For conveyancers and property lawyers, Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing (AML/CTF) obligations under Tranche 2 became a live requirement in 2026. Enrolment with the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) opened on 31 March 2026, and firms spent the months before the 1 July deadline working out what compliance would involve. This is how Long Saad Woodbridge Lawyers prepared using the triSearch Compliance Centre, told through the experience of partner Sam Saad.
What was the challenge around Tranche 2 for a mid-sized law firm?
For a firm of this size, Tranche 2 was a significant change-management exercise rather than a simple form to complete. Long Saad Woodbridge Lawyers is a 70-person practice, with around 25 of them in a property team that works nationally, from residential conveyancing to larger commercial transactions.
The early going was defined by uncertainty. AUSTRAC’s guidance arrived in stages, and Saad says the first starter packs were pitched at smaller firms, which left mid-sized and larger practices without a clear template until close to the deadline. The firm’s biggest concern was getting something wrong: a team that had never specialised in AML/CTF compliance was suddenly expected to meet detailed obligations, with real consequences for a missed step.
How do you choose an AML/CTF system for conveyancing?
Rather than adopt a general AML tool adapted for property, the firm looked for something designed around conveyancing workflows. Two things gave them confidence. The Compliance Centre was developed early, alongside Grant Thornton, advisers to AUSTRAC. The Compliance Centre also keeps client data onshore, on an ISO 27001-certified platform.
“All of our clients’ data is onshore,” Saad says. “You can have the full peace of mind that it’s not going somewhere else overseas.” Seeing a working version of the Compliance Centre months before the deadline, he says, gave the firm the confidence to commit rather than keep comparing options.
What does AML/CTF compliance look like day to day?
Today, client onboarding and compliance sit inside triConvey, the firm’s conveyancing platform. The team starts a matter, sends the client a guided set of questions, and gets the answers back for review, with risk assessments and reporting handled in the same workflow.
“It literally gives us one place to be able to put everything and be able to track all of our clients, all of our staff,” Saad says. “It shows you how many things are outstanding, how many are still waiting to come back, how many have been completed. So, it’s a pretty good one-stop shop.” An audit trail records each action, and professionals can still apply their own judgement where a matter calls for it.
What does AML/CTF compliance cost a firm?
Cost was one of the harder parts to plan for. With no separate software fee and a fixed-cost bundle covering the searches and checks behind client due diligence, the firm could give clients a clear figure up front instead of an open-ended estimate. That certainty, Saad says, made the new obligations easier to explain to clients and simpler to build into each matter.
Is it too late for firms that have not started?
For practices that have not started, Saad’s message is that the deadline is real, but the setup is not the hard part. The platform was ready to use without customisation, he says, and worked as well for a sole practitioner as for a firm of his size. Through the lead-up, the firm also felt well informed on AUSTRAC developments through triSearch, which was working with Grant Thornton and AUSTRAC in the background.
“triSearch as a platform and as an organisation has been very supportive for us from day one,” Saad says. “It’s a system that’s easy to use.”
See the Compliance Centre for your firm
Whether your firm is already enrolled or still working through its AML/CTF obligations, the clearest way to judge whether the Compliance Centre fits your practice is to walk through it with the team. Book a demo of the Compliance Centre and see how it fits your firm’s process.
triSearch provides software solutions for conveyancing processes. Users remain responsible for compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
Watch the full video below.
