Under the arrangement, Topdocs Legal will be renamed Doscentre Legal and all existing Topdocs Legal staff will be relocated to Sequoia’s Melbourne offices.

Sequoia managing director Garry Crole said the acquisition would enhance the existing document businesses of Sequoia when reviewing and amending trust and SMSF documents.

“The current industry focus on needing to review outdated family trust and other trust structures was an area of strength for TDL and will continue for Docscentre Legal as we introduce this service offering to our planning and accounting networks across Australia,” Mr Crole stated.

Mr Crole said clients of Topdocs Legal have traditionally been accounting, financial planning and legal practices, as well as small-to-medium enterprises and high-net-worth individuals who seek a high-quality legal service. 

“This is consistent with the Sequoia mission to provide multiple services to advice intermediaries and these professional parties,” he said.

“From our financial planners’ perspective, this enhanced expertise on legal issues relating to SMSF compliance, increased capability in preparing deeds of ratification, rectification or confirmation to assist with certain compliance issues, advising on alternative SMSF investment structuring for property or other assets is a further move of the group to use scale to help drive down the cost of providing advice to a community who needs it”.

The Topdocs Legal team will also be able to assist the Sequoia advice community with legal advice on estate planning for SMSFs, including binding death benefit nominations, powers of attorney, member benefit guardians and the structuring of death benefit payments.

Mr Crole also announced that Sequoia Professional Services division would look to launch additional services to assist advisers address areas including account-based pensions, child pensions, death benefit pensions, pension reversion amendments and pension commutation as ever-changing laws and legislation is implemented.