UTBMS Code A103 — Draft/Revise
Drafting original documents and revising existing documents, including pleadings, contracts, memoranda, correspondence, and other legal work product. This activity code covers the creation and refinement of written deliverables.
schedule When This Code Is Used
When attorneys are creating new legal documents from scratch or revising existing documents through markup, redlining, and editing cycles.
warning Common Billing Violations
Billing for 'drafting' a document that is substantially based on a template or prior-matter work product with minimal customization
Excessive revision cycles where four or five attorneys each revise the same document without meaningful improvement
Block billing 'draft and revise' without breaking out initial drafting time from revision time
Senior partners billing for line-editing that a junior associate or word processing department should handle
timer Typical Hours
Simple letter: 0.5-2 hours. Standard motion: 10-30 hours. Complex brief: 30-80 hours. Major contract: 20-60 hours.
flag Red Flags to Watch For
A103 hours per page that significantly exceed 1-2 hours for standard documents
More than three revision cycles billed for the same document
Drafting hours that do not correspond to the complexity or length of the final document
Multiple timekeepers billing drafting time on the same document section simultaneously
check_circle Best Practices for Review
Require firms to disclose when templates or prior-matter documents are used as drafting foundations
Establish expected revision cycles: one draft, one senior review, one final revision
Track hours-per-page metrics for standard document types to identify outliers
Mandate that formatting and word processing changes be handled by support staff, not attorneys
link Related Codes
analytics Key Statistics
Drafting and revision represents the largest activity category, accounting for 25-35% of total billed hours in most litigation matters
Source: Thomson Reuters Legal Department Benchmarking Report, 2024
Document automation and template systems reduce first-draft time by 40-60% for standard legal documents
Source: CLOC State of the Industry Report, 2024
Frequently Asked Questions
What does UTBMS activity code A103 cover? expand_more
UTBMS activity code A103 covers Draft and Revise activities including drafting briefs, motions, pleadings, contracts, correspondence, and all written work product. It also covers revision and editing cycles on previously drafted documents.
How do you control drafting costs under A103? expand_more
Limit revision cycles to two rounds of senior review for standard documents. Require firms to disclose when templates or prior-matter documents are used as starting points. Set per-page hour benchmarks and challenge drafting hours that significantly exceed comparable work product.
What are red flags for overbilling on drafting under A103? expand_more
Watch for excessive hours relative to document length, multiple senior attorneys revising the same document, billing for original drafting when templates were used, and A103 entries that lack specificity about which document was drafted or revised.