Some 3,962 successful 2024 Bar examinees became full-fledged lawyers on Friday as they took their oath and signed the Roll of Attorneys held at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.
The examinations resulted in a passing rate of 37.84% out of the 10,490, who took the exams conducted in 13 local testing centers (LCTs) across the country.
In his message, 2024 Bar chairperson and Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Mario V. Lopez underscored the new lawyers are not bound for extinction despite the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in courts.
“You will remain relevant to humanity. I still believe that AI are mere machines with invented intelligence done by human beings. We should animate AI for the benefit of humanity and not the other way around,” Lopez said.
AI is not intended to replace lawyers but are mere instruments and tools intended for human utilization, he added. Lopez noted that AI lacks the intrinsic moral awareness and emotional depth that define humanity.
Likewise, Lopez stressed the country needs lawyers with the hallmarks of a morally-valuable lawyer which includes education, technology, humility, integrity, compassion, and service.
The SC’s Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027 or SPJI encourages the use of AI to help decongest dockets and address notorious delays in court processes such as the electronic filing.
Lopez shared that the examinees of the 2025 Bar must focus on SPJI with high hopes of topping the examinations.