Fort McMurray lawyer disbarred for using client credit cards to fund pornography addiction, Zukhraf Baig spent $10,000 from client funds on porn, and also used cocaine, hired sex workers and watched porn in his employer’s office by Jonny Wakefield, Dec 06, 2024
The Law Society of Alberta has disbarred a Fort McMurray lawyer — and referred his case for potential prosecution — after he admitted to using US$10,000 from client credit cards to pay for pornography.
Zukhraf Baig was disbarred by the legal regulator on Nov. 13 after a disciplinary committee concluded a temporary suspension was not appropriate in the case. The decision was released publicly on Wednesday.
“The committee recognizes the harsh impact of disbarment on Baig but is bound to give priority to the protection of the public and the maintenance of public confidence in the profession,”
Pffft, we the public lost confidence in our addicted (sex, drugs and booze) abusive racist misogynistic thieving untrustworthy lawyers and judges long ago, especially in Alberta. The legal-judicial industry needs professional help, not enabling self regulation that benefits no one except the rich, corrupt industries, rape religions, dirty politicians, and keep white collar crime by lawyers going strong the decision states.
The law society also ordered Baig to pay $20,000 in legal fees should he ever seek reinstatement and notified the provincial justice ministry that it has grounds to believe Baig committed criminal offences including credit card theft, forgery, and fraud.
Baig, 40, was called to the bar in 2015, the decision says. He first practised in Calgary but was fired for poor performance stemming from his cocaine and alcohol use. His next law job lasted only a few months, and he exhausted a $50,000 line of credit funding his addictions.
A small firm in Fort McMurray eventually offered Baig a job practising family law, and he and his wife moved to the community in early 2019.
While at the Fort McMurray firm, Baig accessed client credit card information on at least 60 occasions in 2020 and 2021 to pay for online “sexting” services, according to the decision. Twenty-four such payments were successfully processed. The transactions ranged between US$100 and US$1,800. Some of the fraudulent charges were eventually reversed, with the sexting company suffering US$10,000 in losses.
Baig also admitted to altering a cheque his firm issued to a third-party vendor and depositing the money in his personal bank account.
Baig said he took the money because his wife took control of the family finances after his firing in Calgary, limiting his ability to fund his addictions. He admitted that in 2020, he was regularly using cocaine, hiring sex workers, and watching porn in his employer’s office late at night. That May, police confronted him when he was spotted walking around the office after hours in his underwear. He “either lied or was deceptive” with both police and his boss, making up a story to hide his activities, the decision says.That’s the disease of addiction acting out, not a rotten legal industry symptom which has many of its own harmful behaviours, including rampant lying, just as bad, if not more harmful to the public interest but which the self regulator of lawyers protects to keep their dirty lying lawyers operating to serve lying oil, gas, bitumen and coal industries, law violating politicians (plenty) and rapists, notably of kids and religious.
Baig’s uncle eventually contacted the Alberta Lawyers’ Assistance Society and had him referred for treatment. Baig attended a residential program for drugs and alcohol but did not acknowledge his porn addiction. He completed the program and returned to work but immediately resumed his porn consumption and, within a few months, was back to using cocaine and alcohol. He also continued using client credit cards.
“He felt that he needed to watch live pornography and to consume cocaine at the same time to heighten his experience,” the law society decision states. “He testified that he was willing to do whatever it took in order to watch the live camera pornography.”
Baig’s employer fired him in March 2021 after the sexting company sent a cease and desist letter over the cancelled charges. During an interview with a law society investigator, Baig initially denied wrongdoing but eventually admitted his misconduct. He signed a formal admission two years later.
Suspension not enough: law society
Three law society members heard submissions on Baig’s punishment in June. At the time of the hearing, Baig was living in his native Pakistan, working low-wage jobs earning about $200 a month.
Lawyers for the law society argued Baig should be disbarred. An exception could be made, they said, if his addictions “provided an adequate explanation” for the misconduct — and if treatment offered a realistic chance of minimizing his risk to the public.While white male lawyers Jonathan Denis and Tyler Shandro are not risks to the public? FFS, what a bunch of racist hypocrite fuckers in Caveman Canada law clubs:
Alexandra Seaman, Baig’s lawyer, suggested an 18- to 24-month suspension. A doctor diagnosed him with “multiple co-morbid addictive/compulsive behaviour disorders” and laid out a “risk management plan” including therapy, twice weekly support meetings, and continued participation in a 12-step program.Meanwhile, known convicted pedophiles and their addictions are granted licence to practice law by their self regulators. What a sick evil circle jerk law societies and their lawyers are.
Baig told the hearing committee he began a month-long stint at a recovery centre in December 2023 and has not watched pornography or consumed drugs or alcohol since. He intends to make restitution to the sexting company and sent a letter of apology to his Fort McMurray employer. His doctor said Baig is remorseful and motivated to stay sober, but added his treatment would be “challenging.”Life is hideously cruel and difficult to endure; humans are even more cruel and hideous to endure, addictions plague many trying to survive life.
The committee concluded disbarment was the only appropriate punishment.Would they if he was white?
It noted Baig has no track record of success as a lawyer because he was impaired by porn, cocaine, and alcohol for the entirety of his legal career. At the time of the hearing, he was “very early” in the recovery process and “adduced no objective evidence of sobriety” beyond his own self-reporting.
He was also deceptive with his employer, police, and the law society investigator, and only admitted what he had done after he got caught.
The committee said it considered the impact of disbarring Baig “on other lawyers struggling with mental health or addiction issues.” It urged lawyers in those circumstances to notify the law society and seek help early on, saying this is a “significant mitigating factor” in misconduct cases.
“However, when the lawyer commits misconduct over a lengthy period and seeks treatment only after they are caught and accountable for their misconduct, a less benevolent approach is warranted.”
Baig’s lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.
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Refer also to:
2019: Profile of the Legal Profession [in USA] Report; article on it: https://www.techlawcrossroads.com/2019/08/aba-profile-reveals-a-profession-in-crisis/
Diversity? Not So Much
A whopping 85% of the profession is still white. 85%.
For example, while the Report’s introduction points out that the profession changes every year, much of the story contained in the Report is unfortunately the same. For example, a whopping 85% of the profession is still white and mostly male. 85%.
… 80% of our federal judges are white. Almost 75% are men. That’s an incredible lack of progress for a key metric. 
White men don’t like to share power do they?
… The Report also reveals what most of us would have assumed: public service lawyers are grossly underpaid with civil legal aid lawyers being paid on average the least of the least. Its no wonder we have an access to justice problem.
… 21% of lawyers report problem drinking; 32% of lawyers under 30 report problem drinking. This compares to 6.4% of the general population. 25-35% do lawyers facing disciplinary proceedings report some mental illness or addiction issue.
