CJ bats for excellence in legal education

CEBU, Philippines - It is the responsibility of law schools to teach their students to become competent, efficient and true purveyors of law. Living up to the teachings is up to the students.

This was the statement of Chief Justice Lourdes Sereno in a speech before justices, judges, prosecutors, and law students and teachers during the 2013 Legal Education Board (LEB)-Philippine Association of Law School (PALS) Conference on Legal Education at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Cebu City.

“The ball is in your hands,” Sereno told conference participants.

She assured that questions in the bar examination will remain relevant and that examinees must understand that the difficult questions are meant to test their capacity to meet the demands of the legal profession, an exercise cognizant to the Supreme Court’s pursuit of excellence.

This year’s conference runs on the theme: “Philippine Legal Education and the Profession: Preparing our students for the practice of law and leadership in society”.

Sought for comment, lawyer Joan Largo, dean of the College of Law of the University of San Carlos (USC), said the Supreme Court as an institution pushes for reforms in legal education.

“It served as an affirmation that reforms in legal education are long overdue and should be at the center of conversation by now among legal educators all over the country,” Largo said, referring to Sereno’s speech.

 USC is considered to be one of the best performing law schools in the country.  (FREEMAN)