Justice Mario V. Lopez to Law Students: Bet on Yourselves
April 16, 2024
Supreme Court Associate Justice Mario V. Lopez, Chairperson of the 2024 Bar Examinations, delivers his keynote speech titled “LAMBIGIT: Fostering Community Ties Towards Creating Socially Conscious and Well-Equipped Contemporary Law Students” at the 34th National Convention of the Association of Law Students of the Philippines in Cagayan de Oro City on April 13, 2024. (Photo courtesy of the ALSP)
“Bet that you can do good, choose good, and be the good that our society needs – despite everything.”
This was stressed by Supreme Court Associate Justice Mario V. Lopez, Chairperson of the 2024 Bar Examinations, at the first day of the 34th National Convention of the Association of Law Students of the Philippines (ALSP) on April 13, 2024 at the Dynasty Hotel in Cagayan de Oro City.
In his keynote speech and presentation titled “LAMBIGIT: Fostering Community Ties Towards Creating Socially Conscious and Well-Equipped Contemporary Law Students,” Justice Lopez assured law students that “(i)f you are passionate about the study of law, you will surely find lawyering in these interesting times a rewarding vocation,” as he spoke on the Court’s new policies to help law students bridge the gap between the study and practice of law.
Justice Lopez shared that the Legal Education Summit organized by the Court in 2019 pointed to the critical finding that it is always legal education that adjusts to the Bar Examinations, with most students concentrating on memorizing legal doctrines and spotting issues on essay questions at the expense of an in-depth understanding of the law, its intricacies, and nuances.
He said that this resulted in recommendations to the Court regarding the structural, methodological, and policy reforms as regards legal education, which were incorporated in the Courts’ Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027, or the SPJI. These included the eradication of bar-centricity; the prioritization of skills training and ethical responsibility; and the enhancement of legal education through Bar reforms.
He shared because of these policy reforms, the Court introduced and implemented the Revised Model Law Curriculum to improve law school course and pedagogy; the Clinical Education Program, which required all law schools to establish legal clinics to provide law students with practical knowledge, skills and values in the delivery of legal services; and the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability (CPRA) and the New Lawyer’s Oath in promoting high ethical standards in the legal community.
As Chairperson of the upcoming Bar Examinations, Justice Lopez remarked that the examinations this year will continue the vital reforms introduced by the previous Offices of the Bar Chairpersons: digitalization, regionalization, condensed schedule, and multiple examiners per subject.
“The 2024 Bar Examinations will exhibit a more standard, transparent, and accurate gauge of the examinees’ practical skills and jurisprudential perspectives,” disclosed Justice Lopez. “The goal is to produce ‘Fundamentally Ready’ and ‘Potentially Capable’ Lawyers. The questions will evince analytical and problem-solving abilities, strong sense of ethics, professionalism, empathy for clients, and commitment to public service as minimum benchmarks for admission to the practice of law,” he added.
Justice Lopez reiterated that this year’s examinations will apply a general formula to test the legal knowledge and skills of the examinees as well as their values and ethics in correlation with the CPRA.
Said the 2024 Bar Examinations Chairperson: “If you feel that law school has been exacting and your journey has been imperious, embrace the beauty of the entire experience in relation to what’s in store.”
Urging the participants of the ALSP convention to not only learn from the classroom, but also to be knowledgeable on social realities and to get involved, he said: “We are breaking barriers and reaching new frontier. What awaits is a whole new world for lawyers with innovative perspective. This is definitely a good time to be a law student.”
The 2024 Bar Examinations (#BarNiJLo2024, #MostValuableLaban, #MarVeLousBar #Bar2024) will be held on September 8, 11, and 15, 2024. (Courtesy of the Supreme Court Public Information Office)
Supreme Court Associate Justice Mario V. Lopez, Chairperson of the 2024 Bar Examinations, receives a token of appreciation from the National Board of Trustees of the Association of Law Students of the Philippines (ALSP) for sharing his insights and experiences in his keynote address at the 34th National Convention of the ALSP, held in Dynasty Hotel, Cagayan de Oro City on April 13, 2024. In photo are: (from left) Marie Claire Inductivo, ALSP VP for International Affairs; Cielo Anne Pabella ALSP VP for Academic Affairs; Rodelle Lavarias, ALSP Governor for National Capital Region; Jomar Devano, ALSP National President; Justice Lopez; Noelen Jc Kristy Abaday, ALSP Governor for Mindanao; Jing Icarla Sagales-Dy, ALSP VP for Marketing; Israel Mamat, ALSP Auditor General; Joyce Camille Berbie Rodriguez ALSP Governor for South Luzon; and James Nathaniel Refugio, ALSP Secrerary General. (Photo courtesy of the ALSP)
Supreme Court Associate Justice Mario V. Lopez, Chairperson of the 2024 Bar Examinations and keynote speaker at the 34th National Convention of the Association of Law Students of the Philippines (ALSP), poses for posterity with the ALSP Convention organizers and participants on April 13, 2024 at the Dynasty Hotel in Cagayan de Oro City. In photo are: (seated, from left) Cielo Anne Pabella, ALSP VP for Acad Affairs; Jomar Devano, ALSP National President; Justice Lopez, Atty Joanah Alinog-Disoocor, Supervising Lawyer for Sarimanok Virtual Clinic and convention panel speaker; Hon. Jayfrancis Bago, J.D., Mayor of Opol, Misamis Oriental and convetion plenary speaker; Jing Icarla Sagales Dy, ALSP VP for Marketing; Joyce Camille Berbie Rodriguez, ALSP Governor for South Luzon, and Atty Czarina Santos, Alumni Trustee. (Photo courtesy of the ALSP)