“He strikes me as a very arrogant person. He thinks he can say anything.”
This is a quote from Mary Cheh that popped up when I searched for “the arrogance of lawyers,”which has become such a cliché that there are countless examples on the Internet.
Why are some lawyers so arrogant in their attitude that they say anything they like, no matter how hurtful or vulgar or rude? Even if spoken in the heat of the moment, did think they think can get away with it? Take a look at the latest capers of these two counsels, Frederick “Spocky” Farolan and Lorenzo “Larry” Gadon.
Farolan was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte to the University of the Philippines Board of Regents.
Gadon, a failed senatorial candidate and once a spokesman for former President Gloria Arroyo, filed impeachment complaints against Supreme Court Chief Justice Lourdes Sereno.
Farolan drew the ire of many Filipinos for his haughty replies to insistent queries about the release of the results of University of the Philippines College Admission Test.
Instead of explaining the reasons for the delay to the public (which he did afterward), Farolan issued a series of diatribes on social media, saying the complainers should make sure they passed the UPCAT, otherwise he would “mock/insult you including the core of your soul.”
He bragged about his UP pedigree, saying he would “make them taste the pure mockery of one who truly passed the UPCAT” and “finished not only [his] undergraduate degree but also [his] law degree in UP.”
He issued a threat of sorts, saying that if they passed, “I will make sure that we meet and you will know the meaning of the phrase ‘consequences of your actions.’ Make sure you can stand by your complaints.”
Not only that, Farolan larded that post with these hashtags: “#MgaPunyetangIngratoPuroReklamo”and #WalangPumipilitNaMagUPKayo.”
In response to Farolan’s meltdown, party-list lawmaker Carlos Roman Uybarreta called for his resignation last Monday, saying that “The honorable exit for you is to become a private citizen. It seems like you need a respite from the strenuous requirements of public service.”
Meanwhile, a photo of Gadon giving the dirty finger to pro-CJ Sereno supporters in Baguio is being shared widely on social media. He also yelled at them “Mga bobo! Mga bobo!”
On the photo being shared are the words “Code of Professional Responsibility, Rule 7.03: A lawyer shall not engage in conduct that adversely reflects on his fitness to practice law, nor shall he whether in public or private life behave in a scandalous manner to the discredit of the legal profession.”
The photo is often accompanied by the hashtag #DisbarGadon, along with the email address of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.
This is not the first of Gadon’s such antics. In a GMA TV interview on March 2016, he issued hateful remarks against Muslims, saying “I will kneel before the Moro Islamic Liberation Front to beg them not to launch attacks. I will cry stones and blood, and on the 11th time and they still refuse, I will attack them and bring the entire Philippine Army there and kill them all. I will burn their houses and eradicate their clans, even if my soul burns in hell later.”
In response to this, lawyers Algamar Latiph and Musa Malayang filed a disbarment case against Gadon for improper conduct.
Lawyers are supposed to hold themselves to lofty standards. To be a lawyer one must be intelligent; but one must also have a heart and soul for others. To pass four years of law school and the grueling Bar exam are accomplishments that will make anyone proud; but “pride cometh before a fall.”
These shenanigans of “conduct unbecoming” are exhausting and embarrassing to watch, and reflect badly on the profession and its community.
To the young lawyers and law students, please don’t grow up to be arrogant. ‘Wag tularan ito. Practice self-control and self-awareness. Comport yourself with dignity and integrity. Uphold the spirit and letter of the law without fear or favor. Be, as Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. said, “great lawyers.”
And great lawyers don’t rant on Facebook, nor do they flip the bird in public.
Dr. Ortuoste is a writer and communication consultant. FB and Twitter: @DrJennyO