BAR EXAM results is of national importance and significance every year. We hear fame of glory and bragging attitude that this law school is better than the others because it has produced many topnotchers.
There’s also a showcase of passing rate as a benchmark of academic excellence. It could also be an indirect and sublime marketing strategy to attract prospective law school applicants.
In other jurisdictions with advanced legal systems, passing the Bar is just like passing any qualifying and professional exams. There’s no bragging, I must say.
In our country, it should be noted and remembered that the practice of law is a matter of privilege and not a right. Lawyers, being also officers of the court, must realize the solemn duty to uphold the rule of law. And it must start and come from within with the right attitude and mindset.
A few days ago, I have come across a case from a friend who confided to me that his neighbor, a lawyer, was questioned about a suspected violation of a parking ordinance. The suspect bragged his being a lawyer to the enforcer. From what I have been told, the traffic enforcer retorted: “Lawyer ka nga, ikaw pa ang hindi sumusunod sa batas. Patingin naman ng ID mo.”
Perhaps to the lawyer’s embarrassment, he had to submit himself to authorities, but did not show his ID at all.
One must not become arrogant because he/she is a lawyer, a doctor, a priest, an engineer, a police, a military and so on. There is also a form/type of an abuse: “intellectual abuse”.
Passing the Bar with flying colors or earning a juris doctor degree from a prestigious law school should be treated as an academic accomplishment and a motivation to further springboard one’s career. A lawyer can’t appear in court or any government body and put his law school and Bar exam results under his signature in a legal pleading.
Out of delicadeza, a lawyer should not mention in a client’s meeting about his law school or how did he/she perform in the Bar exam, although it could have a persuasive effect. A lawyer goes to court with competence, propriety, and bearing worthy as an Attorney-at-Law.
In closing, I remember a lawyer friend who told me once: “Wow! That’s great. I’m glad you learned something. Just remember, if you want to establish yourself here, create and produce a body of work. Titles don’t mean anything. What is important is track record, your body of work. Cheers and good luck!”
Sadly, before we embark on our journey, I learned from her law school classmate (incidentally, a numero uno who scored 90.6 percent during his Bar exams) that our common friend died of pneumonia a few months after our meeting.
Just a thought: Is there a possibility that a Bar candidate may file a Petition with the Court, seeking confidentiality of his/her Bar exam results in the event he/she makes in the Top 10?/PN
