An exceptional lawyer “is not only a brilliant mind but likewise a strong ethical core.”
This “true mark of an exceptional lawyer” was stressed by Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Samuel H. Gaerlan in his message to members of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) in Central Luzon during their convention last March 21 in Angeles City.
Justice Gaerlan pointed out that “divorced from ethics, legal excellence is worthless.”
He said that “lawyers who gain mastery of the laws, only to use them as subterfuge to perpetrate further injustice are nothing but oppressors.”
He also said that “lawyers who display eloquence in writing arguments, only to suppress the truth and manufacture falsehood are nothing but manipulators,” and those “who seem to demonstrate expertise in litigation through the utilization of harassing tactics against their opponents are nothing but bullies.”
He underscored the importance for all members of the legal profession to adhere to the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability (CPRA), the code of conduct of Filipino lawyers.
The CPRA, he said, “underscores the critical importance of alignment between a lawyer’s pursuit of legal excellence and the ethical standards to which he or she must hold himself or herself to.”
Since “ethics breathes life into the practice of law,” Justice Gaerlan said the CPRA “serves as a reminder and a guide to lawyers that justice can only be truly achieved when legal excellence is coupled with living ethically” as he pointed out that CPRA “is not merely a code of conduct, but a way of life.”
He warned that lawyers’ choices “have corresponding consequences.”
He then expressed the SC’s gratitude to IBP members for their assistance in the ethics caravans held in Cebu City, Davao City, Naga City, and Baguio City and during the national ethics summit in Manila.
He also thanked the IBP’s Committee on Bar Discipline and the Board of Governors in their undertakings to make lawyers answerable for their transgressions, preserve the integrity of the legal profession, and restore the people’s faith and confidence in the judicial system.
He then assured the SC’s commitment to safeguard the rights of each citizen and its relentless efforts to alleviate the suffering of the marginalized, the weak, and the vulnerable.
During the convention, Officer-in-Charge for IBP Central Luzon Atty. Maria Imelda B. Quiambao-Tuazon delivered the welcome address. She urged all lawyers to “heed the call to ethical leadership.”
IBP National President and Chairperson of the 26th Board of Governors Atty. Antonio C. Pido reminded all lawyers “not go after money but to go after excellence in your chosen field.”
Also present during the event were Executive Judge Eda P. Dizon of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Angeles City and Executive Judge Robert Alexander R. Malig of the RTC of San Fernando, Pampanga.
More than 300 members of the IBP Central Luzon attended the regional convention. The IBP Central Luzon is composed of seven IBP chapters — Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Tarlac, and Zambales.