Measure of a lawyer

One of the things I miss since I left the Philippines more than 11 years ago is teaching. Since passing the bar in 1982, I had taught law subjects in Cebu Institute of Technology University and in the University of the Philippines-Cebu. But nothing beats being an educator in your alma mater, mine being the University of San Carlos. It took sometime to fulfill that dream to teach in the College of Law, but I did in the late ‘90s until I migrated to New Zealand.

I graduated in the USC College of Law as a member of Class 1981. Our class entered USC College of Law when Fulvio Pelaez was in his final years as dean. He was a strict and dedicated educator who demanded that students take their studies seriously.

When we were in the second year, only half of the freshmen survived the lengthy readings, graded recitations and difficult tests. I was fortunate that Class ‘81 developed camaraderie and a spirit to achieve.

There was our class president, Alan Trinidad, who was like sunshine even during difficult times. We had elders like Fr. Elisio Cimafranca and Dra. Lourdes Libres-Rosaroso (both have passed away), and the bright ones – Corazon Evangelista (now Valencia), Gabriel Ingles and Arthur Lim (3rd in the 1981 Bar Exams). Then there were the rest of us who coped up with the high standard set by the faculty and by our class leaders.

When the Bar results came out, classmates Omar Redula and Joseph Cohon figured in the list of topnotchers.

The measure though of a lawyer is not in the grades found in the transcript of records or the rating in the Bar examinations; rather on how you fare in your chosen field of practice. While financial standing is synonymous with success, what makes a lawyer outstanding is mastery in what you do and more importantly integrity.

This May, Class ‘81 will have its 40th anniversary of friendship since 1978 when we first entered law school. I am fortunate to be part of this group that made excellence in law as mantra in our professional lives. We produced three deans of the College of Law (Ingles, Valencia and Alex Monteclar), a Court of Appeals justice, several judges and a number who serve in senior positions in government and the private sector.

But I guess what makes us more proud is that Class 2016 has broken our record of 3 topnotchers, their having produced four (with a historic no. 1, Karen Mae Calam, and three others in the top 10 plus a 100% passing percentage). Most if not all of the successful barristers of this group will tell of the great sacrifices they’ve made, their faith in God, their gratefulness to the faculty as well as their loved ones, and I am sure the camaraderie and shared commitment they had to becoming lawyers.

To Class 2016, what will define your class is your contribution not just to the legal profession but also to society in general through the years.