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.

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.

If the late Estelito Mendoza were still around, I bet everyone would be scrambling to hire him. He was, after all, the original “super lawyer,” the one you call when the going gets tough and the tough becomes impossible.

It’s no secret that in the Philippines, lawyers will not only represent you in court but also help you navigate our dizzying and corrupt justice system.

Of course, hiring a lawyer doesn’t come cheap.

The usual rates, according to Respicio & Co, are as follows:

Monthly retainer fees for general corporate advisory: P20,000 to P50,000 per month for small businesses; P150,000 to P500,000+ per month for larger firms.

Hourly rates: from about P1,000 to P3,000 per hour for junior lawyers; P6,000 to P15,000+ per hour for senior partners or specialists.

Up-front “acceptance” or engagement fees: maybe P20,000 to P100,000+ for routine civil cases; can go much higher in big litigation or complex matters.

I can imagine, it’s twice or thrice the amount for flood control cases. I guess the more involved you are, the higher the lawyer’s fee. But then again, with all the money you’ve pocketed, you can afford the best lawyer that money can buy.

I can’t help but wonder though – how could lawyers defend people they know are guilty?

“Simple,” my lawyer-source said. “Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty and everyone has the right to be defended in court.”

Fair point. But still, doesn’t the conscience call, especially when their clients have wronged our society? Again, my lawyer source said, everyone has the right to be represented in court.

“It’s now up to the lawyer if his conscience can take it,” said a source.

As Perlman & Cohn, a law firm, puts it, a lawyer’s highest duty is not to the client but to the court.

“This means, amongst other things, that when representing the defendant, the lawyer must not knowingly lie to the court.”

It’s complicated for sure but only lawyers themselves fully understand their profession.

‘They Will Be in Heaven Before the Devil Knows’

Speaking of the law profession and their moral universe, those who want to read more about lawyering can get some invaluable insights in the recently published book, “They Will Be in Heaven Before the Devil Knows” by Atty. Amado Valdez, one of the country’s most distinguished lawyers.

The book is a novel about the law profession as a battlefield.

Setting this tone is its edge-of-your-seat opening, which targets the Chief Justice.

“There was bedlam in the lobby. Debris littered the floor. A man burnt beyond recognition lay there, barely breathing.”

The book is for anyone interested in what happens when the defenders of the law become its victims. And how does one uphold duty in a system that sometimes rewards the opposite?

It is a “story where justice and injustice are locked in relentless struggle.”

For the author, the legal profession “is an adventure.”

Said Valdez: “The book gives some romantic color to the lives of people who are lawyers...To be a lawyer is a unique status. It’s a noble profession.”

But more importantly, the book is also a call to lawyers, students and to anyone who believes in justice not as an abstract ideal but as a living, breathing mission.

Many people have become cynical about lawyers, Valdez admits.

With his novel, he hopes people will understand why a lawyer would be fighting for justice.

“Why he (wants) that somebody who has equal rights should also have equal opportunities in life. This is what we want to create in the social order – that everybody should have an opportunity in life. It is one of the missions of lawyers…to get that into fruition.”

And those who remain steadfast in their duty, Valdez said, may themselves be in heaven before the devil knows.

*   *   *

Email: [email protected]. Follow her on X @eyesgonzales. Column archives at EyesWideOpen on FB.