Political lawyers have laddoos in both hands. As lawyers, they not only make money but also oblige politicians caught up in scams; and as politicians in power, they promote corporate interests that work subsequently to promote their legal business when they are out of power. A few examples will suffice. In the last two years, former Congress minister Kapil Sibal's assets are said to have shot up from Rs 114 crore to Rs 184 crore. Sibal is today one of the busiest lawyers in the Supreme Court and commands huge fees for each appearance. While others in the Congress were down in the dumps after the UPA defeat in 2014, for crafty lawyers of the party, it was money raining all the way. P Chidambaram, Abhishek Singhvi, Salman Khurshid, Manish Tewari and Ashwani Kumar have become top earners in the courts. Lawyers have another advantage over other politicians. Grateful politician clients may pay no fee but some nominate them to the Rajya Sabha. The latest to earn a seat thus is Ram Jethmalani, whom Lalu Prasad has agreed to make a member instead of his wife Rabri Devi.