A solicitor does not need an AI transcript to become the case record. They need a controlled route from a permitted conversation to a checked attendance note.
The central question is not whether a recorder can capture the meeting. It is whether the firm can protect client confidentiality, control third-party processing and ensure a qualified person remains responsible for the final note.
The six-stage attendance-note protocol
1. Decide whether recording is proportionate
Recording may help with a long factual history, detailed instructions or a meeting where the solicitor needs to concentrate fully on the client. It may be unnecessary for a short update or unsuitable where the sensitivity, venue or participants create unacceptable risk.
Use the firm’s approved process. Personal convenience is not enough to introduce a new copy of confidential information.
2. Explain the exact purpose
The client should understand:
- which part of the meeting will be recorded
- that AI transcription or summarisation is involved
- who may access the audio and text
- where processing occurs
- how long the working files will be retained
- what alternative is available if recording is declined
The SRA’s confidentiality guidance emphasises that client affairs must remain confidential unless disclosure is required or permitted by law or the client consents. Sending audio to an external processor is not a trivial technical detail.
3. Capture only the relevant discussion
State the matter reference, attendees and purpose at the beginning without speaking unnecessary personal details. Stop for breaks, corridor conversations, privileged discussions outside scope or unrelated matters.
Do not leave a recorder running through an entire office day.
4. Review while the meeting is fresh
Check:
- client and third-party names
- dates and chronology
- amounts and calculations
- legal terminology
- advice given
- instructions received
- offers, undertakings or proposed commitments
- actions and deadlines
AI can mishear a negative, merge two speakers or convert a tentative comment into a firm statement. The audio and transcript are working materials, not an automatic authoritative record.
5. Draft the formal attendance note
The final note should be concise enough to use and detailed enough to explain what happened.
| Section | Content |
|---|---|
| Matter and attendance | Reference, date, method, attendees and duration |
| Purpose | Why the meeting or call took place |
| Client account | Relevant facts and chronology attributed correctly |
| Instructions | What the client asked the firm to do |
| Advice | Advice actually given, including limitations or uncertainty |
| Decisions | What was agreed and what remains unresolved |
| Actions | Owner, deadline and required evidence |
| Verification | Facts or documents still to be checked |
6. Control retention and deletion
Save the approved attendance note in the matter-management system. Then apply the firm’s decision to the raw audio, transcript, downloads and app copies.
Do not retain duplicate working files indefinitely merely because the device has storage.
Confidentiality comes before convenience
Paragraph 6.3 of the current SRA Code requires solicitors to keep current and former clients’ affairs confidential unless disclosure is required or permitted by law or the client consents.
A firm assessing an AI recorder should examine:
- the manufacturer and app-provider roles
- the processing contract and confidentiality terms
- subprocessors
- international transfers and storage locations
- model-training terms
- account access and sharing defaults
- retention, deletion and backup behaviour
- incident response
- the ability to export and leave the service
See the SRA’s confidentiality guidance and the current Code of Conduct.
Three safer use cases
Post-meeting private dictation
The solicitor records a structured voice note after leaving court, mediation or a client meeting. This can preserve chronology and actions without recording the confidential event itself.
Approved internal case handover
A short recording can capture tasks and deadlines where the firm permits it. The final handover should still enter the authorised matter system.
Client consultation with defined scope
A long factual consultation may justify recording when the client understands the process and the firm has approved the supplier and retention route.
Where recording is often unsuitable
- another participant refuses or cannot make an informed choice
- the discussion includes several unrelated matters
- court, police-station, prison, hospital or third-party venue rules prohibit it
- the firm has not approved the device or AI processor
- the material involves especially sensitive third parties
- a normal contemporaneous written note is sufficient
Do not confuse transcript, attendance note and witness statement
A transcript is a machine-generated representation of speech. An attendance note is the solicitor’s professional file record. A witness statement is a formal document prepared and approved through a separate evidential process.
Recording may support all three in different ways, but it does not collapse them into the same document.
Call recording requires its own test
A device may support phone or social-app calls, but the firm must check technical compatibility and the legal, regulatory and contractual process for each use. A supported CALL mode does not make every call recordable.
For worker or business-call monitoring, current ICO guidance says recording all call content is not usually proportionate. People should be told that calls are recorded, why, and how the information is handled.
Where NERALVO Halo fits
NERALVO Halo is a slim magnetic recorder with 64GB local storage, NOTE and CALL modes, up to 35 hours of recording and Bluetooth transfer to DOWAY.
DOWAY can create transcripts, summaries, speaker-separated notes, templates, translations and mind maps. The current package includes one year of DOWAY Max from activation.
For a law firm, those features are only relevant after supplier due diligence and policy approval. CALL mode is supported rather than universal, and every AI-generated output requires human verification.
Review the current NERALVO Halo details.
Procurement questions for the firm
- Does the device retain local audio when the internet is unavailable?
- Can processing be limited to approved accounts?
- Where are audio and transcripts processed?
- Are AI providers prohibited from training on client data?
- Can the firm set retention and delete all copies?
- Can files be exported in common formats?
- What happens when the subscription or provider ends?
- How are lost devices and compromised accounts handled?
Bottom line
An AI recorder can reduce the time between a client conversation and a reliable attendance note. It cannot reduce the solicitor’s responsibility for confidentiality, accuracy and professional judgement.
The correct workflow is selective recording, clear client information, approved processing, immediate review, a formal human-written note and controlled deletion.
Ready to capture meetings properly?
View the NERALVO Halo AI voice recorder with 64GB local storage, meeting capture, compatible phone-call recording workflows and one year of DOWAY Max included.
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