diff --git a/news/group_by_lead_expansion.rst b/news/group_by_lead_expansion.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c63b6de1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/news/group_by_lead_expansion.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+**Added:** None
+
+**Changed:**
+    * group_by_lead flag in l_projecta can now be used with other flags
+
+**Deprecated:** None
+
+**Removed:** None
+
+**Fixed:** None
+
+**Security:** None
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/regolith/helpers/l_projectahelper.py b/regolith/helpers/l_projectahelper.py
index 17b41f61..5a195041 100644
--- a/regolith/helpers/l_projectahelper.py
+++ b/regolith/helpers/l_projectahelper.py
@@ -121,12 +121,6 @@ class ProjectaListerHelper(SoutHelperBase):
         if rc.lead and rc.person:
             raise RuntimeError(f"please specify either lead or person, not both")
         for projectum in self.gtx["projecta"]:
-            if rc.grp_by_lead:
-                if projectum.get('lead') not in grouped_projecta:
-                    grouped_projecta[projectum.get('lead')] = [projectum.get('_id')]
-                else:
-                    grouped_projecta[projectum.get('lead')].append(projectum.get('_id'))
-                continue
             if isinstance(projectum.get('group_members'), str):
                 projectum['group_members'] = [projectum.get('group_members')]
             if rc.lead and projectum.get('lead') != rc.lead:
@@ -159,7 +153,7 @@ class ProjectaListerHelper(SoutHelperBase):
                 if low_range <= end_date <= high_range:
                     end_projecta.append(projectum)
                 continue
-            projecta.append(projectum["_id"])
+            projecta.append(projectum)
 
         if rc.ended:
             for p in end_projecta:
@@ -173,11 +167,18 @@ class ProjectaListerHelper(SoutHelperBase):
                                                                                           p.get("lead"), members,
                                                                                           collaborators))
         if rc.grp_by_lead:
+            for p in projecta:
+                if p.get('lead') not in grouped_projecta:
+                    grouped_projecta[p.get('lead')] = [p.get('_id')]
+                else:
+                    grouped_projecta[p.get('lead')].append(p.get('_id'))
             for key, values in grouped_projecta.items():
                 print(f"{key}:")
                 for v in values:
                     print(f"    {v}")
-        projecta.sort()
+            return
+
+        projecta.sort(key=lambda prum: prum.get("_id"))
         for i in projecta:
-            print(i)
+            print(i.get("_id"))
         return

BUG: l_projecta --list_by_lead doesn't play with other filters
Current behavior:
lots of nice filtering keys are available, OR listing by lead is available, but they don't play together.

Desired behavior:
set filters, such as ``-f status started --list_by_lead`` and it will return current (not finished) prums listed by lead
diff --git a/tests/test_helpers.py b/tests/test_helpers.py
index 64308284..bb9343f1 100644
--- a/tests/test_helpers.py
+++ b/tests/test_helpers.py
@@ -46,6 +46,9 @@ helper_map = [
     (["helper", "l_projecta", "--grp_by_lead"],
      "lyang:\n    20ly_newprojectum\nascopatz:\n    20sb_firstprojectum\n"
      ),
+    (["helper", "l_projecta", "--grp_by_lead", "-l", "ascopatz"],
+     "ascopatz:\n    20sb_firstprojectum\n"
+     ),
     (["helper", "l_projecta", "--ended", "--date", "2020-06-02"],
      "20sb_firstprojectum    My first projectum\n    Lead: ascopatz    Members: ascopatz    Collaborators: aeinstein, pdirac\n"
      ),
@@ -70,7 +73,7 @@ helper_map = [
      ""
      ),
     (["helper", "u_milestone", "20sb_firstprojectum", "--index", "4",
-      "--status", "proposed", "--type", "meeting","--due_date", "2020-05-30"],
+      "--status", "proposed", "--type", "meeting", "--due_date", "2020-05-30"],
      "20sb_firstprojectum has been updated in projecta\n"
      ),
     (["helper", "u_milestone", "20sb_firstprojectum", "--verbose"],

pip install -e .
parse_log_pytest
requirements.txt
pytest
apt-get update apt-get install -y gcc
3.9
requirements/run.txt requirements/test.txt
pytest --no-header -rA --tb=line --color=no -p no:cacheprovider -W ignore::DeprecationWarning
bibtexparser==1.4.3
Cerberus==1.3.7
certifi==2025.1.31
charset-normalizer==3.4.1
codecov==2.1.13
coverage==7.8.0
dnspython==2.7.0
docutils==0.21.2
et_xmlfile==2.0.0
exceptiongroup==1.2.2
idna==3.10
iniconfig==2.1.0
Jinja2==3.1.6
MarkupSafe==3.0.2
nameparser==1.1.3
numpy==2.0.2
openpyxl==3.1.5
packaging==24.2
pandas==2.2.3
pluggy==1.5.0
pymongo==4.11.3
pyparsing==3.2.3
pytest==8.3.5
python-dateutil==2.9.0.post0
pytz==2025.2
-e git+https://github.com/regro/regolith.git@b81510e76309b09c3943db9c4d2cd552fda94d8c#egg=regolith
requests==2.32.3
rever==0.3.3
ruamel.yaml==0.18.10
ruamel.yaml.clib==0.2.12
six==1.17.0
tomli==2.2.1
tzdata==2025.2
urllib3==2.3.0
xonsh==0.19.3

name: regolith
channels:
  - defaults
  - https://repo.anaconda.com/pkgs/main
  - https://repo.anaconda.com/pkgs/r
  - conda-forge
dependencies:
  - _libgcc_mutex=0.1=main
  - _openmp_mutex=5.1=1_gnu
  - ca-certificates=2025.2.25=h06a4308_0
  - ld_impl_linux-64=2.40=h12ee557_0
  - libffi=3.4.4=h6a678d5_1
  - libgcc-ng=11.2.0=h1234567_1
  - libgomp=11.2.0=h1234567_1
  - libstdcxx-ng=11.2.0=h1234567_1
  - ncurses=6.4=h6a678d5_0
  - openssl=3.0.16=h5eee18b_0
  - pip=25.0=py39h06a4308_0
  - python=3.9.21=he870216_1
  - readline=8.2=h5eee18b_0
  - setuptools=75.8.0=py39h06a4308_0
  - sqlite=3.45.3=h5eee18b_0
  - tk=8.6.14=h39e8969_0
  - wheel=0.45.1=py39h06a4308_0
  - xz=5.6.4=h5eee18b_1
  - zlib=1.2.13=h5eee18b_1
  - pip:
      - bibtexparser==1.4.3
      - cerberus==1.3.7
      - certifi==2025.1.31
      - charset-normalizer==3.4.1
      - codecov==2.1.13
      - coverage==7.8.0
      - dnspython==2.7.0
      - docutils==0.21.2
      - et-xmlfile==2.0.0
      - exceptiongroup==1.2.2
      - idna==3.10
      - iniconfig==2.1.0
      - jinja2==3.1.6
      - markupsafe==3.0.2
      - nameparser==1.1.3
      - numpy==2.0.2
      - openpyxl==3.1.5
      - packaging==24.2
      - pandas==2.2.3
      - pluggy==1.5.0
      - pymongo==4.11.3
      - pyparsing==3.2.3
      - pytest==8.3.5
      - python-dateutil==2.9.0.post0
      - pytz==2025.2
      - requests==2.32.3
      - rever==0.3.3
      - ruamel-yaml==0.18.10
      - ruamel-yaml-clib==0.2.12
      - six==1.17.0
      - tomli==2.2.1
      - tzdata==2025.2
      - urllib3==2.3.0
      - xonsh==0.19.3
prefix: /opt/conda/envs/regolith

tests/test_helpers.py::test_helper_python[hm13]
tests/test_helpers.py::test_helper_python[hm4]
tests/test_helpers.py::test_helper_python[hm0] tests/test_helpers.py::test_helper_python[hm1] tests/test_helpers.py::test_helper_python[hm2] tests/test_helpers.py::test_helper_python[hm3] tests/test_helpers.py::test_helper_python[hm5] tests/test_helpers.py::test_helper_python[hm6] tests/test_helpers.py::test_helper_python[hm7] tests/test_helpers.py::test_helper_python[hm8] tests/test_helpers.py::test_helper_python[hm9] tests/test_helpers.py::test_helper_python[hm10] tests/test_helpers.py::test_helper_python[hm11] tests/test_helpers.py::test_helper_python[hm12] tests/test_helpers.py::test_helper_python[hm14] tests/test_helpers.py::test_helper_python[hm15] tests/test_helpers.py::test_helper_python[hm16] tests/test_helpers.py::test_helper_python[hm17] tests/test_helpers.py::test_helper_python[hm18] tests/test_helpers.py::test_helper_python[hm19] tests/test_helpers.py::test_helper_python[hm20] tests/test_helpers.py::test_helper_python[hm21] tests/test_helpers.py::test_helper_python[hm22] tests/test_helpers.py::test_helper_python[hm23] tests/test_helpers.py::test_helper_python[hm24] tests/test_helpers.py::test_helper_python[hm25] tests/test_helpers.py::test_helper_python[hm26]
news/group_by_lead_expansion.rst regolith/helpers/l_projectahelper.py
news/group_by_lead_expansion.rst regolith/helpers/l_projectahelper.py