Harbinder Singh Sangha

Findings — machine-extracted (anthropic-batch:claude-opus-4-8); verify against the decision

The Respondent, an equity partner, deliberately overcharged conveyancing clients for disbursements (totalling £25,493.07) and transferred the sums to the office account, with fabricated bills and letters purportedly sent to clients. He also charged £1,254 of disbursements from his own property purchase to a client's ledger. He admitted the facts but denied dishonesty. The Tribunal found he acted with conscious impropriety and was dishonest, found all allegations substantiated, struck him off the Roll and ordered £12,000 costs.

Duties found breached:

• No improper use of client money

Aggravating factors:

• Deliberate overcharging of clients for disbursements
• Raising bills purportedly sent to clients but never sent
• Untruthful to the SIO initially about letters and bills being sent
• Charged own property purchase disbursements to a client's ledger (Mr L)

Mitigating factors:

• Longstanding psychiatric illness at time of breaches
• Marital and accommodation problems
• Financial difficulties, no savings or assets
• Cooperation and admission of facts
• Proceedings hanging over him since October 2003