What a template has to cover, and why
An attendance note does four jobs at once. It supports the bill, it evidences costs disclosure, it shows you met your conduct duties, and it becomes your memory if the matter is ever disputed. A good template has a heading for each job, so nothing depends on how busy the day was.
| Heading | Why it is there | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Date, start and end time, units | Supports the time entry. Costs must be fair and reasonable, and an itemised bill is only as good as the record behind it | Legal Profession Uniform Law s 172, your costs agreement |
| Matter, file ref, author | Ties the note to the file and the fee earner | Firm practice |
| Who attended and how | Identifies who gave instructions and who heard the advice | Evidence |
| Instructions | Shows you acted on lawful, proper and competent instructions | ASCR r 8.1 |
| Advice given, options and risks | Shows clear and timely advice so the client could make an informed choice, including alternatives to a contested hearing | ASCR r 7.1 and 7.2 |
| Costs discussed | Evidence of initial and ongoing disclosure, and of the reasonable steps taken to satisfy yourself the client understood and consented | Uniform Law s 174(1) and s 174(3) |
| Client understanding and decision | Informed consent, recorded close to the client's own words | ASCR r 7.1, Uniform Law s 174(3) |
| Next steps, who and when | Shows the matter was progressed competently, diligently and promptly | ASCR r 4.1.3 |
| Note made: date and time | A note made at or near the time carries more weight than one rebuilt later | Uniform Evidence Acts, s 69 (business records) and s 32 (reviving memory) |
A word on jurisdiction. The Legal Profession Uniform Law applies in NSW, Victoria and Western Australia. Other states and territories have their own legal profession legislation with similar costs disclosure rules, so swap in your local section numbers. The Australian Solicitors' Conduct Rules (ASCR) have been adopted in most jurisdictions. We go through them in ASCR file note obligations.
Time recording in six-minute units
Six-minute units are a billing convention. They apply because your costs agreement (CA) says so, and no statute requires them. One unit is 0.1 of an hour. The template should carry the actual start and end time as well as the units, because the actual time is what lets a costs assessor, or the client, see that the charge is fair and reasonable.
| Actual time | Units | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 6 mins | 1 | 0.1 |
| 7 to 12 mins | 2 | 0.2 |
| 13 to 18 mins | 3 | 0.3 |
| 19 to 24 mins | 4 | 0.4 |
| 25 to 30 mins | 5 | 0.5 |
| 55 to 60 mins | 10 | 1.0 |
Check the rounding rule in your own CA before relying on that table. Record the time when the call ends. Time reconstructed at the end of the week is easy to under-record, which we cover in capturing billable time from client calls.
Template 1: telephone attendance (TC)
For any call on a matter: client, other side, counsel, a court registry, an expert. Short calls get a short note, under the same headings.
- Attendance note: telephone call
- Date and time: (date, start to end, actual minutes, units)
- Matter and file reference:
- Author:
- Call in or out, and with whom: (name, role, number if new)
- Purpose:
- Discussion: (short points, who said what)
- Instructions received:
- Advice given: (including anything you said you could not advise on)
- Costs mentioned: (yes or no, what was said)
- Follow-up: (who, what, by when)
- Note made: (date, time, initials)
Filled example: TC
- Matter
Halvey, sale of 9 Wirrin Court, Ballarat VIC. File 2026/CV/0871.
- Why he called
The purchaser's solicitor has asked to extend settlement by 14 days. Corben wants to know if he has to agree.
- What the client told us
Corben's own purchase settles on 2 October and relies on the sale money. A 14-day extension would push his sale to 6 October. He 'cannot wear that'. He asked about a shorter extension.
- Client's instructions
Refuse 14 days. Offer 3 days at most (to 25 September), on the basis that the purchaser pays penalty interest under the contract for the extra days. Corben confirmed this twice.
- Advice given
- He does not have to agree to change the contract.
- If the purchaser fails to settle on the due date, the contract's default provisions apply. We would need to serve a notice before any right to end the contract arises.
- Refusing still carries some risk of delay.
- Not advised on: bridging finance. Suggested he speak to his mortgage broker today.
- Costs
Told Corben this negotiation is outside the fixed fee in the costs agreement. Estimate of 1 to 2 hours at the hourly rate if it runs on. He said that was ok and asked for an email confirming it. We will send an updated estimate in writing.
- Next steps
- RDM: email the purchaser's solicitor today with the 3-day offer.
- RDM: send Corben a written costs update today.
- Corben: call his broker about bridging finance.
- Note made
8 September 2026, 2:31 pm, by RDM.
The costs line matters here. Under s 174(1)(b) of the Uniform Law, a significant change to anything previously disclosed has to be disclosed in writing as soon as practicable. The note records the conversation and the follow-up email does the formal disclosure, so the file holds both. See costs disclosure file notes for more.
Template 2: client conference taking instructions
For a first conference or any longer meeting where you are gathering facts and taking instructions. It is longer because it sets up the retainer, the scope and the costs position.
- Attendance note: conference and instructions
- Date, time and place: (date, start to end, minutes, units, in person or video)
- Matter and file reference:
- Author and others present: (everyone in the room, and their relationship to the client)
- ID and conflict check: (done, by whom, result)
- Capacity or interpreter issues: (none observed, or what you saw and did)
- Background facts from the client: (dated, in order)
- Documents sighted or received:
- What the client wants: (outcome sought, in their words)
- Preliminary advice: (options, risks, prospects, time frames, alternatives to litigation)
- Scope of retainer: (what you will do, what you will not)
- Costs: (estimate given, basis of charging, disclosure and costs agreement given or to follow, the client's response)
- What the client understood: (questions asked, how you checked they understood)
- Instructions received:
- Limitation dates and key dates:
- Next steps: (who, what, by when)
- Note made: (date, time, initials)
Filled example: conference
- Matter
Brannock, unpaid invoices against Pellow Fitouts Pty Ltd. File 2026/LIT/0219.
- ID and conflict check
ID sighted (driver licence). Conflict search run on 9 September by KAS, clear. No capacity or interpreter issues observed.
- What the client told us
- Brannock Joinery supplied joinery for a Pellow fitout job, March to May 2026.
- 3 invoices totalling $48,600 including GST. Invoice 1 ($14,200) is paid. Invoices 2 and 3 are unpaid, due 30 June.
- In July, Pellow's director told Odette by phone that 'cash is tight'.
- No complaint about quality until an email on 28 August alleging defects in 2 cabinets.
- Documents received
Quote, email acceptance, 3 invoices, delivery dockets and the 28 August email. Copies taken. There are no signed terms and conditions.
- What the client wants
'I want to get paid without spending half of it on lawyers.' She wants to keep it commercial if possible. There is no ongoing relationship to protect.
- Advice given
- The claim looks straightforward on the documents, subject to the late defects allegation.
- Options: (a) a letter of demand, (b) an offer to inspect and fix the 2 cabinets, which removes their defence, (c) Local Court proceedings, (d) a statutory demand.
- Advised against a statutory demand for now. Any genuine dispute, even a late one, puts it at risk of being set aside with costs.
- Recommended the letter of demand plus the offer to inspect first.
- Prospects cannot be properly assessed until we see Pellow's response.
- Costs recovery in the Local Court is limited and will not cover her full costs.
- Scope of the retainer
Letter of demand and negotiation only. Court proceedings would be a new stage with a fresh estimate. Not advising on her terms and conditions for now, but flagged that it is worth doing later.
- Costs
Estimate of $1,800 to $2,500 plus GST for the demand and negotiation stage, charged hourly. Rates explained. Handed Odette the costs disclosure and costs agreement in the meeting, and walked her through the estimate, billing and her rights. She asked what happens if it goes to court. Gave a rough range only, and said a written estimate would follow if needed.
- What the client understood
Odette restated the plan: 'letter first, court only if they ignore it, and you tell me the cost before that'. Correct.
- Client's instructions
Send a letter of demand for $34,400, with 14 days to pay. Include an offer to inspect the 2 cabinets within 7 days. Do not start proceedings without further instructions.
- Key dates
Debt due 30 June 2026. No time limit pressure. Diarised.
- Next steps
- Odette: sign and return the costs agreement by 12 September.
- KAS: draft the letter of demand by 14 September and send it to Odette to approve before it goes out.
- Odette: send photos of the 2 cabinets as installed.
- Note made
10 September 2026, 11:15 am, by KAS.
Two sections in that example are worth keeping in your own notes. 'What the client understood' records the client restating the plan, which is direct evidence of the reasonable steps s 174(3) asks for. 'Scope of the retainer' records what you are not doing. If the scope of the retainer is ever disputed, a line written on the day is hard to argue with.
Template 3: advice given
Use this when the point of the attendance is a decision: whether to accept an offer, sign a document, or take a step against your recommendation. It is the note you will most want to have if the outcome is bad.
- Attendance note: advice given
- Date, time and channel: (date, start to end, minutes, units)
- Matter, file reference and author:
- Present:
- Issue for decision:
- Facts and documents relied on:
- Options put to the client: (each option, with likely outcome, risk, cost and timing)
- Recommendation: (what you recommended and why)
- Risks and warnings given: (specific, including the downside of the option the client prefers)
- Costs consequences: (of each option, and any update to the estimate)
- Client's questions:
- Client's decision and instructions: (in their words. If against advice, say so plainly)
- Confirmation: (written confirmation to be sent, by when)
- Note made: (date, time, initials)
Filled example: advice given
- Matter
Brannock v Pellow Fitouts. File 2026/LIT/0219.
- Decision needed
Pellow's solicitor has offered $26,000 all in, payable within 14 days, in response to our demand for $34,400. The offer is open for 7 days.
- What we relied on
Pellow's letter of 16 September. Odette's photos of the cabinets. Odette's own estimate to fix the 2 cabinets: about $2,000.
- Options put to the client
- (a) Accept $26,000. Certain, paid within 14 days, no further costs.
- (b) Counter at $31,000. Risk that the offer is withdrawn. Likely 1 to 2 more weeks.
- (c) Reject and start proceedings in the Local Court. Reasonable prospects on the documents, but they will run the defects argument. 6 months or more. Estimated $9,000 to $14,000 plus GST to a hearing, and only part of that is recoverable.
- Recommendation
Option (b). The offer is about 75% of the claim, and the defects are worth $2,000 at most, so there is room to move. If Pellow will not move, (a) is still commercially sensible compared with (c).
- Risks and warnings given
- A counter-offer ends the $26,000 offer. Pellow does not have to put it back on the table.
- Told Odette I have no information on Pellow's solvency. The 'cash is tight' comment makes any delay a real risk.
- A judgment is only worth what can be enforced.
- Costs
Options (a) and (b) fit within the current estimate. Option (c) needs a new written estimate and fresh disclosure before any step.
- Client's questions
- Can she claim interest? Yes in proceedings, but it is not realistic in a settlement at this level.
- Would a settlement be confidential? We can ask for it.
- Client's decision
In her words: 'Counter at 31, but if they say no I will take the 26 if it is still there.' Instructions: counter at $31,000, 7 days to pay, with mutual releases. Odette understands the $26,000 offer may not come back.
- Confirmation
KAS to email Odette a summary of the advice and her instructions today, before sending the counter-offer. The counter goes once she replies 'agreed'.
- Note made
17 September 2026, 4:40 pm, by KAS.
Why contemporaneous notes carry weight
When a solicitor and a former client disagree about what was said, the court looks for a record made at the time. A dated attendance note kept in the ordinary course of practice can be admitted as a business record under s 69 of the uniform Evidence Acts, and a witness can be given leave to use a note to revive their memory under s 32. The template helps in two ways. A 'Note made' line shows how soon after the attendance the note was written. Consistent headings across the file show this is how you always work, which supports evidence of your usual practice when a particular detail is missing.
We go deeper on this in file notes as evidence and on the privilege position in are attendance notes privileged.
Rolling a template out across the firm
- Pick one template per attendance type and keep the headings identical for every fee earner.
- Agree the shorthand (ATT, TC, CL, INS, ADV, CA) and put the list in the precedent folder so a locum can read any file.
- Make 'Costs mentioned' and 'Note made' compulsory, even when the answer is 'no'.
- Review a sample of notes each quarter against the law firm file note compliance checklist.
If you want to see a note drafted under these headings from your own rough points, try the free attendance note generator. More variations, including family law and conveyancing, are in the file note template library.
Using these templates with CallNote
CallNote turns a call or meeting transcript that already exists into an attendance note under your firm's headings, in about two minutes. It never records calls, never joins a meeting as a bot and never stores call audio. You paste the transcript, upload a .vtt or .txt export from Teams, Zoom or Meet, forward it by email, or receive it automatically from Dialpad or Aircall. After an in-person conference you can dictate a voice memo instead.
If your firm already has a house style, paste one of your own past notes and CallNote builds a template from it that matches your headings and your shorthand. You review the draft and correct it, then publish it: the note is sealed with a SHA-256 checksum, amendments are append-only and there is a full audit log. Export to PDF or copy the text into the matter. We do not have native integrations with LEAP, Smokeball or Actionstep, so the route into those systems is copy and paste, PDF, or Zapier where the system supports it. Data is hosted in Sydney and is not used to train AI.
Common questions
Is there a required attendance note format for Australian lawyers?
No. Neither the Legal Profession Uniform Law nor the Australian Solicitors' Conduct Rules prescribes a format. The obligations they create, such as costs disclosure under s 174 and clear and timely advice under ASCR r 7.1, are easier to prove with a consistent note. Your firm, your insurer or your law society's practice guidance may recommend minimum content.
What should a telephone attendance note include?
Date, start and end time, units, matter and file reference, author, who the call was with and whether it was in or out, the purpose, a short record of the discussion, instructions received, advice given, any mention of costs, follow-up actions with dates, and when the note itself was made.
How do six-minute units work on an attendance note?
One unit is six minutes, or 0.1 of an hour. Units are a billing convention set by your costs agreement. No legislation requires them. Record the actual start and end time as well as the units, so the charge can be shown to be fair and reasonable if the bill is ever assessed. Check how your costs agreement treats part units.
Should an attendance note record costs discussions?
Yes. In Uniform Law jurisdictions, s 174(3) requires a law practice to take all reasonable steps to satisfy itself that the client has understood and consented to the proposed course of action and the proposed costs. A note of what you explained and how the client responded is evidence of those steps. Written disclosure is still required. The note supports it.
How soon after the attendance should the note be written?
The same day, ideally straight after. A note made at or near the time is more persuasive than one rebuilt later, and it is more accurate. Include a 'Note made' line with the date and time so the gap is visible on the face of the note.
Can software fill in an attendance note template for me?
Yes, if you have a transcript. CallNote takes a transcript from Teams, Zoom, Meet, Dialpad, Aircall or a pasted file and drafts the note under your headings. You can build the template by pasting one of your own past notes. The solicitor still reviews and corrects the draft before it is lodged.