Scribd
Upload
33 views2 pages

The Value of Task Codes - 3 Geeks and A Law Blog

Uploaded by

subscription
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
33 views2 pages

The Value of Task Codes - 3 Geeks and A Law Blog

Uploaded by

subscription
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

5/9/22, 1:24 PM The Value of Task Codes?

| 3 Geeks and a Law Blog

The Value of Task Codes?


By Toby Brown on July 1, 2014

Previously I have ranted about how billing task codes are


not magic pixie dust. There seems to be a broad
perception that task codes will solve pricing and legal
project management problems for all practices. “If we only
had task codes for [insert type of work], we would know
how to price this.”

My general feeling is that A) the task codes were not


designed to address this need. B) The use of task codes is
highly inconsistent, so the data is poorly structured. And C)
Even if the data was in good shape, it won’t provide magic
pricing and budgets.

Recently I was ranting on this subject with a friend who works in the e-billing space. I was
especially going off on how the task codes were not intended for solving the pricing problem.
The e-billing person made an offhand comment about the current state of the use of task
codes for their actual intended purpose. This got me thinking. So I checked the task code web
site to better understand the actual intent of the development of task codes and the need for a
standard set of them.

There was not much about intent, but here’s what I found:

In the mid-1990’s major US law departments and insurers wanted to better understand the services
provided by outside counsel. 

As part of this effort, it was decided that electronic invoice time entries should be task-based and
aggregated by type of work performed, resulting in the possibility that multiple time entries could
result from the services performed in a single day on a matter. 

https://www.geeklawblog.com/2014/07/the-value-of-task-codes.html 1/2
5/9/22, 1:24 PM The Value of Task Codes? | 3 Geeks and a Law Blog

What occurred to me is that the task codes have not even met the original purpose. My e-
billing friend’s comment centered on the fact that clients use their own unique task codes and
that lawyers need training in order to get effective use of them. And we know how often
lawyers go to training. Rarely.

I read Outside Counsel Guidelines (OCGs) on a regular basis and keep an eye out for things like
task codes and their use. Just last week I read one where they do not even use ‘L” codes. They
have their own letter.

What I see is very inconsistent use of task codes by clients, compounded by inconsistent
application of the codes by law firms. Result: Serious questions about whether task codes have
even met their intended purpose.

Yet somehow task codes are poised to solve a problem they weren’t built to address.

Good luck with that.

Copyright © 2022, Three Geeks and a Law Blog. All Rights Reserved.

https://www.geeklawblog.com/2014/07/the-value-of-task-codes.html 2/2

You might also like