Surrey lawyer Justin Singh Thind has agreed to a two-month suspension for professional misconduct, commencing on December 6, 2024.
Thind admitted in a consent agreement that between 2018 and 2019, he deposited client funds totaling $5,000 in payment of legal fees directly into the firm’s general account, without first preparing and/or immediately delivering a bill to the clients. Thind also admitted that between 2017 and 2020, he withdrew funds totaling approximately $200,000 from trust in payment of legal fees on 50 instances without first preparing and/or delivering bills to his clients. In each case, Thind had performed sufficient legal work to justify the fees.
In addition, Thind admitted that between 2017 and 2020 he created and/or issued numerous invoices that were inaccurate and potentially misleading, that he withdrew $5,000 from trust resulting in a trust shortage that was not eliminated until five days later, that he was in non-compliance with trust accounting rules in 67 instances, and that in relation to two client matters he charged clients contingency fees without a signed contingency fee agreement in place. No clients were missing funds as a result of Thind’s conduct.
In accepting the consent agreement, the Law Society took into consideration an Agreed Statement of Facts, a letter from Thind to the Chair of the Discipline Committee and his professional conduct record, which includes failure to meet the financial obligations of his firm. Since the investigation, Thind has retained a bookkeeper and has amended his billing practices.
For more information, read the
consent agreement summary.
