A lot has already been said about the guy from Ancaster who is an alleged Russian hacker for hire.

I'm not writing about Karim Baratov so much, though, as about his lawyer.

No, not that lawyer. Not Amedeo DiCarlo, the one who arrived at the Hamilton courthouse last week in a chauffeured Rolls-Royce.

I'm writing about his other lawyer.

The one with the shoes.

The $1,200 red-soled Christian Louboutin black loafers covered in spikes.

Cast your eye up from those bad boys and you find they're worn by Mississauga defence counsel Deepak Paradkar, uncharacteristically standing back from the media scrum on the courthouse steps. Out of the limelight — for as long as he can stand it anyway — before stepping forward and talking about the complicated legal journey Baratov will embark on.

Baratov is charged with identity theft and conspiracy to commit computer fraud in connection with a massive hack of Yahoo user accounts. The allegations have ties to the Russian intelligence agency, FSB, spies and the U.S. Justice Department.

Paradkar, 54, says he will be Baratov's lead lawyer once the case hits the courtroom.

The last time Paradkar stood outside the John Sopinka Courthouse he was telling journalists his client Dellen Millard was innocent.

And not just innocent, but also "extremely remorseful and sad."

Of course, Millard wasn't innocent. A jury found him guilty last June of Tim Bosma's first-degree murder.

Millard and pal Mark Smich, also convicted of first-degree murder, shot Tim during a test drive of the truck he was selling, then incinerated his remains.

By the time that verdict rolled around, Paradkar had faded into the background, never once attending the six-month trial. He, however, says he continued to consult on the case.

Taking a back seat does not come easily to Paradkar. He is friendly, flashy and loquacious.

He styles himself after American attorneys and studies famous military leaders for inspiration. "Trials are war — choose a general," he has said. Some of his clients refer to him as Napoleon.

He also admires Muhammad Ali and gangsta rapper Eazy-E.

He relishes being in front of a jury. He laps up media attention. He welcomes my unexpected call to his cellphone and chats enthusiastically about shoes, the law, his family and his fees.

"People with money hire me because I don't do legal aid," he says.

Superficially, Millard and Baratov have some things in common: both are wealthy (Baratov appears to have a lavish lifestyle while Millard inherited the family fortune); both are young (Baratov is 22, Millard was 27 when he was arrested); and both collect luxury cars (Baratov has had his "Mr. Karim" vanity plates affixed to a variety of high-end sport cars, including a sky blue Lamborghini, while Millard had a fleet of vehicles ranging from a classic red Cadillac, to Jeeps, to the Yukon he was arrested in.)

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In fact, it was cars that led Baratov to his defence team. He and DiCarlo are in the same car club, says Paradkar. DiCarlo brought in Paradkar, with whom he has shared cases before.

As it turns out, Paradkar is also a car enthusiast. And he, too, enjoys a luxury lifestyle.

He directs me to his Instagram account: @cocaine_lawyer. He's not shy about his vast track record defending accused drug dealers. He sometimes uses the hashtag #bestcocainelawyer.

Wander around in that account for a while and you'll see photos of his latest car: a "cocaine white" Jaguar F-Pace with red and black leather interior.

Carry on and you'll see the lawyer's wife and daughters, usually in some foreign locale, like Jamaica, Aruba or Italy. But sometimes they are just hanging out at home in their indoor pool or plush home theatre.

You will also see thank you notes from clients he has successfully represented. Like this guy who was facing seven to eight years in prison: "I just wanna thank u again brother and let u know u mean more to me then just a lawyer … ur family?!"

Sometimes, Paradkar dishes out words of wisdom: "Best advice for all my clients and those who are gangstas trust no one including your right hand. In every drug case I've done there is always a rat responsible for taking you down and you won't see it coming." He concludes with a series of hashtags, including #watchyour6, #notoriousBIG and #beatthecase.

Then there's his fashion. There are photos of his-and-her Rolexes and a Breuget. And Clive Christian cologne, which calls itself "The World's Most Expensive Perfume."

Shoes are also highlighted. A photo of Paradkar buying a matching shoulder bag and sneakers at Louis Vuitton in Yorkdale. And blue patent leather Louboutin high tops. There is even a photo of him at a "private shopping night" at Louboutin buying those spiked loafers, the ones Spec photographer John Rennison snapped a photo of at the courthouse. Paradkar has proudly added Rennison's photo to his Instagram gallery.

Sometimes, Paradkar turns philosophical on Instagram, particularly when recalling the struggles of his immigrant parents who came here from India when he was seven.

"It's what's inside that matters not all this exterior artificial realty (sic)."