Tribunal found solicitor acted dishonestly after client fees bypassed law firm accounts
A solicitor has been struck off the roll after the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) found he acted dishonestly by directing client payments into his personal bank account instead of his firm’s accounts. The SDT approved an agreed outcome between the Solicitors Regulation Authority and Mandeep Sunny Singh Thandi following admissions to allegations involving breaches of the SRA Principles, including dishonesty.
The misconduct occurred while Thandi was practising as a solicitor and director at Kenneth M. Barrow and Co Ltd, a criminal law practice. According to the Tribunal judgment, a privately paying client instructed the firm in October 2023 after being found ineligible for legal aid. The client requested the firm’s bank details in order to pay legal fees. Instead, Thandi provided his own personal bank account details.
The client subsequently transferred four separate payments into Thandi’s personal account between November 2023 and February 2024, totalling £5,510. The Tribunal heard that Thandi failed to open a matter file within the firm’s systems and did not transfer the money into the firm’s client account. The agreed facts stated that the absence of records demonstrated he had deliberately kept the matter “off the books”.
Although Thandi later used part of the money to pay counsel’s fees amounting to £1,200, he retained the remaining £4,310 personally. The misconduct came to light in February 2024 after another solicitor contacted the firm on behalf of the client and raised concerns about payments being made into Thandi’s private account.
When questioned internally, Thandi claimed he had provided his personal bank details “in error”. However, the SDT rejected that explanation and concluded his actions were deliberate and dishonest. The Tribunal stated that ordinary and decent people would regard the conduct as dishonest and noted that Thandi had made no attempt to remedy the position until confronted.
The judgment also highlighted that Thandi was an experienced solicitor who had knowingly acted in breach of professional obligations while attempting to conceal his conduct over several months. Applying the SDT sanctions guidance and established case law on dishonesty, the Tribunal concluded that a strike off was the only appropriate and proportionate sanction.
Thandi was formally struck off the roll of solicitors and ordered to pay costs of £23,085. The Tribunal approved the agreed outcome on 29 April 2026, with the final order dated 12 May 2026.