GT na Lawyers/Law Students Part III

[donselle]

sis fionaapple, as far as I know unti-unti nang pini-phase out yung LLB sa buong Pilipinas. as part daw kasi ng compliance para sa ASEAN kumemberlu (sensya na di ko kasi matandaan yung exact term nito eh), kailangan nang maging globally-competitive pati ang legal education. so para magawa yun, ayun nga pini-phase out na ang LLB, pinapalitan na ng JD. in other words, darating ang araw na wala nang LLB sa pinas, JD na lahat. so kailangang mambuno sa paggawa ng thesis later on. pero tulad ng sinabi ko, napaghahandaan naman ang thesis writing.

kaya nga sa PUP sinimulan na yung JD program last 2012, at bilib din ako sa student council namin that time kasi nilaban nila na i-push yung JD program nang hindi nagtataas ng tuition fee. teehee!


sis Starry night I so agree with you. lahat halos kami sa school yan din ang mantra namin. and true enough, yung mga prof namin dito nagtuturo din sa mga schools like San Beda and UP.

[fionaapple]

sis fionaapple, as far as I know unti-unti nang pini-phase out yung LLB sa buong Pilipinas. as part daw kasi ng compliance para sa ASEAN kumemberlu (sensya na di ko kasi matandaan yung exact term nito eh), kailangan nang maging globally-competitive pati ang legal education. so para magawa yun, ayun nga pini-phase out na ang LLB, pinapalitan na ng JD. in other words, darating ang araw na wala nang LLB sa pinas, JD na lahat. so kailangang mambuno sa paggawa ng thesis later on. pero tulad ng sinabi ko, napaghahandaan naman ang thesis writing.

kaya nga sa PUP sinimulan na yung JD program last 2012, at bilib din ako sa student council namin that time kasi nilaban nila na i-push yung JD program nang hindi nagtataas ng tuition fee. teehee!


sis Starry night I so agree with you. lahat halos kami sa school yan din ang mantra namin. and true enough, yung mga prof namin dito nagtuturo din sa mga schools like San Beda and UP.

sis donselle, yung sagot ko, para kay sis oshiawase natatakot mag-law dahil sa natatakot siya mag-thesis.  i-phase out man o hindi ang LLB degrees, di ka naman matatanggal sa roll of attorneys kung LLB ang degree mo. what i mean is, saan mang school at anumang curriculum, ang goal sa pag-aaral ng law ay ang maging abogado. secondary na lang yun kung JD ka o LLB...   good for you kasi JD ang kinukuha mo, pero kay sis oshiawase, kung ang hahadlang sa pangarap niyang maging lawyer ay yung thesis, why not take an LLB degree.

[fionaapple]

@fionaapple - thank you for your reply. Nagtanong din ako sa isang PUP law student, mukhang for Juris Doctor ng PUP kailangan na daw na complete lahat ng prerequisite ng units bago ka mag-enrol. Di na daw pwede na isabay while taking J.D.

Paano rin po ma-complete yung lacking units? Does this mean kailangan ko ulit mag-take ng undergrad na course?

Ask ko rin po, for PUP law students, instead of Bachelor of Laws naging J.D. na po siya ngayon? Or magkaiba po ba yun?

hindi kelangan new undrgrad course, mag-eenroll ka lang ulit ng additional units. kung hindi na pwede icomplete while taking the law course, that means di ka muna mag-eenroll. no need to take another course. additional units lang. ask the university registrar or college secretary of the school where you intend to take it.

[twiist]

At dahil di ako makatulog, magkukwento ako dito LOL

Four years later, I'm still a law student. Incoming senior na. I still find it hard sometimes, but I must be doing something right because I'm still here. Assuming I pass all my remaining subjects, medyo natatakot akong magbar sa 2015 dahil iniba ng school namin yung academic calendar from june to august. That means I'll only have less than five months to fully dedicate my time to preparing for the bar, since it doesn't seem like they're going to be moving the bar exam from its usual October schedule just to accommodate my school and the few others who also moved their schedules.

I've resolved to take the bar anyway. If I pass despite my lessened time for completely focused preparation, awesome. If I don't because I didn't have enough time to study, at least I already have a feel for how the bar exams will take place and I'll be better equipped to handle the next bar.

So, questions:
1. May bearing ba yung number of bar tries sa pag-apply sa law firm? I don't intend to apply to any big law firms where academic performance is placed on a pedestal, but is the number of bar tries also very significant for smaller firms?
2. Since the canons of professional responsibility prohibit law firm advertising, how does one find firms that specialize in certain fields (example: pure tax firm or pure intellectual property firm) aside from word-of-mouth? While I realize the value of having knowledge in all the fields of law, I would prefer it if I worked at a firm or government agency that specializes in only one field.

[twiist]

Update  lang LOL (ginawang blog, sorry last na to)

Looks like I won't have to worry about not having enough time after all. In a rather draconian move, my school is not going to offer one 2 unit subject I need this coming sem. Thus, I will be delayed until 2016 for a 2 unit subject. I'm not holding out hope that the admin will reconsider anymore, but at least I'll have more time (nearly a year) to prep for the bar, and maybe apply for part time work.

[iamlanie]

Hi, sis twiist!

I think there will be no bearing. My friend took the bar thrice. She is now a Senior Associate of a law firm after merely 4 years of practice. Another friend took the bar twice. She is now head of the legal dept. I believe it's not how many tries you took to pass the bar, it's how you play with the games in the legal field that matters. Bonus na lang ang one take.

There are law firms that advertise vacancies in the newspapers and even jobstreet, etc. Still, the best would be from word of mouth of practitioners because once you start your practice, kapag sinabing si ganitong firm, you know they specialize in labor or crim or ip. Ask from your lawyer friends or stalk the firm's website.

[young_maiden]

hi mga sissies and bros lalo na sa mga lawyers. hingi lang ako advice/tips.

after four years of hard work and stress, i'll be graduating this coming april 11. so pwede na ako magtake ng bar sa november 2015. tanong lang paano kayo nag aral noong bar review nyo? same study habit din ba tulad nung nasa law school pa kayo? binalikan nyo pa ba yung thick law books nyo o reviewers and codals na lang binasa nyo? ilang oras kayo nag-aral? saka saang pre-bar review center maganda mag aral? torn ako between jurists and san beda.

parang may thread before doon sa career concerns about studying for the bar kaso deleted na yata siya. so dito na lang ako hihingi ng tips.

kinakabahan ako kahit matagal pa yung bar. madami nagsasabi na di bale na marami kang bagsak nung nasa law school ka, basta sa bar take one ka lang. pero aware naman tayong lahat na di madali pumasa sa bar. mas marami bumabagsak kaysa pumapasa. sana makaya ko to. balak ko after graduation mag start na ako. sana di ako atakihin ng katamaran.

[marose17]

^ Congratulations!

First of all, take a short break (2-3 weeks) before you plunge headlong sa review.  You must have a plan.  Be organized.  Manage your time well.  You have to read as much as you can but be efficient about it.  You need to focus as well.  When I was reviewing for the Bar, I used to devote 8-10 hours a day for study.  I took weekends off though for my own sanity.  I only attended the really important Bar lectures in school (UP) because I prioritized my reading time over attending the lectures.  I didn't go to a dorm so may konting travel time for me (I lived in QC) whenever I attended a lecture.

I had 3 readings per subject.  I took 2 weeks each for total review, then 1 week as the Bar drew near and 2 1/2 days for each subject during the pre-week.  I made allowances for my time and it was a wise move because I got sick with flu one time and lost 1 week.  Do not be too rigid though.  Just be aware of how much time you need to devote for each subject.

I read some (not all) of the annotations during my 2-week first reading, reviewers, handouts and codals for my 2nd reading and codals and handouts for the pre-week/3rd reading.

If you studied well during 4 years of law school, you will be able to handle the Bar review in a good way.

Re career concerns, I didn't worry about that during the time I was reviewing but I know some who have already interviewed for law firms immediately after graduation.  To each his own.  At this point, you have to know what you want though.  If you're not sure, go to a full-service law firm so you can practice in several areas of law.  But first, you have to pass the Bar.  So prepare well and pray hard.  Don't think about not passing.  Do not even go there.  Banish those doubts now pa lang.

Good luck!

[young_maiden]

salamat sis marose. wow. ang sipag mo naman. hehe. kaya pala pasado agad ha. sana magawa ko din yan. i'll try my best talaga. since anonymous naman ako dito and only a few girl/guytalkers know me in real life, dito na lang ako naglakas loob magkwento about the bar exam. nagsimula na ako magtago sa mga friends ko na di law students at sa mga malayong kamag-anak. baka hindi ko kayanin ang pressure.

modesty aside, i think naging ok naman performance ko sa law school. hindi man ako matalino, nabawi ko naman sa kasipagan ko. naniniwala pa rin ako na daig ng masipag ang matalino. sana umubra din ito sa bar exam.

[Kristalle]

why sa November ang bar exams? na move uli?

[young_maiden]

^ na-move sis. kasi karamihan sa mga schools nag change ng start ng academic year. yung iba naging july. yung iba august. ginawang november para marami time to study for the bar exam.

[marose17]

^ Shutting yourself off from the world isn't advisable though.  During weekends, I went out with my family and high school friends (not from law school).  On days when I attended bar lectures, I'd go out for lunch or dinner with my law school friends. I called up friends just to de-stress and talk about random stuff during study breaks. It's important to balance your life for your own sanity. Bar review should not turn you into a recluse.  I keep saying this because I've seen some who succumbed to the pressure right before the exams or even during the exams (like, they just stood up in the middle of an exam and quit) and I don't want that to happen to you.

Other relaxation modes for me during that time: weekly massages and mani/pedi, music (I can study with music on), reading mindless chick lit or fashion magazines during study breaks (I took a break every hour or 30/45 minutes to stretch and recharge), shopping and daily Mass (this was extremely important to me).  I wouldn't advise surfing the internet though as it can take up chunks of your time, unless you have really strong self-control.

Sinipagan ko na talaga and gave it my all because I didn't want to go through with it again.  But deep down also, I knew that my efforts would pull me through.  When I saw the list, I knew my name would be there.  Not that I am bragging or anything ha.  I just knew.  (Parang true love ito, you just know hehe)

[Kristalle]

bakit di na lang gayahin sa amerika ang system dito when it comes to bar exams and practice of law na di masyadong mahirap?except of course  yung common law. sobrang glamorized and ginawang celeb status ang pagpasa sa bar as if it is the be all and end all. celeb status kahit sa own community etc..

[young_maiden]

^^ sis marose, ilang hours naman ang tulog mo? at least eight hours pa rin ba? ang balak ko kasi 6 hours everyday tapos pag weekends saka na ako mag 8 hours. saka monday to saturday ang study time ko. pag saturday baka half day lang. the whole day of sunday rest ko yun. sana umubra. lol. naku iiwas din ako sa internet. nung nag-aaral pa ako sa law school, every weekends lang ako may access sa internet. kung need ko man mag surf tuwing weekdays, siguro pinakamatagal na yung 1 hour. wala kasi ako disiplina basta may internet eh. kaya buti sa dorm ko walang wifi. hehe. kaya lang ako active ngayon kasi bakasyon na. saka hinihintay ko na lang araw ng graduation ko. ayaw ko muna magreview ngayon. break time muna.

[marose17]

^ I had 8 hours of sleep every night and I even took short naps during the day.  I love to sleep!  It's very important to sleep well, eat healthy food, exercise (if you can - sa akin walking ito to and from the church during my daily Mass) during the review.  Take vitamins too to strengthen your immune system.

^^ It is not that easy to pass the Bar in the US though.  I know of really smart people in law school (as in nasa top 20 of our batch) who didn't make the California Bar, for example. Japan has, like, below 10% passing percentage for the Bar.  I was talking to Japanese lawyers our firm hosted a few weeks ago and their passing percentage is 3-5%.    I agree that the Bar exams are sort of glamourized here but it's probably because the practice of law is a highly regarded profession. I agree big deal siya sa province, as attested to me by my husband and my classmates whose hometowns had tarpaulins and stuff for them when they passed.  Ako kasi, dito na lumaki so it was just "okay, you passed, congratulations."   

Anyone who has gone through 4/5 years of law school and Bar review though will agree that passing the Bar is no mean feat.  It is one of my proudest moments.

[young_maiden]

^ wow. hehe. ikaw na sis. salamat sa tips!

[Kristalle]

@marose

re US, state by state ang Bar exams, i also know naman of someone who passed the CA state bar pero bagsak dito. The PH justice system should be more cohesive, and lawyers should just be a part of that system and not above it.

bakit napaka sikat ng BAR exam? bakit di kasingsikat ng board exam ng mga doctor, engr, teacher, nurse, midwife at iba pang profession na mas nakakatulong sa community...

[Clair de Lune]

Hi Ladies!

Recently enrolled law student here. Six years after graduating from college, after a long time of indecision and confusion with what I really want to do with my career, I've finally decided I want to become a lawyer. I have never felt so sure!

I cannot help but regret over the lost time, but I am hopeful it's still not too late for me to join the legal world. My circumstances are much harder now compared to being a fresh gradute. I am working full time to support my studies. I cannot rely on my parents anymore. I am due to get married next year. My hands are so full, but, guess what.. everytime I go to class I enjoy every minute of it, probably except when it's time for my exams. 
 
My concern is that, I do not belong to a top law school. The university I am currently enrolled at is the only one that caters to my schedule. Majority of my classmates are also working students. It's inspring really to see my classmates of various age and from different walks of life , still aspiring to study law and become an attorney someday. It's one of the things about lawschool where I draw my motivation from.

It is no doubt that belonging to a top law school will definitely increase your chances of passing the bar. I have read somewhere that your school's passing percentage will also be your passing percentage in passing the bar. Is this necessarily true? 

[zanabee]

kailangan po bang bayaran ang pre termination fee kung bad service ang nakukuha? cignal cable po ito. thank you.

[Kristalle]

I have read somewhere that your school's passing percentage will also be your passing percentage in passing the bar. Is this necessarily true? 

Necessary falsity. A proposition is necessarily false if it is false and cannot possibly be true.