More than 12,000 law school graduates will take the Bar examination that will begin this Sunday, Sept. 8, and will continue on Sept. 11 and Sept. 15.
Thirteen schools from the National Capital Region, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao have been identified to serve as local testing centers.
“The exams are designed to bridge the gap between the study and the practice of law,” said Associate Justice Mario Lopez, who chairs this year’s Bar, in a message to the examinees published on the Supreme Court’s web site.
“They will guide you in your transition from law students to fundamentally ‘practice-ready’ and ‘potentially capable’ lawyers,” he said.
Every year, there is much fanfare surrounding the taking of the Bar exam because of the exalted status that lawyers enjoy. Families and friends gather to show their support to the exam takers, who have already hurdled grueling years of study.
Society expects much from them.
The perception is lawyers have the fortitude, the discipline, and the sense of justice that would help make a dent in an imperfect society.
The hope is these lawyers would use their knowledge and skills to right wrongs – certainly not make what is wrong look or sound right.
Or find loopholes in the law to exploit for their own advantage. Or evade responsibility and accountability for their – or their allies’ – actions.
The practice of law in the Philippines is tricky. One may begin driven by a desire to do good, but may feel weakened and defeated by the system at best, and emboldened by the power that the title “Attorney” wields, at worst.
What does it mean to be practice-ready, after all?
It is anticipating real-world dilemmas that may not have been apparent in the course of their studies.
It is acknowledging that “legal,” “ethical,” and “moral” are not necessarily synonyms.
It is knowing one’s strengths and weaknesses as an individual and ensuring these do not cloud one’s judgment.
It is navigating murky waters and doing the right thing nonetheless, despite fear or inconvenience.
This, then, is the bigger fight that these exam-takers would face after making it through the next few days.
This is a battle not fought and won once, but steadily, over time, through big and small choices in their personal and professional lives.
