A Supreme Court (SC) justice has reminded law graduates that the country needs lawyers who understand not only the law but also the human realities that the law seeks to address.

Associate Justice Henri Jean Paul B. Inting told the law graduates of the Rizal Memorial Colleges School of Law in Davao City last July 19 that “behind every case is a family, a livelihood, a person,” and cautioned the aspiring lawyers “against allowing the technical language of the law to obscure the people it is meant to serve.”

Justice Inting pointed out that professional competence must be matched by integrity and character.

“For in the legal profession, competence is essential, but character is indispensable,” he stressed as he noted that “clients, courts, and communities rely on lawyers’ honesty, integrity, and professionalism.”

He added: “For excellence is not measured solely by grades, titles, or achievements. It is measured by the consistency with which we pursue what is right, even when no one is watching.”

A native of Davao del Sur, Inting recalled that he had to leave Manila for his bar examinations review through self-study due to financial constraints.

But he told the law graduates that his experience taught him that “success in the legal profession is determined not solely by one’s circumstances, but by discipline, perseverance, and faith.”

Inting was appointed SC associate justice in 2019.

A summary of his speech given by the SC’s Office of the Spokesperson stated that Inting also told the law graduates that a lawyer’s reputation is forged through countless decisions, many of which are never seen by others.

He said: “It will be shaped by how honestly you deal with clients, how faithfully you prepare your cases, how respectfully you treat opposing counsel, and how conscientiously you fulfill your responsibilities.”

“You are uniquely positioned to contribute to the development of your communities and our nation. The diversity, resilience, and richness of Mindanao provide opportunities for leadership and service that extends far beyond the courtroom,” he also said.

Citing the SC’s Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027 (SPJI), Inting – who served as chairperson of the 2026 Shari’ah Special Bar Examinations – said the regionalization and digitalization of the Bar Exams as examples of the Judiciary’s efforts to remove unnecessary barriers and expand access to the legal profession.

Now, he said that Bar examinees can take the exams closer to home and remain near their families during one of the most demanding periods of their legal careers, an opportunity he himself did not have during his own review.

“This reform demonstrates that innovation is not merely about technology. It is about removing unnecessary barriers, expanding opportunities, and ensuring that access to the legal profession is not determined by geography or circumstance,” he also said.

Concluding his speech, Justice Inting challenged the law graduates “to pursue excellence with humility, render service with compassion, uphold justice with courage, and let their careers be guided by their love of God and country.”