What all of these terms have in common
Whatever you call it, the record serves the same core purpose: a written, contemporaneous account of an interaction with a client, kept on the client's file as evidence of what happened and what was decided.
The common requirements across professions are consistent. The note should be written at the time, not reconstructed from memory days later. It should be factual and specific, not vague or generic. It should capture what was discussed, what advice or information was given, what the client said or decided, and what the next steps are. And it should be retained as part of the client record for as long as the relevant obligations require.
A financial adviser's file note of a client review and a social worker's progress note of a support session are doing the same job for the same reason - protecting the client by creating a record of what occurred, and protecting the practitioner by demonstrating that they acted appropriately.
Term-by-term breakdown: who uses what
The table below maps each term to the professions that use it and what it typically records.
| Term | Who uses it | What it records |
|---|---|---|
| Attendance note | Solicitors, barristers, legal practitioners | A client call or meeting: advice given, instructions received, decisions made, time spent. Also the source document for billing in time-based matters. |
| File note | Mortgage brokers, financial advisers, accountants, conveyancers, general business | Any note placed on a client file - most commonly a record of a client call or meeting, but also internal decisions, verification steps, and compliance records. |
| Case note | Social workers, psychologists, counsellors, community services, NDIS support coordinators | A record of a client session or contact, often written against a care plan or support plan. Captures the client's situation, what occurred in the session, and any changes to the plan. |
| Progress note | Allied health practitioners, GPs, nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists | A clinical or therapeutic record of a session - the client's presentation, what was assessed or treated, the outcome, and the plan going forward. |
| Contact note / call note | Real estate agents, insurance brokers, general client-facing roles | A record of a specific client contact - usually a phone call or email exchange. Captures the key points discussed and any follow-up agreed. |
| Client note | Used across many fields as a general-purpose term | A broader catch-all for any note about or for a client. Often used when no single profession-specific term fits. |
What is an attendance note?
An attendance note is the standard term in Australian law firms for a written record of a client attendance - a phone call, video conference, or in-person meeting. The note documents what was discussed, what advice was given, what instructions the client provided, and how long the attendance took.
It does two jobs at once. First, it is the evidential record of the advice and instructions - the document a solicitor would rely on if the client later disputed what was said, or if a professional conduct complaint was made. Second, it is the billing record. The time spent on the attendance - often recorded in six-minute units - flows from the note into the firm's time-recording system.
Professional indemnity insurers in Australia, including the LPLC in Victoria and Lawcover in NSW, consistently emphasise that a contemporaneous attendance note is a practitioner's best protection in a claim. See what is an attendance note for a full guide, and legal file note requirements Australia for retention obligations by jurisdiction.
What is a file note?
File note is the common term in financial services - mortgage brokers, financial advisers, accountants - and in general business settings. It refers to any note placed on a client file, though in practice the most important file notes are the records of client calls and meetings.
For mortgage brokers operating under the National Consumer Credit Protection Act (NCCP), a file note of a needs analysis or suitability conversation is a compliance requirement, not just good practice. The note is evidence that the broker followed the responsible lending obligations and acted in the client's best interests.
For financial advisers subject to ASIC's Regulatory Guide 273 (RG 273) and the best interests duty under the Corporations Act, the file note of an advice conversation is part of the record that demonstrates advice was appropriate and that the client's circumstances were properly considered.
A file note in financial services tends to be slightly broader than an attendance note in law. It may include compliance documentation, verification records, and internal notes about a client's situation, not just records of conversations. But the core of a good file note - what was discussed, what was recommended, what the client said - is identical to what goes in a good attendance note. See file notes for financial advisers in Australia for more detail.
What is a case note?
Case note is the standard term in social work, community services, disability support, and NDIS-funded services. Progress note is more common in allied health and clinical settings. Both refer to a written record of a client session or contact, typically linked to a care plan or support plan.
Where a legal attendance note focuses on advice given and instructions received, a case note or progress note focuses on the client's situation and progress. The note records what the client presented with, what occurred in the session, the practitioner's assessment, any changes to the plan, and what happens next.
For NDIS support coordinators and providers, case notes are central to participant record-keeping and are required by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. They form part of the evidence that supports were delivered as agreed in the participant's plan, and they are essential if there is ever a review, audit, or complaint.
The format of a case note tends to be structured around the client's goals and progress, using frameworks like DAP (Data, Assessment, Plan) or SOAP (Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan). But the underlying discipline is the same - write it at the time, be specific, record what actually happened.
Are there genuine differences, or just different names?
Mostly different names. The concept - a written, contemporaneous record of a client interaction, kept on the client's file - is the same across all of these terms. The genuine differences are at the edges:
- Format and structure vary by profession. An attendance note in law has a stronger focus on instructions and billing time. A case note in health has a stronger focus on the client's clinical presentation and care plan.
- Regulatory requirements differ. What a mortgage broker must record to satisfy NCCP obligations is not identical to what a support coordinator must record for NDIS audit purposes. But both need a contemporaneous, factual record.
- The term attendance note specifically implies a client attendance (a call or meeting). File note is broader and can include internal records. Case note implies a clinical or support context.
- Retention periods vary by profession and jurisdiction. Legal file notes in NSW are typically kept for seven years. Health records in most states must be kept for at least seven years from the last entry for adults, and longer for minors.
None of these differences change the basic discipline. Write it promptly. Be specific. Record what was actually said and decided. Keep it on the file.
How CallNote helps across professions
The job is the same whatever you call it: turn what happened in a client call or session into a structured, dated, attributed record that goes on the file. The challenge is doing that consistently, especially when your day is full.
CallNote [/] works from the transcript of your call or session - received from your phone system, meeting platform, a voice memo, an email forward, or a paste. It generates a structured note using your profession's template. A law firm gets an attendance note in its own house style. A mortgage brokerage gets a file note structured for NCCP compliance. A support coordinator gets a case note formatted for their service context.
CallNote never records calls or joins meetings. It receives a transcript your system already produced and generates the note from that. You review it, correct anything, and lodge and lock it. A lodged note is timestamped, SHA-256 sealed, and append-only - any later change is recorded as a dated amendment, not a silent edit. That is the contemporaneous record, done correctly.
For a library of ready-to-use templates by profession, see the file note template library. For profession-specific guidance, see the for law firms overview.
Common questions
What is the difference between a file note and an attendance note?
An attendance note is the specific term used in law firms for a record of a client attendance - a call, video conference, or meeting. File note is a broader term used in financial services and generally, covering any note placed on a client file. An attendance note is a type of file note. In practice, many firms use the terms interchangeably for client calls.
What is a case note?
A case note is the standard term in social work, community services, and NDIS settings for a written record of a client session or contact. It records the client's situation, what happened in the session, any changes to the care or support plan, and next steps. In allied health, the same record is often called a progress note.
Are file notes, attendance notes, and case notes legally required?
In many professions, yes - though the specific obligation depends on the profession and jurisdiction. Mortgage brokers must keep records to satisfy NCCP responsible lending obligations. Financial advisers must document advice to comply with the Corporations Act best interests duty. NDIS providers must keep participant records to meet NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission requirements. Solicitors are expected to keep contemporaneous records as a matter of professional conduct and are strongly advised to do so by professional indemnity insurers.
What do all types of client notes have in common?
They are all written at the time of the interaction (contemporaneous), factual and specific, kept on the client's record, and serve as evidence of what occurred and what was decided. The name varies by profession; the discipline is the same.
How soon should I write a file note, attendance note, or case note after a client call?
As soon as practical - ideally within the hour, same day as a minimum. A note written on the day of the call is contemporaneous. A note reconstructed from memory days later is not, and its evidential and regulatory value is significantly reduced. Starting from a call transcript rather than relying on memory is the most reliable way to write accurate, timely records consistently.