Challenge to the upcoming lawyers
First of all, allow me to congratulate the passers of the 2016 Bar examination. It makes us proud that those who dominated the top ten are from the Visayas. It makes me doubly proud that four of them, including the first placer, graduated from my alma mater, the University of San Carlos School of Law and Governance.
While it may be the first time that law graduates outside Metro Manila (particularly Cebu) dominated the Bar examination, it is definitely not the first time that Cebu law schools have produced Bar topnotchers and top-quality lawyers.
Thus, recognition also goes to the other well-known Cebu law schools like the University of San Jose-Recoletos, University of the Visayas, University of Cebu, and Southwestern University. Long before our dominance in this year's Bar passers list, Cebu law schools have been consistently providing first-rate law education and producing top-quality lawyers.
As USC Law Dean Joan Largo says, it's about time for schools outside NCR to be recognized and have their moment in the spotlight.
***
Speaking from experience, I can definitely say that the Bar examination is one hell of an examination you would not wish on your worst enemy. It's not really an unpleasant experience, but more of a long, arduous, and unpredictable journey – an epic leap of faith, I guess.
So my respect and brotherly affinity do not only go out to my fellow lawyers but also to those who, despite all their efforts, did not make it pass that "bar" that separates lawyers from non-lawyers. To the latter, there is always a time for things to fall into place, if not a reason for everything.
For the 3,747 upcoming lawyers (a historically astounding 59 percent of 2016 Bar examinees) the challenge that faces them is how they can contribute to fixing our defective justice system. (I say "upcoming lawyers" because legally they are still not lawyers until they take their oath and sign the Roll of Attorneys.)
The 2016 Bar examination chairman had said that he wanted to ensure that there will be a high passing mark in this exam. Thus, a more reasonable (but definitely not lenient) exam was made. One of the reasons given is that the country needs more lawyers to fill up vacant positions in government. The Department of Justice, for one, is looking to hire more than 100 lawyers to address the need for more prosecutors in the provinces and minimize the backlog of cases.
Contributing to this backlog of cases and the arduously slow justice system in the country is not just the lack of prosecutors but also the lack of litigation lawyers, public attorneys, judges, and courtrooms to adequately and properly litigate, hear and resolve cases.
I've been practicing law for just seven years now. I guess my advice to the upcoming lawyers is to strive to preserve the trust of your clients and society. In any profession, especially the law and journalism, trust is most essential.
Chasing after money should be the least of your worries, except when early on you are already incurring high overhead costs. If you do your job well, a community of clients, pro bono and paying, will always be there to provide for your needs. And your practice will continually grow and develop as you gain more experience, skills, and network connections.
Be aware that lawyering can be an extremely stressful profession. That is what the acceptance fee is for. (I'm not kidding.) But you can minimize stress by learning to balance your practice and be more discerning or selective in accepting a case. I guess I learned this part the hard way early on. You cannot be an expert in all areas of the law. That is why you have your fellow lawyers whom you can share with or pass on a case or a referral.
Be generous with your time and knowledge, especially to those in tremendous need. You may not seek something in return, but as long as the people you serve pro bono or their descendants are alive, they will repay you with whatever way they can, perhaps, for a lifetime.
- Latest
