
“Lawyering should not be about gaining fame or fortune, advancing one’s interests, or climbing the rungs of the social ladder.”
This admonition to law graduates who are taking today, Feb. 4, the first of the two-day online bar examinations was aired by the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL), a group “committed to the defense, protection, and promotion of human rights especially of the poor and the oppressed.”
Addressing the bar examinees, NUPL said in a statement:
“You have the opportunity to make a difference, to be a force for good and an instrument for truth and justice. And yet, in the end, it is not really about you or even us who came before you -- it is about our people, our clients and the causes and issues we espouse.
“Lawyering... must be about advocating for the oppressed, serving the neglected and downtrodden, and fighting for worthy causes. These endeavors offer rewards more satisfying than personal wealth and, ultimately, make the law a noble profession.”
The group pointed out that “our country is in need of lawyers willing to carry that flame of hope to make this country a better place.”
“Always remember that every single lawyer today stood where you stand now, faced with a seemingly insurmountable wall, only to triumph and conquer if not squeeze through that obstacle at the very end,” NUPL said
It also said:
“The key is to trust in your preparation .and ability to meet and overcome the challenge. Be confident that you have done more than enough, that you are ready, and that your perseverance will be rewarded.
“The fact that you have reached this point, despite all the unprecedented difficulties and being on seemingly indefinite tenterhooks because of the pandemic, is proof that you have what it takes to become a lawyer.
“You will come at a juncture in our history when a slew of liars, lawbreakers, hypocrites, revisionists, pretenders, and peddlers of an undemocratic and draconian order have joined the bandwagon to pull the wool over the eyes of the public to seek self-serving power.”
About 11,790 law graduates are expected to take the 2020-2021 bar examinations being administered by the Supreme Court in 29 testing centers nationwide. The second day of the examinations is on Feb. 6.