“’..that I accept the honor, privilege, duty, and responsibility of practicing law in the Philippines as an Officer of the Court, in the interest of our people.”
I distinctly remember recording and memorizing the Lawyer’s Oath for days on end as I reviewed for the Bar exam, but reciting it at the venue, in front of the esteemed magistrates of the highest judicial body, is something else entirely.
Last Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, I was among the 3,942 new lawyers who took their oath and signed the roll of attorneys to become the newest members of the Philippine Bar in a Special En Banc Session of the Supreme Court at the SMX Convention Center, Pasay City.
Looking back, this relentless pursuit has seen early dawns, long nights, short slumbers, burnt out selves, heads bowed on study, and hands clasped and knees bent in daily devotions and prayer intentions. Kilometric reading assignments overwhelm the beginnings of our day only for us to be instructed to sit down in a jiffy after a head-scratching performance of recitations.
But Supreme Court Associate Justice Mario Lopez, chairman of the 2024 Bar examinations, in his speech, said it best: “No matter where you started or how you scored, you all stand on the same ground today. What you do from here on out will define your legacy.”
I took special note on my Programme booklet when Justice Lopez called on the new lawyers to uphold the virtues of education, technology, humility, integrity, compassion, and service — each initial forming the word ETHICS.
Ethics means the set of moral principles and standards that lawyers are expected to follow in their professional and personal conduct, including the values upholding confidentiality, avoiding conflicts of interest, prioritizing the best interests of their clients and, essentially, ensuring a fair and just legal system.
Paramount among new lawyers and veterans alike is the value of maintaining the highest standards of professional ethics. On this end, the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability (CPRA) is the written guide, the code of conduct for lawyers, which provides the framework of ethical values and integrity required of officers of the court.
One particular canon of the CPRA that endeared to my heart is Canon II, Propriety. It not only houses my classmates’ and my favorite provision (“Sec.1. A lawyer shall not engage in unlawful, dishonest, immoral, or deceitful conduct.”) which we tend to overuse as a general provision in our answers to the exam, but it also provides the reminder that a lawyer shall, at all times, act with propriety and maintain the appearance of propriety in personal and professional dealings, in and out of court. In this manifestation lies the true meaning of raising the bar of justice.
Justice Lopez mentioned that our new title of attorneys shall simply highlight our capacity to contribute to nation building with education and service, thereby letting our fellow citizens reaffirm their confidence in the justice system.
As new lawyers begin their foray into the legal profession, we are thus reminded that this new title signifies that we are given the privilege to practice law. We are no better than the rest and our job entails wide of a responsibility than that contained in a one-phrase, eight-lettered and three- syllabled word: attorney. It simply is a professional title with a heart to serve within the bounds of the law.
On a personal note, I vow to be a great steward of, with, and for the people. I will deeply ingrain all the principles and ethical standards I have learned from my parents, my mentors, my revered law professors, and my life pedagogues.
And with this, I hope, that in this title which precedes my name, I am to be remembered by the stories I tell, the lessons I share, and the gestures of kindness seen in the lives I’ve changed and hope to change in the pursuit of law.
Congratulations to all new lawyers!