Lawyers in demand amid scandal-serye

So this is where we are since this flood control corruption scandal erupted — construction projects are down, infrastructure spending has slowed and luxury buyers have laid low.

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But there is one profession that is having its best season ever — lawyering.

At a time when the spotlight is on crooks and their merry band of looters who pocketed taxpayers’ money meant for flood control projects, it’s no wonder that the best lawyers are now fully booked. If this were showbiz, they’d be the celebrity managers cleaning up after their clients’ “image problems.”

At the recent hearings at the Senate, we've seen the names of legal counsels representing some of those at the center of the scandal. There's hotshot lawyer Raymond Fortun, for instance, representing ex-DPWH engineer Brice Hernandez. The lawyers’ gallery is starting to look like a casting call for Suits: Philippine Edition.

A lawyer-source said most of the legal counsels being tapped by flood control clients are prominent individual defense lawyers because some of the biggest law firms in the country are politely saying “No, thank you.” Perhaps it’s due to fear of political backlash.

Although, word is that one of the two suspected masterminds of this grand theft hired a top-tier law firm, among the best in the country.

Just the past couple of weeks, a column I wrote about ghost flood control projects in Masbate generated two responses from lawyers of opposing parties — proof that lawyers are indeed the most active sector in this whole mess.