The write-up is the tax on every client call
Every substantive client call needs an attendance note. It is the record of what was said, the advice you gave, the instructions you took and the time you spent. It is also the evidence that protects the firm if the matter is disputed later. And it is non-billable admin that lands on the busiest people in the practice, so it gets rushed, written from memory hours later, or quietly skipped. That is the gap CallNote closes.
How CallNote works for a law firm
- Take the call like normal. On your phone system, Teams, Zoom, or dictate a quick voice memo after an in-person conference. Your system produces the transcript. CallNote never joins the call and never records it.
- The note writes itself. CallNote receives the transcript and writes a structured attendance note in your firm's format: attendance details, purpose, instructions, advice, costs discussed, next steps and time.
- Review while it is fresh. A pop-up lets you check the note straight after the call and fix anything. Anything the call did not cover is marked as not covered, never filled in with a guess.
- Review, then file. Check the draft against its source and correct anything that needs it. Copy it, export a PDF or publish it to a supported CRM. Later changes leave a timestamped history; a checksum helps detect changes.
- File it to the matter. Export the PDF or copy the text into your practice management system against the matter, and record the time entry from the note.
What the note looks like
A note in the shorthand a solicitor would actually write, built from a twelve minute call. The client and matter are fictional.
ATT - TC with CL (Maria K) re purchase of 14 Example St Date: 22/09/2026, 2.10pm - 2.22pm (2 units) INS - CL wants to proceed. Finance approved in writing yesterday. - B&P report received. CL concerned re moisture reading in bathroom. - CL instructs us to request $3,500 price reduction or rectification before settlement. ADV - Explained CL's position under the B&P special condition and the deadline to give notice (5pm Thursday). - Advised the vendor may refuse, and what CL's options are if so. CL understands. - Costs: confirmed no change to the estimate in the CA. NEXT - We write to vendor's solicitor today with the B&P request. - CL to send the full B&P report by email. - Diarise Thursday 5pm deadline.
Your own format, not ours. Paste one of your past attendance notes and CallNote builds a template that matches your headings and your shorthand, so every note reads like your firm wrote it.
Never records, which matters more for a law firm
Most AI note-takers record the call or send a bot to sit in the meeting. For a practice handling privileged, confidential conversations, that is a problem in itself. And in the all-party consent states, New South Wales, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT, recording a call without everyone’s consent is a legal risk on its own. CallNote never records. It only ever receives the transcript your own system already produced. Your notes are stored in Sydney and are never used to train AI models. Read more in can lawyers use AI for file notes and file notes as evidence.
Where it fits with LEAP, Smokeball, Actionstep and the rest
CallNote does not replace your practice management system and does not plug into it directly. It does the one job your PMS does not: turning the conversation into the note. You then file the PDF or the text to the matter the way you file any other document. We walk through it in attendance notes with LEAP, Smokeball and Actionstep. If you are weighing up tools, see CallNote vs Smartnote and our roundup of attendance note software.
For the whole firm, with the right people seeing the right notes
Partners and practice managers see every note in the firm. Each solicitor sees only their own. Seats are $99 a month each on the Team plan, or $149 a month for a sole practitioner, with a 14-day free trial and no credit card.
Guides
Plain-English guides to attendance notes, the obligations behind them, and how to keep them defensible.
Start here
The basics, and how to write one properly.Obligations and compliance
What the rules require, and what a note has to show.Risk and disputes
When the note is the only evidence you have.By practice area
Where the risk sits in specific kinds of matter.Time and tooling
What it costs to keep notes, and the ways firms handle it.Free tools
Common questions
Does CallNote record our client calls?
No. CallNote never records a call and never joins a meeting. It receives a transcript that your phone system, Teams or Zoom already produced, or a voice memo you dictate after a conference, and writes the attendance note from that.
Where is our data kept?
In Sydney, on AWS, encrypted. Transcripts and notes are never used to train AI models.
Will the note be in our format?
Yes. Paste one of your past attendance notes and CallNote builds a template that matches your headings and shorthand. You can edit the template any time.
What if the AI gets something wrong?
Every generated note starts as a draft. Check it against the source, and correct errors before filing it. The solicitor remains responsible for its accuracy and completeness.
Can a published note be changed later?
Yes. Later changes remain in the note history. Publishing again updates the existing HubSpot note; notes already in Clio are updated in Clio. A checksum helps detect content changes; it does not establish legal compliance.
Does it integrate with LEAP, Smokeball or Actionstep?
Not directly. File the PDF or text to the matter as you would another document. Transcript connections include Dialpad, Aircall and Microsoft Teams, subject to setup requirements. Explicit CRM delivery supports HubSpot and Clio. The Clio route files to a contact; it does not choose a matter for you.
Your last client call is already an attendance note.
Connect CallNote once and the note is waiting when the call ends: in your format, sealed, and ready for the matter file in about two minutes. Never records. Built in Australia.