Support staffParaplanner and paralegal

Two jobs, one client file

A client's advice, estate plan and trust or company structure have to agree with each other. I prepare the documents on both sides of that file, as needed to the adviser's and the solicitor's instructions.

Paraplanning

For financial advisers and licensees. They give the advice, I prepare the documents.

Statements and Records of Advice

SOAs and ROAs drafted from the adviser's strategy, written so clients can follow them and compliance can sign them off.

Modelling and projections

Cash flow, superannuation, retirement and insurance needs projections that show the working behind the adviser's recommendation.

Product and platform research

Super funds, platforms, investments and insurers compared on fees and features against the adviser's brief, with the replacement analysis documented.

Implementation and reviews

Applications, rollovers, fee disclosure statements and annual review packs prepared and tracked through to completion.

Paralegal work

For solicitors and in-house legal teams. I work under a solicitor's supervision.

Drafting and document preparation

Letters, agreements, deeds and forms prepared from instructions and precedents, proofread before they reach the solicitor.

Estate planning documents

Wills, enduring powers of attorney and guardianship appointments drafted for the solicitor's review.

Company and trust paperwork

ASIC forms, registers, minutes and resolutions, plus trust and SMSF deeds prepared and varied for the solicitor to settle.

Matter and file management

Matters opened, deadlines diarised, searches ordered and documents filed, so nothing sits waiting on admin.

Where the two meet

Some work needs both skill sets at once. This is where one person covering both means fewer handovers.

Estate planning

Wills, powers of attorney and super death benefit nominations checked against each other, so the estate plan and the financial plan say the same thing.

SMSFs and family trusts

Deeds, minutes and trustee resolutions that match the strategy in the advice document.

Client identification

Identification and verification carried out to your firm's AML/CTF program. Long routine in advice practices, and since July 2026 part of much legal work too.

Audit-ready files

File notes, authorities and signed documents kept where a licensee's auditor or a supervising solicitor expects to find them.

Experience, qualifications and tools

Extensive experience across both fields. 10 years across paraplanning and paralegal work, most recently with Ziku Capital, a Melbourne financial services group.

Qualifications

• [Qualification, institution, year]
• [Qualification, institution, year]

How a file moves across my desk

1. Brief

   I read the fact find, file notes and instructions before I start.

2. Draft

   I check current rates, thresholds and product details, then build the document in your template and house style, in plain English.

3. Check

   I look over everything carefully reconcile figures, test cross-references and definitions, and complete your compliance checklist before it goes to you.

4. Hand over

   You get the document with a short note on my assumptions and the points that need your decision.

   Comment: Who decides

   The advice is the adviser's call and the legal judgement is the solicitor's. I flag the points; I don't decide them.

I'm Truc Vu, a paraplanner and paralegal based in Ho Chi Minh City. [One sentence in your own words on how you came to this work, or what you like about it.]

Both jobs come down to the same habit, which is reading closely. A Statement of Advice and a trust deed fail the same way: a figure that doesn't reconcile, or a clause that says something slightly different from what the client was told. I like catching those.

Three things you can expect from me:

• I ask the awkward question at the start.
• I leave a file tidy enough for someone else to pick up.
• Great communication skills. If something is going to be late, you hear it from me first.

What I'm looking for

The best fit is a practice where advice and legal work meet on the same client file: estate and succession, SMSFs, or a law firm with a wealth focus. A straight paraplanning or paralegal role suits me too. I work remotely from Ho Chi Minh City, which is three hours behind Melbourne and Sydney, or four during daylight saving. [The hours you can work, in Sydney time.]