REGIONAL Trial Court Executive Judge Raymond Joseph Javier of Branch 52 granted the joint motion for reconsideration filed by 32 law students from the University of Negros Occidental – Recoletos (UNO-R) Bacolod City about their application for a Level 1 Certification for Clinical Legal Education Program (Clep).
The petition was granted following a summary hearing held on November 4.
“After the summary hearing of the joint motion for reconsideration filed by the applicants, the Court hereby reconsiders the order dated October 12, 2022, which dismissed their application for Level 1 Certification as Law Student Practitioners (LSPs),” Javier said.
He has set aside the earlier order released on October 12 saying that the students’ oath-taking ceremony is set for “judgment day” on November 18 at 2 p.m. at the Hall of Justice lobby.”
The law students are up to earn a Degree of Juris Doctor at UNO-R School of Law and, before they graduate, they need to undergo Clep.
Through the program their learning opportunities will be enhanced by inculcating in them the value of legal professional social responsibility.
UNO-R School of Law Dean Dodie Opinion Turla, who is also the University Legal Counsel, represented the students.
He was with university law professors Norman Andrei Saril, Christine Nessia-Bugador, Erwin Dato-on Cabarles and Theodora Gardose, who served as supervising lawyers.
Judge Fernand Castro of the RTC Bacolod City Branch 41 was also present during the hearing.
Javier explained that the Clep program is a noble idea of the Supreme Court that aims to breed future lawyers to become law practice-ready.
This is a nice program of the Supreme Court which will allow law students to practice at the early stage of their law studies, he said.
Javier expressed that he has a genuine intention for UNO-R law students to experience the practice of law and that they will love it.
“I presumed that they will study more so that they can successfully hurdle the bar exam next year. Why not produce bar placers next year?” he asked.
Javier added that there are a lot of programs in the Justice Zone that they could have attended which include seminars.
For his part, Turla said that CLEP was supposed to be in place in 2019, but it did not materialize.
When he assumed the deanship a year ago, he pursued its integration with its Practice Courts 1 and 2 under the old curriculum by seeking the approval of the Legal Education Board (LEB) so that the UNO-R graduates starting from batch 2023 will be able to take the bar examinations since CLEP is a requirement for bar takers in 2023 and onwards.
“This law student practice for students under the CLEP is currently being incorporated into the school’s Practice Court 1 and 2 under our old curriculum,” he explained.
But under the revised model law curriculum which our law school implemented during the Academic Year 2021-2022, CLEP is a stand-alone course of the UNO-R School of Law and the same is offered to 3rd Year law students, he added.