How to write a client meeting file note that holds up later

A file note is written for a reader who was not in the room. Sometimes that reader is a colleague picking up the client while you are on leave. Sometimes it is a reviewer from your licensee, a regulator, or a lawyer on the other side of a dispute. Most often it is you, two years from now, trying to remember why the client chose the option they did.

That reader has one question: what happened in this meeting, and can I rely on this note to tell me? A note that answers it is worth the ten minutes it takes. A note that says "discussed options, client happy" is worth nothing, and can be worse than nothing if it is the only record you have.

This guide covers what a file note should record, when to write it, the gaps that show up most often, and a template you can use from your next meeting. It applies to advisers, brokers, accountants, lawyers and anyone else whose client meetings may need to be explained later. It is general guidance, and your licensee, professional body or practice rules may ask for more.

What a file note is for

A file note is a record made at or close to the time of a meeting, by someone who was there, of what was said and decided. Its value comes from three things: it was made soon after the event, it was made by a participant, and it is specific.

That makes it different from a transcript. A transcript records every word and leaves the reader to find what mattered. A file note records what mattered and why. A reviewer reading your file wants the second. A transcript can support a file note, but it does not replace one.

It is also different from a summary written for the client. A follow-up email to the client is part of the record, and it should agree with the file note, but it is written for a different reader. The client needs to know what happens next. The file note also needs to show what you explained, what the client told you, and what they chose not to do.

The six things every file note should record

Most good file notes answer the same six questions, whatever the profession.

First, the facts of the meeting. The date, the start and end time, who attended and in what capacity, and how the meeting was held: in person, by video or by phone. If someone joined late or left early, note it.

Second, what the client told you. Their circumstances, goals and concerns, in enough detail that a reader could check your advice against them. Where the exact words matter, such as a client saying they cannot tolerate any loss of capital, record the words.

Third, what you explained. The options you discussed, the risks you pointed out, and anything you recommended, with the reason. If you gave a warning, record that you gave it and what it was.

Fourth, what the client decided. What they agreed to, what they asked for, and what they declined. A declined recommendation is one of the most important things a file note can hold, and one of the most often missing.

Fifth, what happens next. Each action, who owns it, and when it is due. "Send the fact-find" is a task. "Sarah to send the fact-find by Friday" is an action someone can be held to.

Sixth, what was left open. Questions you could not answer in the meeting, documents you are still waiting on, and topics you agreed to cover next time.

Write it the same day

The value of a file note falls quickly with time. A note written within a few hours can be specific about who said what. A note written a week later tends to record what you think must have happened, and a careful reader can usually tell.

Make the note part of closing the meeting, not a job for the end of the week. If you run back-to-back meetings, block ten minutes after each one. If that is not possible, write the six headings and the key facts straight away, and fill in the detail the same day.

Date the note, and if you edit it later, keep the edit visible. A note that was quietly changed after a complaint is a problem in itself.

Separate facts, advice and opinion

A good file note makes it clear which sentences are the client's information, which are your advice, and which are your own observations. "Client has two dependants" is a fact the client gave you. "Recommended increasing cover to reflect the dependants" is advice. "Client seemed unsure about the premium" is your impression.

All three belong in the note. Keep them distinguishable. A reviewer who cannot tell whether a statement came from the client or from you cannot rely on either.

The gaps reviewers find most often

The same weaknesses come up again and again.

The note names a topic but not the substance. "Discussed super" tells the reader nothing about what was said.

The note records the recommendation but not the alternatives. A recommendation is easier to defend when the record shows what else was considered and why it was set aside.

The note leaves out what the client declined. If the client chose not to take your advice, that is the moment the record matters most.

Actions have no owner or date. The note says documents are to be provided, but not by whom or when, so nobody follows up.

The follow-up email and the file note disagree. The client was told one thing in writing and the file says another. Whichever is right, the disagreement is a problem.

Where software helps, and where it does not

Software can take most of the typing out of a file note. In Briefi, the meeting is captured by a bot that joins Zoom, Teams or Google Meet, by recording in the browser, or by recording a face-to-face meeting. Briefi then drafts a recap of what was discussed, in the language the meeting was held in, and puts the actions agreed into a register with an owner and a due date. It also drafts the follow-up email for you to send from your own mailbox, so the client's copy and your record start from the same draft.

What software cannot do is decide what was material. A draft recap is a starting point. You still read it, correct anything it got wrong, add the reasoning that was in your head rather than in the conversation, and make sure the declined recommendation is there. The file note is yours, and your name is on it.

Two habits make the combination work. Review the draft the same day, while you still remember the meeting. And when you correct the draft, correct the follow-up too, so the two never disagree.

A file note template

Use these headings and fill each one in, even if the answer is "nothing".

Meeting: date, start and end time, attendees and their roles, and how the meeting was held.

Purpose: why the meeting was held, in one sentence.

Client information: circumstances, goals and concerns raised, with any exact words that matter.

Discussion: the options covered, the risks explained and any warnings given.

Recommendation: what you recommended and why, and what alternatives were considered.

Client decision: what the client agreed to, asked for or declined.

Actions: each action with an owner and a due date.

Open items: questions not yet answered and documents still outstanding.

Record: who wrote the note, when, and the date of any later edit.

A file note built this way takes a few minutes longer than a one-line summary. It is also the note you will be glad to find when someone asks what happened.

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