Note-taking for Solicitors

Take meeting notes that meet legal standards

For: Junior solicitors, trainee solicitors, paralegals and legal apprentices

Level: Foundation

Time: 2 hours (face-to-face or virtual courses)

Legal professionals need to be able to take notes of board meetings, telephone calls, conferences with counsels and strategy meetings.

On Note-taking for Solicitors, your juniors can develop these skills quickly. They’ll learn the requirements for verbatim and summary notes at your firm during this practical, fast-paced course.

They’ll discover how to take better notes using shorthand and filtering. And they’ll find out how to write up their notes properly and proofread them effectively.

Your course will be tailored to your organisation’s needs. We’ll use your templates and processes, and create exercises based on your own notes.

Your juniors will be able to:

  • Understand the importance of taking notes in a legal firm
  • Take better verbatim and summary notes in meetings
  • Handle interruptions, mishearings, unfamiliar names and other difficulties with grace

Content for Note-taking for Solicitors

The requirements for different types of notes

  • Understanding your firm’s notes and their formats
  • Considering how notes are used to prepare cases, manage client relationships, resolve problems and mitigate risks
  • Reviewing your firm’s best practice examples of different note formats
  • Understanding your firm’s rules about handwriting, typing and audio recordings
  • Exploring the advantages and disadvantages of taking notes by typing

The fundamentals of note-taking

  • Getting set up properly
  • Using shorthand for professionals
  • Taking verbatim notes for witness statements
  • Filtering for other types of notes
  • Handling interruptions, mishearings, unfamiliar names and other difficulties with grace

Writing up their notes properly

  • Understanding expectations, templates and other resources
  • Working with support services
  • Using proper layouts for minutes and notes
  • Proofreading their work effectively

Practising their note-taking skills

  • Using short daily practices with podcasts

Learning options for Note-taking for Solicitors

  • Training only
  • Combine with reviews of your people’s notes
  • Combine with coaching for individual team members
  • Combine with a consulting project to develop common standards, processes and tools for your organisation’s notes

Your training programme will include implementation resources and support to help your team make fast progress with their writing skills.

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Testimonials

“Immediately applicable and very useful for all departments.”

“Margaret was fab. She managed to present a possibly dry subject in a really interesting, applicable way.”

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Participants, Burges Salmon

My training is based on my 20 years’ experience as a business writer and communications professional.

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I’m based in London and work with clients
across the UK and internationally.

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If you’d like to have a chat about Note-taking for Solicitors for your team, please send me a message.