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,” 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.
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.
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.
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.”
The committee concluded disbarment was the only appropriate punishment.
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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