Chandra Soares

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

The complainant, a retired accountant, sold his property at 50 Barbican Road for $35,500,000.00 and retained the respondent attorney, Chandra Soares, to act in the sale. The attorney knowingly computed costs on an understated purchase price of $25,500,000.00 and paid the complainant only $14,000,000.00 of the balance proceeds, leaving a shortfall of $7,985,424.76. The attorney admitted she had converted the funds to her own use (paying 'seed money' to her church) and prepared a promissory note the complainant never saw and never agreed to. The panel found the complainant did not agree to lend her the money and that she knowingly converted the sum without his consent. Although she refunded the full sum with interest and costs ($8,373,774.97) on 19 December 2008, the panel found her conduct dishonest and egregious. She was struck off the Roll, with no order as to costs.

Duties found breached:

• Uphold public trust in the profession
• No improper use of client money
• No baseless or threatened misconduct report

Aggravating factors:

• Breach of trust reposed in her by her client
• Knowingly understated the purchase price to compute costs wrongly
• Conversion of client funds to her own use and benefit and/or that of others without consent
• Prepared a promissory note the client never saw or agreed to
• Brought the reputation of the profession into disrepute

Mitigating factors:

• Refunded the full misappropriated sum with interest and legal costs on 19 December 2008
• Did not seek to deny that she had wrongly used the sums belonging to the complainant
• Cooperated and admitted the material allegations
• Quiet and soft spoken; long-standing relationship with client since 1990