Migrate from Aderant Expert Sierra to HighLevel

Expert Sierra clients map directly to HighLevel contacts. Client name becomes contact name, email maps to email field, phone maps to phone field. Primary address fields transfer to HighLevel contact address fields. Aderant client IDs are stored as Source_System_ID__c custom field for traceability.

Firms with client organizations (corporate clients) map to HighLevel companies. Company name maps to company name, website maps to website field, industry maps to industry pick-list. Corporate client relationships require creating HighLevel company records first, then linking individual contacts to the parent company record to preserve the relationship structure.

Expert Sierra matters have no direct HighLevel equivalent — they require a custom object named 'Matter'. Matter number, description, responsible attorney, status, and open date migrate as custom object fields. The matter hierarchy (parent/child matters) requires a self-referential Parent_Matter__c relationship field on the custom object.

Aderant time entries cannot map to HighLevel native billing — they become HighLevel tasks. Date of work maps to task due date, hours worked become custom Hours__c number field, billing rate becomes custom Rate__c field, and narrative description maps to task notes. Time entry IDs preserved as Source_System_ID__c.

Expert Sierra invoices have no HighLevel equivalent. Invoice number, total amount, status (Paid/Unpaid/Overdue), and last payment date migrate as custom fields on the client Contact record: Invoice_Number__c, Invoice_Total__c, Invoice_Status__c, Last_Payment_Date__c. Full invoice line items cannot be migrated due to HighLevel's lack of native billing structures.

Expense entries map to HighLevel tasks similar to time entries. Expense date maps to task due date, amount maps to a custom Amount__c currency field, expense category maps to a custom Category__c pick-list. Original expense descriptions and notes become task notes, preserving the full expense context for reference.

Aderant staff members (attorneys, paralegals, billing admins) must resolve to HighLevel user accounts by email match. Staff role types (Partner, Associate, Paralegal) map to HighLevel user role names if available, otherwise stored as a custom Role__c field on the contact record. Unmatched staff flagged before migration.

Aderant supports client hierarchies (parent company with subsidiary clients). These map to HighLevel company hierarchy using a Parent_Company__c self-referential field on the Company object. Parent company records must migrate first to establish the hierarchy root before child client records are linked.

Expert Sierra billing codes (EXP-001, BILL-AB12) and expense categories migrate as custom pick-list fields on the Matter custom object: Billing_Code__c and Expense_Category__c. Value-by-value mapping is required for each unique code in the source system to preserve the billing taxonomy.

Documents and file attachments linked to Aderant matters are downloaded and re-uploaded to HighLevel as Files attached to the corresponding Matter custom object record. File size limits apply (HighLevel max 100MB per file). Metadata including original upload date and file name are preserved in HighLevel.

Aderant calendar entries with matter context migrate to HighLevel appointments or tasks. Original date/time preserved, attorney/staff assigned as HighLevel user, matter linked via custom field reference. General calendar entries without matter context map to standard HighLevel appointments.

E-billing submission records (EDBE, LEDES format) have no HighLevel equivalent. Submission status, submit date, and client matter code migrate as custom fields on the Matter object: EBilling_Submitted__c, EBilling_Submit_Date__c, Client_Matter_Code__c. The actual billing validation and rejection workflow logic is not migratable to HighLevel.