WHEN love and law school combined.
New lawyers Jan Ivan Y. Misagal and wife Winnie Ann Lomosad-Misagal both passed the 2020-2021 Bar Examinations held last February 4 and 6, 2022, at the University of St. La Salle in Bacolod City with “flying colors.”
Misagal obtained an exemplary rating of 85.28 percent, while his wife had an outstanding rating of 84.68 percent.
"It was a really happy moment, especially since my wife also made it as a 'passer,' although for her, having those recognitions are only a bonus," Misagal said.
He said they felt relieved that they will not have to experience the horrors of reviewing for the Bar examination again, and could now spend more time with their three-year-old son.
Asked how they prepared for the Bar examination, he said it started from day one at law school and continued reading.
However, during the review proper, there were times that he almost got uninterested in reading law books and only bought them to boost his morale.
Since the lectures and reviews during the pandemic were pre-recorded, what Misagal did was listen to the lessons repeatedly.
The couple both made tremendous sacrifices in studying the law.
"I'm a Certified Public Accountant, and I got my BSA (Bachelor of Science in Accountancy) degree from the University of St. La Salle – Bacolod and working at Commission on Audit while studying law,” he shared.
It was a struggle for him to manage his time being a working student and would read cases while at work.
“When I went home, commuting in a jeepney, I took naps to regain my energy so that I could still study at night. It was never easy to stay up late at night studying, considering I had to wake up early in the morning to report for work,” he said.
Misagal admitted that the laws can sometimes be technical and, most of the time, boring, thus, complicated to remember. Although, he said the facts are sometimes colorful.
“A friend of mine got fired from his job for some petty reason and because my friend could not afford to fight it out, he was forced to move on with his life,” he narrated.
This made him decide to pursue being a lawyer so that he will not experience the feeling of being helpless like what happened to his friend.
Injustices happen every day in different shapes, forms and manners, he said.
A graduate of the University Of Negros Occidental Recoletos College of Law, he thanked the institution for tailoring a schedule for working students and giving them a chance to pursue Law and keep their job.