exists only to support fee entries in the older flat-file LEDES formats (fee_support_only, such as ADJSMT for invoice adjustments and FLTFEE for flat-fee arrangements, used only when the eBilling vendor specifies), the mapping to classifications in the legacy LEDES formats where one existed, and the official definition paraphrased.
| Code | Classification | Client | Law firm | eDiscovery | Temp/contract | Other LSP | Fee support only | Definition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ADJSTR | Adjuster | yes | - | - | - | - | - | An insurance client-side position responsible for investigating, managing and settling a claim. |
ADJSMT | Adjustment | - | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | Used to designate an adjustment to an invoice when LEDES 98B, LEDES 98BI or LEDES 2000 is used for the submission of ebills. Only to be used if specified by the 3rd party ebilling vendor; many systems do not recognize these codes. Should not be used when LEDES XML Ebilling ver. 2.0 or 2.1 is the submission format. |
ANALST | Analyst | yes | yes | - | - | yes | - | A mid-level position focused on conducting analysis services relevant to a matter, area of law or data. Analyst services associated with eDiscovery should be noted as a Discovery Technician/Analyst (-Junior or -Senior). |
ARBITR | Arbitrator | - | - | - | - | yes | - | A unbiased third party designated by parties engaged in a dispute to preside over a hearing at which evidence and testimony is presented, and who renders a decision on the matter with which the parties agree in advance to comply. |
ASSOC | Associate | - | yes | - | - | - | - | An associate is a lower-level professionally licensed attorney who does not hold an ownership interest in a law firm. |
TRANEE | Associate Trainee | yes | yes | - | - | - | - | An individual who has a law degree and will qualify as an Associate at the completion of his or her required practical experience. Also called Trainee Solicitor or Articling Student. Typically used outside the US. |
AUDITR | Auditor | yes | - | - | - | yes | - | An individual whose job is to carefully check the accuracy of business records, including legal billing records. May be an employee of the client or work under contract to the client; may or may not be an attorney. |
CLKSEC | Clerk or Secretary | yes | yes | - | - | yes | - | Lower-level administrative staff within the firm or legal vendor company. Includes, but is not limited to, Assistant, Clerk, Copy Staff, Courier, File Clerk, Scanner, Secretary, Support Staff, etc. |
CONSLT | Consultant | - | - | - | - | yes | - | A person hired to provide professional advice or services for a fee. Not to be confused with a contract/outsourced/temporary resource, who is hired through a temporary or legal process outsourcing company. A Consultant is different than a Retained Expert. who has a specific skill or expertise and provides assistance on a legal matter with the potential to testify in a legal proceeding whereas a Consultant likely will not. |
TEMPAT | Contract Attorney | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | - | An attorney-level outsourced timekeeper working on a temporary, contract or consulting basis who is not regular employee of the firm. Contract Attorneys differ from Staff Attorneys in that they are not law firm employees whereas Staff Attorneys are employees of the firm. |
TEMPOS | Contract Other Staff | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | - | Any outsourced non-attorney timekeeper working on a temporary, contract or consulting basis who is not regular employee of the firm. |
CSTCNS | Costs Counsel | - | yes | - | - | yes | - | Specialist lawyer providing services related to costs. In the UK, a Costs Lawyer has a specialized certification and this is recognized as a specialist role. |
CTRPTR | Court Reporter/Transcriptionist | - | - | - | - | yes | - | Any professional responsible for memorializing the oral testimony of a party. Includes: Court Reporter; Deposition Clerk; Transcriptionist. Videographers are classified separately |
DSCATT | Discovery Attorney | yes | yes | yes | - | yes | - | Attorney specialist focused solely on discovery with sufficient technical knowledge to advise on electronic discovery strategy and negotiations. It is possible for a law firm attorney to function in multiple capacities on a matter. This classification is specific to timekeepers providing only specialist services associated with discovery |
DSCPMG | Discovery Project Manager | yes | yes | yes | - | yes | - | An individual responsible for creation, communication and management of discovery project workflow to meet counsel requirements, deadlines and strategy goals. The project manager must have sufficient technical and legal knowledge to coordinate and translate between attorney and analyst teams. Different from Legal Project Manager because scope of work is limited to discovery. |
DSCANJ | Discovery Technician/Analyst - Junior | yes | yes | yes | - | yes | - | A junior-level technical specialist with experience and training in discovery technology, procedures and practices for collecting, processing and managing ESI collections. The analyst can carry out defined work flow, conduct quality control to preserve evidence integrity and chain of custody. Different from Forensic Analyst because of the nature of the work performed. |
DSCANS | Discovery Technician/Analyst - Senior | yes | yes | yes | - | yes | - | A senior-level technical specialist with the ability to consult with counsel and implement discovery technology, procedures and practices for collecting, processing and managing ESI collections. The senior analyst role includes creation of case specific protocols and communicating technical issues/options to counsel. Sometimes also referred to as a Litigation Support Manager. Different from Forensic Analyst because of the nature of the work performed. |
DOCCDR | Document Coder | yes | yes | yes | - | yes | - | An individual trained to use technology to assess ESI and input objective coding fields to populate review database. |
DOCRAT | Document Reviewer - Attorney | yes | yes | yes | - | yes | - | Attorney capable of using one or more review software systems to make relevance, privilege and other designations based on a matter protocol and issues. |
DOCRNA | Document Reviewer - Non-Attorney | yes | yes | yes | - | yes | - | Non-attorney reviewer or subject matter specialist capable of using one or more review software systems to make relevance, privilege and other designations based on a matter protocol and issues. |
EVDEVL | Evidentiary Developer | yes | yes | yes | - | yes | - | A designer or developer specializing in creating animations or graphics used as evidence in a judicial proceeding and supporting the presentation of the material created at trial. Often also called Graphic Designer or Trial Presenter |
EXPERT | Expert | - | - | - | - | yes | - | A professional with special knowledge or proficiency in a particular field relevant to a matter who is external to the law firm and whose retention may result in testimony before a court |
FLTFEE | Flat/Fixed Fee | - | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | Used to designate a flat or fixed fee billing arrangement between the firm and the client when LEDES 98B, LEDES 98BI or LEDES 2000 is used for the submission of ebills. Only to be used if specified by the 3rd party ebilling vendor; many systems do not recognize these codes. Should not be used when LEDES XML Ebilling ver. 2.0 or 2.1 is the submission format. |
FORANL | Forensic Analyst | yes | yes | yes | - | yes | - | A technical position focused on forensic collection, analysis and extraction of ESI from computers, servers and mobile devices. Includes the capability of authenticating ESI as evidence and providing Chain of Custody documentation. Different from Discovery Technician because of the nature of the work performed. |
HLNLPF | High-Level Non-Lawyer Professional | yes | yes | yes | - | yes | - | A senior-level non-attorney position within the law firm that may provide testimony in a legal matter. Includes: Accountant; Actuary; CPA; Compliance Professional; Construction Expert; Damages Specialist; Diversity Specialist; Engineer; Forensic Accountant; Government Affairs Specialist; Investigator; IP Specialist; Jury Consultant; Lawyer qualified in a country other than the one where that lawyer's work was performed; Legislative Monitor; Lobbyist; Media Relations Specialist; Medical Doctor; Ph.D.; Political or Grassroots Campaign Advisor; Regulatory Advisor; Scientist; Tax Specialist. |
INVSTG | Investigator/Private Investigator | - | - | - | - | yes | - | A professional external to the law firm tasked with investigating facts or individuals related to a matter. For law firm employees that perform investigations use High-Level Non-Lawyer Professional. For client employees that investigate claims, use Adjuster. |
IPSVPV | IP Service Provider | - | - | - | - | yes | - | An external resource that provides Patent or Trademark services on behalf of a client or law firm. An IP Service Provider could be 1) non-attorney specialists with strong technical backgrounds who have not attended law school or who are in the process of attending law school, (2) admitted to practice before the jurisdictional patent or trademark courts but not any other jurisdictional courts, or (3) admitted to practice before the patent, trademark and any other jurisdictional court(s). The important distinction is that an IP Service Provider is external to the client or law firm. |
IPAGNT | IP Agent | yes | yes | - | - | - | - | An internal resource at the client or law firm that provides Patent or Trademark services. IP Agents could be non-attorney specialists with strong technical backgrounds who have not attended law school or who are in the process of attending law school, or who have been admitted to practice before the jurisdictional patent or trademark courts but not any other jurisdictional court. For the purposes of LEDES Timekeeper Classifications, any IP Agent admitted to practice before the patent or trademark court and any other jurisdictional court would be identified as a Partner, Of Counsel, Associate, Staff Attorney, or Staff Counsel/Attorney, as applicable. The important distinction is that an IP Agent is internal to the client or law firm. |
LGLAST | Legal Assistant | yes | yes | - | - | yes | - | A mid-level position within a legal organization, used only when the timekeeper has not been licensed or certified by a jurisdictional authority where required. Paralegal should be used if the timekeeper has a certification or license issued by a jurisdictional authority where required. |
LGLINT | Legal Intern | - | yes | - | - | - | - | Any law student or non-student clerk working at a law firm in an internship, co-op, or summer associate program. |
LGPRMG | Legal Project Manager | yes | yes | yes | - | yes | - | A project manager who manages a matter or complex transaction for the client. A Legal Project Manager is a non-practicing attorney designation. If services are provided by an practicing attorney, the attorneys classification should be used in lieu of Legal Project Manager. |
LIBRRN | Librarian | - | yes | - | - | - | - | A law firm librarian, typically providing research services to the client. |
MEDITR | Mediator | - | - | - | - | yes | - | A person, usually a lawyer, retired judge, or non-attorney specialist, who tries to bring people and their disputes to early resolution. After discussing the legal issues in a conference, a mediator makes non-binding recommendations to the parties as to how a dispute could be settled. |
MDRCRV | Medical Records Reviewer (Non-Certified Specialist) | yes | yes | yes | - | yes | - | A medical records specialist without a professional medical certification (RN or MD), who reviews and provides analysis of medical records in legal matters but who does not testify at court. |
OFCOUN | Of Counsel | - | yes | - | - | - | - | An attorney employed by the law firm who is not an associate or a partner but who is on track to become partner or who was previously a partner and is now retired. Typically Of Counsel timekeepers are: - A status in the firm senior to associate but not yet partner. In this situation counsel receives a salary and may have a measure of compensation based on the profitability of the partnership. - An attorney who has changed careers entirely, i.e., a former judge or government official, or one transitioning from corporate/in-house practice to law firm practice. - A retired partner of the firm who, although not actively practicing law, nonetheless remains associated with the firm and available for occasional consultation. - A lawyer who is, in effect, a probationary partner-to-be, sometimes a lateral hire brought in with the expectation of becoming partner after a relatively short period of time. |
NBOTHR | Other | yes | yes | yes | - | yes | - | A status to indicate a system user who does not provide services that are billed to the client. |
PARALG | Paralegal | yes | yes | - | - | yes | - | A mid-level position within the firm, used only when the timekeeper has a certification or license issued by a jurisdictional authority where required (as in the State of California). Legal Assistant should be used if the timekeeper has not been licensed or certified by a jurisdictional authority where required. |
PARTNR | Partner | - | yes | - | - | - | - | A partner owns and directs the business of a law firm and may be either an equity or non-equity shareholder. - Equity partners are considered to have ownership stakes in the firm, and share in the profits and losses of the firm. - Non-equity partners are generally paid a fixed salary, and may be granted certain limited voting rights with respect to firm operations. |
RSRCHR | Research Specialist/Researcher | - | yes | - | - | yes | - | A person engaged in scholarly or scientific investigation or inquiry. Common within Europe and Asia. Any researcher who is also a law firm librarian should be coded as Librarian. Different from an Investigator who investigates facts or individuals related to a matter. |
RSPROF | Responsible Professional | yes | - | - | - | - | - | An non-insurance client-side position responsible for managing a matter who is not an attorney. |
SECNDE | Secondee | - | yes | - | - | - | - | Attorney (associate, partner or of counsel) of the firm seconded to the client |
SPAGNT | Service of Process Agent | - | - | - | - | yes | - | Any professional tasked with delivering or receiving legal notices. Not to be confused with an internal or external messenger function |
SOLDSG | Solution Designer | yes | yes | yes | - | yes | - | A technical position responsible for building portals, apps or custom legal utilities |
STFATT | Staff Attorney | - | yes | - | - | - | - | A practicing attorney within the law firm with permanent status having the quality of tenure and lacking an expectation of promotion to full partner status. Often these attorneys are specialists in a specific area of expertise like IP. May include part-time practitioners. As opposed to Contract Attorneys who are employees of an Other Legal Service Provider (Column H of this sheet) or Staff Counsel/Attorneys who is an employee of the client. |
STFCNS | Staff Counsel/Attorney | yes | - | - | - | - | - | An internal client resource that is a lawyer As opposed to Contract Attorney, who is an employee of an Other Legal Service Provider (Column H of this sheet), or Staff Counsel/Attorney, who is an employee of the client. |
TPADMN | Third Party Administrator | yes | - | - | - | yes | - | Any organization or person who handles or manages claims as a third party representative of the client. Client is often an insurance company. |
TRAINR | Trainer/Instructor/Educator | yes | yes | yes | - | yes | - | An individual who actively provides training, instruction or educational program services |
TRNDEV | Training/Education Program Developer | yes | yes | yes | - | yes | - | An individual who creates training or education programs. |
TRNFAG | Transfer Agent | - | - | - | - | yes | - | A trust company, bank or similar financial institution assigned by a corporation to maintain records of investors and account balances and transactions, to cancel and issue certificates, to process investor mailings and to deal with any associated problems (i.e. lost or stolen certificates). |
TRANSL | Translator | yes | yes | yes | - | yes | - | A non-attorney specialist who provides language translation services. If services are provided by an attorney, the attorney's classification should be used in lieu of Translator. |
VIDOGR | Videographer | - | - | - | - | yes | - | Any professional responsible for memorializing the video testimony of a party. Court Reporters/Transcriptionists are classified separately. |
Built from the official LEDES Revised Timekeeper Classifications Reference Document (June 2023 update). The June 2023 revision changed RSRCHR (Research Specialist/Researcher) to apply to law firms, reflecting staffing changes since 2014.
How do Timekeeper Classifications support legal spend management?
Timekeeper Classifications only deliver value inside a program that enforces them. Our legal spend management and enterprise legal management hubs cover how coded invoices become spend control, and our guides to outside counsel rate negotiation, outside counsel spend benchmarks, and spend analytics versus reporting go deeper on the review programs, guidelines, and eBilling rules that put UTBMS coding to work.
Frequently asked questions
What are UTBMS timekeeper classifications?
They are standardized codes for who performed legal work and at what expected rate level, such as partner, associate, paralegal, or specific vendor roles. Alongside task codes (what was done) and activity codes (how), they form the third axis of eBilling analytics and are the basis for rate benchmarking.
Why do timekeeper classifications matter for rate review?
Rate-per-classification comparisons only work when classifications are applied consistently. If two firms code the same role differently, their rates are not comparable. Consistent classification is what makes rate benchmarking across firms and vendors honest.
Do the classifications apply to all vendor types?
The classifications apply across vendor types, including law firms, clients, eDiscovery vendors, temporary or contract providers, and other legal service providers. The table records which vendor types each classification applies to, and some exist only to support fee entries in older flat-file LEDES formats.
What changed in the June 2023 revision?
The June 2023 update to the reference document changed the Research Specialist classification (RSRCHR) to apply to law firms, reflecting staffing changes since 2014. The table on this page reflects that revision.
How do UTBMS codes relate to outside counsel billing guidelines and legal spend management?
UTBMS codes are the shared vocabulary that outside counsel billing guidelines and a legal spend management program depend on. Guidelines define what each code should and should not contain, the eBilling system enforces those rules, and consistent coding is what makes spend analytics and cross-firm benchmarking possible. Without agreed codes, guidelines cannot be enforced and spend data cannot be compared.
About this reference
UTBMS code sets are standards published by their respective bodies, including the ABA, the LEDES Oversight Committee, UTBMS.com, the CBA, DRI, the Judiciaries of England and Wales, and the Yerra Global KM Expert Group. All copyrights and trademarks are the property of their respective owners; Swiftwater & Company is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of them.
Code identifiers follow the published standards, while all descriptions and annotations are original Swiftwater commentary, developed with human expertise, proprietary consulting knowledge, and AI assistance.
This is general reference material, not legal advice. Standards are revised over time, so confirm the current version with the originating body before implementing.
Next Step
Ready to talk to a legal operations practitioner who has actually done it?
Start with the free CURRENT Assessment to benchmark your spend program, or use legaltechcalculator.com to build the cost case for the eBilling rules that enforce these codes.
Book a Discovery CallNo commitment and no pitch deck, just a direct conversation with a legal operations practitioner.