My journey towards becoming a lawyer is now in the hands of the Almighty. His unfailing grace and mercy allowed me to survive four Sundays of rigorous and nerve-racking bar examinations; yet, such stress is the norm for every candidate seeking admission to the bar.
I thought taking the bar exam was a thing of the past; after a similar experience in 2002, I promised myself not to take it again in order to avoid the torture. However, one afternoon, an individual encouraged me and offered to assist me financially – it’s why I gave it another shot.
It’s over now. I am one of over 8,700 hoping and praying to be blessed by God and admitted to the bar.
Law is a noble profession. It is imbued with public interest since lawyers have a duty to society.
I was in Manila when the Metro Inn standoff took place. Monitoring the story on Facebook, I learned the conflict originated from an intra-corporate dispute. Such situations are decided by a court, acting an arbiter to the controversy.
One of the lawyers involved was Atty. Erfe del Castillo. She’s a graduate of a law school in Bacolod City and has been practicing for quite a long time. Given her reputation as a seasoned trial lawyer, I noticed how she handled the issue and the way she untangled matters to ensure everybody remained unharmed. She defended her client with the utmost diligence and dedication – the situation tested her passion for the profession.
Hotel clients were properly taken care of, which is one attribute of a lawyer. Canon 2 of the Code of Professional Responsibility states: “A lawyer shall make his legal services available in an efficient and convenient manner compatible with the independence, integrity, and effectiveness of the profession. A lawyer shall not decline to represent a person solely on account of the latter’s race, sex, creed, or status of life, or because of his personal opinion regarding the issue. He or she must represent his/her client with utmost fidelity and good faith.”
Atty. Joemax Ortiz, the former Don Salvador Benedicto mayor, represented the opposing side. Another experienced lawyer, the battle in court should be interesting.
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I would like to express my appreciation for those who were part and parcel to my journey.
Ma’am Jen Co for providing a comfortable room in Manila; Golden Rulers; Renelo Lastierre; Bonbon; Suzie Quinones; Mai Mai; Fred Sapa; Fairly And Brian Gonzales; the UNO-R Bar Operations initiative for the sumptuous lunches every Sunday; the Lex Patraie Review Center, in particular Dean Poquiz and Judge Campanilla; my good friend and batchmate, Atty. Eljun Rico; and the rest of Batch 2001. I cannot mention all of you but God knows who you are – a million thanks to all./WDJ