CustodyNote for Criminal Defence Firms
Criminal defence firms need consistent, high-quality attendance notes across every solicitor and representative in the practice. CustodyNote provides structured templates that ensure the same level of detail in every police station attendance note — regardless of who attended, when, or where.
The challenge for any criminal defence firm with more than one fee earner attending police stations is consistency. A senior partner may produce meticulous attendance notes, but a newly accredited representative covering the overnight rota might miss critical sections — not through carelessness, but because no one gave them a structured framework to follow. CustodyNote is that framework.
Firm-level consistency
When every solicitor and representative in your firm uses the same structured template, the quality of your police station attendance notes stops depending on who attended. CustodyNote's templates guide the user through every section: client details, custody reference, disclosure, consultation, interview record, outcome, and billing. The output is a consistent PDF that meets the standard your supervising partners, compliance team, and the LAA expect.
This matters for peer review, for audit, and for the practical reality that a file may be picked up by a different fee earner at the magistrates' court the next morning. If the attendance note follows a known structure, the advocate can find what they need without deciphering someone else's personal shorthand.
Training new representatives and solicitors
One of the most difficult parts of supervising police station work is ensuring that junior or newly accredited staff know what to record and when. CustodyNote acts as a structured guide: each section prompts the user for the information that should be captured at that stage of the attendance. This does not replace proper training — but it reinforces it, and it means a new representative's first attendance note covers the same ground as an experienced solicitor's.
For firms running their own accredited representative programmes, this is particularly valuable. The trainee works through a consistent framework from day one, building good habits that carry forward. For guidance on what those notes should contain, see how to write attendance notes and what must be included in attendance notes.
Audit readiness
Whether it is a Lexcel assessment, an LAA contract compliance audit, or an internal file review, the question is the same: does the attendance note demonstrate that the practitioner provided competent advice and recorded the key events of the attendance? Structured notes produced by CustodyNote create a consistent evidence trail across every police station matter in the firm.
Inconsistent notes are one of the most common findings in compliance reviews. Some fee earners produce detailed records; others produce a paragraph. CustodyNote raises the floor: even the most rushed attendance produces a note with the essential sections completed, because the template does not let you skip them without noticing.
Billing accuracy
LAA billing depends on accurate time recording across every attendance your firm handles. When billing data is captured as part of the attendance — arrival time, waiting time, consultation, interview duration, travel — rather than reconstructed from diary entries or memory weeks later, claims are stronger and queries are fewer.
CustodyNote includes billing fields in every attendance record. Your billing team receives PDFs with the time data already structured, reducing back-and-forth with fee earners who have moved on to the next case. For more on how this fits LAA requirements, see attendance notes for legal aid billing.
Multi-device and cloud backup
Each user installs CustodyNote on their own Windows laptop or tablet. Data is encrypted locally with AES-256 by default. For firms that want an additional layer of resilience, optional cloud backup stores encrypted data in AWS London (eu-west-2) — with encryption in transit and at rest, and no third-party access to the data. This supports business continuity if a device is lost, stolen, or damaged.
CustodyNote is not a centralised server product — each practitioner has their own local database. This reduces the firm's attack surface and simplifies data controller obligations. For full details on the security model, see the security page.
Integrating with your existing workflow
CustodyNote does not replace your case management system. It produces PDF attendance notes that your fee earners upload, email, or print into whatever CMS or filing structure the firm uses. This means you can adopt CustodyNote without a migration project — it slots into the gap between the police station and the firm file.
For firms that use QuickFile for invoicing, CustodyNote includes integration to push attendance data into your invoicing workflow. For other billing systems, the structured PDF provides the detail your accounts team needs.
Pricing for firms
Each user subscribes individually at £9.99/month (early access pricing) after a free 30-day trial. No credit card is required for the trial. Every subscription includes all features — there are no tiered plans or per-firm licensing fees.
Frequently asked questions
Can we roll CustodyNote out across multiple fee earners?
Yes. Each fee earner installs CustodyNote on their own device and subscribes individually. There is no firm-wide licence to negotiate — each user gets the full feature set. Start with one or two users on the free trial to evaluate the workflow before wider rollout.
Does CustodyNote replace our case management system?
No. CustodyNote is a dedicated attendance note tool. It produces PDF notes that your team uploads into your existing CMS. It does not manage cases, diaries, or court documents.
How does CustodyNote help with supervision?
Structured templates mean every attendance note follows the same format. Supervising partners can review notes knowing that each section was prompted — if a section is thin, it is because the fee earner chose not to elaborate, not because they forgot the section existed.
Is client data shared between users in the firm?
No. Each user's data is stored in their own encrypted local database. There is no shared server or centralised firm database. Notes are shared via PDF export, which you handle through your normal firm channels (email, CMS upload, print to file).
What about GDPR and data protection?
Each user is the data controller for the personal data in their attendance notes (or the firm is, depending on your arrangements). CustodyNote encrypts all data with AES-256. If cloud backup is enabled, Defence Legal Services Ltd acts as data processor under a DPA. See our security page and privacy policy for full details. Download CustodyNote to start a free trial.