SC compels lawyers to work pro bono

MANILA, Philippines – To give indigents better legal representation, the Supreme Court is looking at the proposal of compelling all lawyers to render more pro bono work and to grant lawyers tax credits for such work.

Chief Justice Reynato Puno, talking to reporters after the conclusion of a two-day forum sponsored by the Supreme Court, said the Court is looking at the proposals as a possible means to widen the base of lawyers who will defend the poor.

The forum aimed to find ways to give the poor better access to justice.

“That is one model that is followed in other jurisdictions, compelling all the members of the Bar to render free legal service. There is also another proposal. This is already in the form of a bill pending in our Congress, that is to give tax credits to lawyers who will render legal assistance to the poor for free. Both these proposals are worth looking into. We will certainly widen the base of lawyers who will be available to defend the poor,” he said.

Earlier in the forum, Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) president Feliciano Bautista suggested that the Supreme Court exercise its constitutional power to regulate the practice of law by requiring all members of the Bar to render at least 100 hours a year of free legal aid work to indigent clients as a pre-condition for their good standing in the Bar.

“Certainly, if our courts can require continuing legal education as a pre-requisite for good standing in the Bar, the achievement of the noble purposes for which our noble profession was established, that is the administration of justice to all, should also warrant this rather drastic intervention by our Court,” said Bautista.

For his part, Miguel Varela, representing the business sector in the forum, also echoed the call for the Court to call on all lawyers to do pro bono work for the poor.

Varela suggested that instead of taking the mandatory continuing legal education (MCLE), the Court could instead give lawyers the option to handle pro bono cases.