What Is an Attendance Note? — UK Criminal Defence Glossary
An attendance note is a contemporaneous written record created by a solicitor or legal representative during and after a client attendance. In England and Wales, attendance notes are the primary evidential record of work done at a police station, voluntary interview, or telephone advice — used for file management, billing, audit, and professional accountability.
Detailed explanation
An attendance note captures the substance of every interaction between a legal representative and their client, the police, or other parties during the course of a matter. The note typically records the date, time, location, persons present, instructions received, advice given, and the outcome of each stage of the attendance. It may also record observations about the client's condition, fitness to be interviewed, and any concerns raised during detention.
In criminal defence practice, attendance notes serve multiple functions. They are the file record that a supervisor or compliance officer reviews. They are the evidence that supports a Legal Aid Agency billing claim. They are a potential disclosure document if the client later disputes the advice received. And they are the practitioner's own record of what happened — often months or years before a case reaches trial.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority expects solicitors to maintain adequate records of their work. While the SRA does not prescribe a specific format for attendance notes, the expectation is clear: the record should be contemporaneous, accurate, and sufficiently detailed to demonstrate the work done and the advice given.
When practitioners encounter attendance notes
Every police station attendance generates an attendance note. Whether the representative attends in person, provides telephone advice, or attends a voluntary interview, the note is the core record of that work. Duty solicitors, own-client solicitors, and accredited police station representatives all create attendance notes as part of their standard workflow.
Beyond police station work, attendance notes are created for prison visits, court attendances, conferences with counsel, and client meetings. The police station attendance note is distinctive because it must capture a fast-moving, multi-stage process — from initial call-out through disclosure, consultation, interview, and post-interview advice — often under time pressure and in a challenging environment.
How attendance notes relate to the wider case file
The attendance note sits at the centre of the criminal defence file. It connects the billing record (CRM forms and Legal Aid Agency claims) to the case record (what was said, advised, and decided). A well-structured attendance note reduces the time needed to prepare for subsequent hearings, brief counsel, or respond to an LAA audit query.
Firms that use structured digital attendance notes — rather than handwritten notes typed up days later — report fewer discrepancies between the file record and the billing claim. The contemporaneous record is the record, rather than a reconstruction from memory.
Key points to record in an attendance note
- Date, time of call-out, and time of arrival at the station
- Custody record number and police station name
- Client name, date of birth, and offence(s) disclosed
- Details of disclosure received from the police
- Consultation with the client — instructions and advice given
- Interview summary — questions asked, responses given, demeanour
- Post-interview advice and any representations made
- Time of departure and total time breakdown by activity
- Fee type claimed (fixed fee, escape fee, telephone advice)
- Any concerns about the client's welfare or fitness
Related terms
- Custody record — the police's official record of detention
- Legal aid attendance note — attendance notes that support LAA billing claims
- PACE interview — the formal interview under caution
- Time recording for legal aid — recording time spent on publicly funded work
Frequently asked questions
Is there a legal requirement to keep attendance notes?
There is no single statute that mandates attendance notes in a prescribed format. However, the Solicitors Regulation Authority requires solicitors to maintain adequate records of their work under the SRA Standards and Regulations. For legal aid work, the Standard Crime Contract requires contemporaneous records to support billing claims. In practice, failing to keep proper attendance notes exposes a practitioner to billing disputes, regulatory criticism, and difficulties evidencing their work at any later stage.
What is the difference between an attendance note and a file note?
The terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but in criminal defence practice an attendance note specifically records work done during a client attendance — such as a police station visit, court hearing, or conference. A file note is a broader term that can include internal notes, research summaries, or records of telephone calls. For police station work, the term “attendance note” is standard and is the term used in LAA guidance and the Standard Crime Contract.
How long should a police station attendance note be?
Length depends on the complexity of the attendance. A straightforward telephone advice matter may require a page. A multi-suspect, multi-count police station attendance with several interviews could run to several pages. The test is not length but completeness: does the note record everything a supervisor, auditor, or court would need to understand what happened and why?
Structure your attendance notes from the first call-out.
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