Aderant Expert Sierra API
Aderant Expert Sierra is cloud practice management software for law firms. It centralizes the systems firms rely on to run the business of law: matter and client records, time and expense capture, billing and invoicing (including LEDES/eBilling), collections, GL/AP/AR, conflicts, and workflow approv
What is Aderant Expert Sierra?
Aderant Expert Sierra is Aderant’s cloud-hosted version of the Expert platform, designed for mid- to large-sized law firms. It combines financial management, matter management, and operational workflow automation.
Core product families include:
- Financial Management (GL/AP/AR, trust accounting, collections)
- Time & Billing (timekeeping, WIP/prebills, invoice generation)
- Matter & Client Management (intake, conflicts, matter metadata, rate schedules)
- eBilling Compliance (LEDES formats, vendor portal submissions, validation)
- Risk & Conflicts (search, screening, approvals)
- Reporting & BI (operational dashboards, billing and realization analytics)
Common data entities:
- Clients and matters (master data, practice area, responsible/billing timekeepers)
- Timekeepers and users (roles, rates, departments)
- Time and expense entries (UTBMS task/activity codes, narratives, billable flags)
- Rate schedules (standard, client-specific, matter-specific)
- WIP/prebills and invoices (statuses, totals, taxes, currencies)
- Trust transactions and payments (deposits, transfers, disbursements)
- eBilling submissions (LEDES payloads, vendor references, validation results)
The Aderant Expert Sierra Integration Challenge
Firms depend on Aderant Expert Sierra daily, but turning portal-centric workflows into automated pipelines is hard:
- Licensing and entitlements: Access varies by module (time, billing, AR, trust, conflicts) and role; integrations must honor firm-specific permissions.
- Enterprise authentication: SSO (e.g., Azure AD), MFA, and network controls complicate headless automation.
- Portal-first and batch processes: Key actions (prebill generation, invoice posting) are often triggered in the UI or batch jobs; public APIs may be limited.
- Customized data models: Firms extend matter and client records, rate plans, and workflows; schemas differ across tenants and upgrades.
- eBilling fragmentation: LEDES flavors and vendor portals (e.g., Legal Tracker, TyMetrix 360) have idiosyncratic validations and statuses.
- Timeliness and normalization: WIP, invoices, and payment states need consistent, up-to-date schemas for downstream systems.
How Supergood Creates Aderant Expert Sierra APIs
Supergood reverse-engineers authenticated browser flows and network interactions to deliver a resilient API endpoint layer for your Aderant Expert Sierra workflows.
- Handles username/password, SSO/OAuth (e.g., Azure AD), and MFA (SMS, email, TOTP) securely
- Maintains session continuity with automated refresh and change detection
- Normalizes responses so you can integrate once and rely on consistent objects across modules and firm customizations
- Aligns with customer entitlements and licensing constraints to ensure compliant access
- Bridges portal-first actions (prebill/invoice posting, eBilling submission) into programmable endpoints
Getting Started
- Schedule Integration Assessment
Book a 30-minute session to confirm your module mix, licensing, and authentication model.
- Supergood Builds and Validates Your API
We deliver a hardened Aderant Expert Sierra adapter tailored to your workflows and entitlements.
- Deploy with Monitoring
Go live with continuous monitoring and automatic adjustments as Aderant evolves.
API Endpoints
Authentication
/auth/sessionsEstablish a session using credentials. Supergood manages MFA (SMS, email, TOTP) and SSO/OAuth when enabled. Returns a short-lived auth token maintained by the platform.
Authentication
/auth/sessions/refreshRefresh an existing token to keep sessions uninterrupted.
Clients
/clientsCreate or upsert a client record to support intake, billing, and matter linkage.
Matters
/mattersCreate or upsert a matter aligned to client, practice area, and responsible/billing timekeepers.
Time Entries
/time-entriesRecord billable or non-billable time with UTBMS task/activity codes and rate application.
Invoices (eBilling Submission)
/invoices/{invoiceId}/submit-ebillingSubmit an approved invoice to an eBilling vendor with LEDES payload and attachments.
Use Cases
Matter and Client Sync
- Pull master data for clients and matters into your product - Standardize responsible/billing timekeeper assignments and rate schedules - Keep custom matter fields aligned across systems
Timekeeping Automation
- Push mobile or workflow-captured time entries with UTBMS codes - Validate narratives, billable flags, and rate application before WIP - Route exceptions and rejections to review queues
Billing and eBilling Orchestration
- Trigger prebill creation and updates programmatically - List and track invoice status changes through posting and payment - Submit LEDES/eBilling packets to vendor portals with normalized results
Finance Reporting and Audit Trails
- Export invoices and payments with metadata for reconciliation - Timestamp changes for auditability across approvals and postings - Prove coverage with consistent, machine-readable evidence
Technical Specifications
Authentication
Username/password with MFA (SMS, email, TOTP) and SSO/OAuth where enabled (e.g., Azure AD); supports service accounts or customer-managed credentials
Response format
JSON with consistent resource schemas and pagination
Rate limits
Tuned for enterprise throughput while honoring Aderant licensing and usage controls
Session management
Automatic reauth and cookie/session rotation with health checks
Data freshness
Near real-time retrieval of WIP, invoice status, and submitted eBilling payloads
Security
Encrypted transport, scoped tokens, and audit logging; respects Aderant Expert Sierra entitlements and role-based access
Webhooks
Optional asynchronous delivery for invoice status changes and time entry acceptance
Latency
Sub-second responses for list/detail queries under normal load
Throughput
Designed for high-volume time capture and billing pipelines
Reliability
Retry logic, backoff, and idempotency keys minimize duplicate actions
Adaptation
Continuous monitoring for UI/API changes with rapid adapter updates
Frequently asked questions
Supergood supports workflows across matter/client master data, time & expense capture, WIP/prebills, invoicing, eBilling submission, and payments/trust—subject to your licensing and entitlements. We scope coverage during integration assessment.
We support username/password + MFA (SMS, email, TOTP) and can operate behind SSO/OAuth (e.g., Azure AD) when enabled. Sessions are refreshed automatically with secure challenge handling.
Yes. We generate LEDES payloads, attach supporting documents, and submit to vendor portals (e.g., Legal Tracker, TyMetrix 360) where your firm has access. We return normalized submission statuses and vendor references.
We normalize timekeeper identifiers and associate the correct rate schedule (standard, client-specific, matter-specific) per entry, validating billable flags and UTBMS codes to prevent downstream exceptions.
We primarily target Sierra-hosted environments but can scope on-prem Expert adapters, including operating inside customer networks where required.