Hearing date notice template for clients
A hearing notice is a short message giving the client the case number, court, circuit, date and time of the hearing, whether they must attend in person, what to prepare, and whom to contact at the office. This template has a WhatsApp version, an email version, and a third for the new date after an adjournment.
The notice is sent by the secretary or the responsible lawyer at two points: as soon as the hearing date is set, when the case is registered or after an adjournment decision, and then as a reminder a number of days before the hearing that the office decides. Its value is that the client hears of the date from their own office first, knows clearly whether they must attend or the office’s representation is enough, and that the file keeps proof they were told. Each channel has its own wording: WhatsApp for a few lines read on a phone screen, email for fuller detail and for corporate clients, and a phone call to complete both when the client’s attendance is necessary.
When do you need this template?
- As soon as the first hearing is set after the case is registered or the criminal complaint is referred to court.
- After every hearing that ends in an adjournment to a new date, on the same day.
- A number of days before the hearing, set by the office, as a reminder of the date.
- When the client must attend in person, or must provide a document or take a step before the hearing.
- When the hearing date is changed or the hearing is cancelled for any reason.
What must it include?
- The client’s name, and the case number as the client knows it.
- The name of the competent court and the circuit, and the courtroom if known.
- The day, the full Gregorian date and the time.
- Whether the client must attend in person, and what to bring.
- What is required of the client before the hearing, with a set deadline.
- The name of the lawyer who will attend the hearing for the office.
- The office’s name and phone number for enquiries at the end of the message.
- In the message after the hearing: the decision in plain language, the new date and what it requires.
Notice of Hearing Date to Client
Message 1: WhatsApp: hearing reminder
Dear Mr/Ms [Client name], greetings.
This is a reminder of the hearing in case No. [Case number] before [Name of the competent court] – [Circuit], on [Day] [Hearing date] at [Hearing time].
Your personal attendance: [required / not required]. [Lawyer name] will attend for the Firm.
Enquiries: +974 [Firm phone number] – [Firm name]
Message 2: Email: detailed notice
Subject: Hearing date in case No. [Case number] – [Hearing date]
Dear Mr/Ms [Client name],
We hope this message finds you well.
Please note that case No. [Case number] of [Year], before [Name of the competent court] – [Circuit], is set down for hearing on [Day], [Hearing date], at [Hearing time], in courtroom [Courtroom number, if known].
Purpose of the hearing: [Purpose of the hearing, such as filing documents, oral pleadings or pronouncement of judgment].
Your personal attendance is [required / not required]. If it is required, please arrive in good time with your ID card, and call the lawyer when you arrive.
Please provide us with the following before [Date]: [Documents or information required].
[Lawyer name] will attend the hearing for the Firm and can be reached on +974 [Phone number]. We will let you know what takes place as soon as the hearing ends.
Kind regards,
[Firm name]
Message 3: WhatsApp after the hearing: the new date
Dear Mr/Ms [Client name], greetings.
Today’s hearing in case No. [Case number] ended with the following decision: [The decision in plain language].
Next hearing: [Day] [Next hearing date] at [Time]. Required for it: [What the hearing requires].
Enquiries: +974 [Firm phone number] – [Firm name]
Sending log: To be kept in the case file
For each notice, record what proves it was sent:
| Date sent | Message | Channel | Sent by | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Date] | [1 / 2 / 3] | [WhatsApp / email] | [Employee name] | [Sent / read / not delivered – phoned] |
| [Date] | [1 / 2 / 3] | [WhatsApp / email] | [Employee name] | [Sent / read / not delivered – phoned] |
Do not mention the subject of the case or the opponent’s name in WhatsApp messages: they may appear on the screen of a locked phone or be read by someone other than the client.
How to fill in the template
Take the details from the hearing decision
Take the case number, court, circuit, date and time from the hearing decision recorded in the case file, not from memory or a side note, and check that the day matches the date: a mismatch confuses the client and has them calling to make sure.
Use the channel the client chose
WhatsApp for a quick reminder and for the message after the hearing; email when you need detail or a list of documents, or when the client is a company. If the client has not chosen a channel, ask at the first contact and record the answer in their file.
Say clearly whether attendance is required
Do not leave the client to work it out. Write “required” or “not required”, and if it is required, say what to bring and whom to call on arriving at the court.
Set a deadline for what is needed before the hearing
If the hearing is for filing documents or replying to a memorandum, write exactly what you need from the client, and a last date for handing it over that leaves the lawyer time to prepare.
Send, and follow up on what goes unread
Record the date and channel of sending in the case file. If the client must attend and the message has not been read or answered, phone the client and note the call in the same log.
After the hearing, send Message 3 the same day
When the hearing ends in an adjournment, send the client the decision in plain language, the new date and what it requires on the same day, before they ask; that message then becomes the start of the next reminder.
Common mistakes
- Mentioning the subject of the case or the opponent’s name in a WhatsApp message that may appear on the screen of a locked phone or be read by someone other than the client.
- Writing the date in short form, such as “3/4”, without the year and the day, or giving a day that does not match the date.
- Relying on an unread message when the client must attend in person, with no call to confirm they know the date.
- Sending the notice to an old number, or to an employee of the client’s company who does not follow the case.
- Copying the hearing decision word for word in the court’s language, so the client calls to ask what it means.
Issue this document from your office’s data
In Murafe, when adding a hearing, the lawyer decides whether it is visible to the client in the client portal and whether its reminders are sent to them. If client reminders are switched on, the client receives a reminder before the hearing by email or WhatsApp, while the responsible lawyer and the case team are alerted inside the office ahead of it. After the hearing, the lawyer records the decision and the next hearing’s date, time and requirements; the next hearing is created automatically, and the lawyer can notify the client of the outcome by WhatsApp or email. Message texts are written once in “Message templates”, with variables such as the client’s name, the case number and the hearing date, and are previewed before sending. In “WhatsApp link” mode, the system opens WhatsApp on the employee’s device with the message ready for them to send themselves, and every message is recorded in the message log with its status: sent, failed or sent manually.