EVER WONDERED WHY so many lawyers are drawn to politics?
Apart from often being self-employed and having the resources to devote to political activity, the usual answer is that many of them have a strong social conscience and want to give back to their country.
While that may indeed be true for the vast majority of lawyers who have answered the call to public duty, Cou Cou realises that there could be another lure – money.
The fact is, lawyers connected to ruling parties have vast opportunities to rake in large fees just for doing their job. The sums can be earned because of the workload involving writing contracts, giving legal opinions, untangling land title claims and related work.
Who would forget the case of the attorney who charged $766 855.24 for providing a legal opinion on a $25.7 million loan to finance a redevelopment project. At the time, some other attorneys questioned what sort of work would have been involved in that transaction to warrant such a fee being charged.
Then there was another connected attorney who reportedly earned more than $1 million for providing the legal work to ensure there were no loopholes in the contract to spring any surprises for a spanking new building for a state corporation.
Even when prospective deals fall through after the explorative talks fail, or projects go belly-up after starting, it is the lawyers who reap the sweets from the failure.
In two recent examples of this, one attorney was reportedly paid more than $1 million though the project stopped abruptly and later ran into serious financial difficulties and had to be bailed out by taxpayers’ money.
In the other, the attorney involved reportedly earned half-million dollars for his work, though the investment never got past the signing of promissory notes.
But those sums pale into significance when compared with the $5 million the lawyer involved in a recent major sale is set to receive. Cou Cou understands the fee reportedly charged represents 2.5 per cent of the multimillion-dollar price tag of the sale.
These examples are just a tip of the iceberg. No wonder some detractors suggest this is why lawyers gravitate to politics.
Picture of shame
A PROMINENT MAN is at the centre, literally, of a controversial photograph making the rounds on social media.
The distinguished gentleman known for his eruditeness and oratorical skills is pictured between a mother and a daughter, each smiling pleasantly for the camera.
What Cou Cou is curious about is if the goodly gentleman knew who the woman is that he graciously posed with. And if he did not, why does he not have a trusted aide to guide him away from being exposed to potentially negative situations like this one?
The mother is the face behind the infamous social media site that has scandalised many a prominent personality. Worse of all, as the accusers can say what they like anonymously, none of the individuals smeared can ever hope to get legal redress to have their names and reputation cleared.
That’s why Cou Cou is certain the bespectacled gentleman may not have known who these two females were before posing for a picture with them.
