Which template should you use?
| Template | Use it for | What makes it different |
|---|---|---|
| 1. General client file note | Any client call or meeting in any business | Six plain headings. Works for accountants, consultants, property managers, HR and anyone who needs a record |
| 2. Legal attendance note | A solicitor or conveyancer recording a client attendance | Separates instructions from advice, and records time spent for billing |
| 3. Broker or adviser client call note | Mortgage brokers and financial advisers | Records the client's goals and circumstances, the options compared and the reasons for a recommendation |
The names overlap. Lawyers tend to say attendance note, community and health workers say case note, and most other professions say file note. Our short guide to file note, attendance note and case note explains the differences.
How to write a file note: a 6-step checklist
- Write it the same day. A note made at the time, or straight after, carries far more weight than one written from memory weeks later. Put the date you wrote it on the note, as well as the date of the conversation.
- Start with the facts of the contact. Date, start time, how long, phone or meeting, who was there and who wrote the note. Include the client and matter or file reference so it can be found.
- Record what the client told you and asked for. Use their words for the important parts. Keep what they said separate from what you think.
- Record what you said. The advice, information or options you gave, any warnings, and the reasons for a recommendation. If the client chose against your advice, say so.
- List what was decided and who does what by when. Each next step gets a name and a date.
- Check it, sign it and file it. Read it once for names, figures and dates. Add your name. Save it to the client file and do not edit it afterwards. If something needs correcting, add a dated note.
Template 1: general client file note
Use this for any client conversation. Copy the headings and fill in each one.
- Purpose of the contact. Why the conversation happened, in one sentence.
- What the client said. Their situation, questions and concerns. Quote key statements.
- What we said. Information, advice or options given, and any warnings.
- Decisions made. What was agreed, and anything the client decided against.
- Next steps. Who will do what, by what date.
- Follow-up date. When the file will next be looked at.
- Purpose of the contact
Marcus called because he received a reminder that his business activity statement for the June quarter has not been lodged.
- What the client said
Marcus said he was overseas for most of July and August and did not send us his sales figures. He asked whether he will be fined and how quickly we can lodge.
- What we said
Told Marcus we can prepare and lodge the statement within three business days of receiving his figures. Explained that a late lodgement penalty is possible and that we cannot promise it will be waived. Told him the sooner it is lodged the better.
- Decisions made
Marcus asked us to go ahead and lodge as soon as possible. He does not want a payment plan at this stage.
- Next steps
- Marcus to email June quarter sales and expense reports by 9 September 2026.
- Priya to prepare the statement and send it to Marcus for approval by 14 September 2026.
- Follow-up date
10 September 2026, to check the reports have arrived.
See what a finished file note looks like.
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Template 2: legal attendance note
An attendance note is a lawyer's file note of a client attendance. It keeps the client's instructions apart from the advice given, because those are the two things most often disputed later. It also records time for billing. For more depth, see how to write a legal attendance note.
- Purpose of the attendance. Why you spoke.
- Background and facts given by the client. What the client told you, including documents they referred to.
- Instructions received. What the client asked you to do, in their words where it matters.
- Advice given. The advice, the options explained, the risks and any time limits you told the client about.
- Costs. Any estimate or update given, and the client's response.
- Client's decision. What the client chose, and whether that followed your advice.
- Action items. Who will do what, by what date.
- Purpose of the attendance
Helen called for advice on a lease renewal offer she received from her landlord last week.
- Background and facts given by the client
Helen runs a cafe from the premises. The current lease ends on 31 January 2027. The landlord has offered a new five-year lease with rent 12 percent higher in the first year. Helen said the cafe cannot afford more than about 6 percent. She has not replied to the landlord.
- Instructions received
Helen instructed us to review the offer and the current lease, and to negotiate with the landlord's agent on her behalf. She said: "I want to stay, but I will walk away if they will not move on the rent."
- Advice given
- We need to read the current lease before advising on whether she has an option to renew and how rent is to be set. Advice on that will follow in writing.
- Told Helen not to sign or agree to anything, by email or by phone, until she has that advice.
- Explained that if negotiations fail she needs time to find other premises, so we should respond to the landlord this month.
- Costs
Gave an estimate for reviewing the lease and the first round of negotiation, and said a written costs disclosure will be sent today. Helen agreed to proceed on that basis.
- Client's decision
Helen will not respond to the landlord herself. All contact is to go through this office.
- Action items
- Helen to email the current lease and the renewal offer today.
- James to send costs disclosure today, 3 September 2026.
- James to send written advice on the lease by 10 September 2026.
Want a draft attendance note without the typing? Our free attendance note generator formats one from the details of the call you type in, with no sign-up, and the law firm file note compliance checklist checks a finished note for gaps.
Template 3: broker or adviser client call note
Mortgage brokers and financial advisers need a note that shows how they got from what the client wanted to what they recommended. For brokers that supports the responsible lending obligations in Chapter 3 of the National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 and the mortgage broker best interests duty in section 158LA. For advisers it supports the best interests duty in section 961B of the Corporations Act 2001. The note does not replace a credit assessment or an advice document. It is the record of the conversation behind them.
- Reason for the call. New enquiry, review, follow-up or a specific question.
- Client's goals and requirements. What they want to achieve and what matters most to them, in their words.
- Financial situation discussed. Income, expenses, assets, debts and any changes coming, as the client stated them. Say what has been verified and what has not.
- Options discussed. Each product or strategy considered, including the ones ruled out and why.
- Recommendation and reasons. What you recommended, or that no recommendation was made yet, and why it suits this client.
- Risks, costs and disclosures explained. Fees, commissions, risks and any documents given.
- Client's decision or instructions. What the client chose and anything they declined.
- Next steps. Who will do what, by what date.
- Reason for the call
First full conversation after Aisha and Tom's online enquiry. They want to buy their first home in the next six months.
- Client's goals and requirements
They want a two-bedroom unit close to the train line, with a budget of up to $700,000. Aisha said: "We care more about a steady repayment than the lowest rate." They want to be able to make extra repayments without a fee.
- Financial situation discussed
Both work full time on salary. They stated combined savings of $80,000, one credit card with a $6,000 limit that is paid off monthly, and no other debts. Aisha plans to reduce to four days a week in 2028. None of these figures has been verified yet.
- Options discussed
- Fixed rate for three years. Gives the steady repayment they asked for. Explained that extra repayments are usually capped on fixed loans and that break costs can apply.
- Variable rate with an offset account. Flexible extra repayments, but the repayment moves with rates.
- Split loan, part fixed and part variable. A mix of both. They were most interested in this.
- Recommendation and reasons
No recommendation made on this call. A recommendation will follow once income and expenses are verified and lenders are compared.
- Risks, costs and disclosures explained
Explained that with a deposit under 20 percent of the price, lenders mortgage insurance is likely to apply and can be added to the loan. Explained how the broker is paid by the lender. Credit guide emailed during the call.
- Client's decision or instructions
Aisha and Tom asked Nick to compare split loan options and confirmed they are happy for their documents to be collected.
- Next steps
- Aisha and Tom to upload payslips and three months of bank statements by 26 September 2026.
- Nick to send a comparison of at least three lenders by 2 October 2026.
There are longer, profession-specific versions in our mortgage broker file note template and financial adviser file note template. Brokers can also run a finished note through the NCCP file note compliance checklist.
Download the Word version
The Word document has the same three templates: a general client file note, a legal attendance note and a client call note for brokers and advisers. It opens with a six-step list on how to write a good file note. Each template is a table with a hint in every row, so you type over the hint. A few row names differ slightly from the headings on this page, and the attendance note adds rows for documents and time recorded. Download the file note templates (.docx), add your logo, change the rows to suit your work and save it as your firm's standard. If you want more starting points, the file note template library has templates for more professions and call types.
Five common file note mistakes
- Writing it days later. Detail fades fast, and a late note is easier to challenge. See file notes as evidence.
- Recording only your side. "Advised client re options" tells a reader nothing. Say which options and what the client said back.
- Shorthand only you understand. Abbreviations save seconds now and cost hours when someone else reads the file.
- No next steps. A note with no owner and no date for the follow-up is where things get missed.
- Editing after the fact. Changing an old note without a trace damages its value. Add a dated correction instead.
When a Word template stops being enough
A Word template is free and it works. Its limit is that someone still has to type every note, usually after hours, and nothing stops a saved note being changed. If your phone system or Microsoft Teams already produces a transcript of the call, the typing is the part you can hand over.
That is what we built CallNote to do. It turns a transcript that already exists into a file note in your own format. Paste in one of your past notes and it builds a template with your headings and order in about 20 seconds, and nothing about the client is kept. You review the draft, then publish it, at which point the note is sealed and locked and any later change is added as an amendment. CallNote never records calls and never stores audio. There are ready-made templates for general calls, mortgage broking, financial advice and legal attendance notes. See how CallNote works.
Common questions
What is a file note?
A file note is a short written record of a conversation, meeting or event, made at the time and kept on the client or matter file. It records who was involved, when, what was said, what was advised or decided and what happens next. Lawyers often call it an attendance note.
How do you write a file note?
Write it the same day. Start with the date, time, type of contact and who was present. Record what the client told you and asked for, then what you said or advised, then what was decided. Finish with next steps that each have a name and a date. Check the names, figures and dates, add your own name, and save it to the file without editing it later.
Is there a free file note template in Word?
Yes. You can download three file note templates in one Word document from this page at no cost and with no sign-up: a general client file note, a legal attendance note and a broker or adviser client call note. Each one can be edited to match your own headings.
What should a file note include?
The client name and file reference, the date and time of the contact and the date the note was written, the type of contact, everyone present, the purpose, what the client said, what you advised, decisions made, next steps with dates, and the author's name.
How long should a file note be?
Long enough that a stranger could understand what happened and why, and no longer. A routine call is often five to ten lines. A meeting where advice was given or a significant decision was made needs more, because the reasons have to be on the page.
Can a file note be typed, or does it need to be handwritten?
Typed is fine and is easier to read, search and store. What matters is that the note was made at or close to the time, shows who wrote it and when, and has not been changed since. If you use software to draft it, read the draft in full before filing.