Today, I Take My Oath...

LAWYER'S OATH

I, Joselito D. Fernandez of Pasay City, do solemnly swear that I will maintain allegiance to the Republic of the Philippines; I will support its Constitution and obey the laws as well as the legal orders of the duly constituted authorities therein; I will do no falsehood, nor consent to its commission; I will not wittingly or willingly promote or sue any groundless, false or unlawful suit nor give aid nor consent to the same; I will delay no man for money or malice, and will conduct myself as a lawyer according to the best of my knowledge and discretion with all good fidelity as well to the courts as to my clients; and I impose upon myself this voluntary obligation without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion.
SO HELP ME GOD.

Bar Review 101 for Bar Hopefuls (as if naman authority ako on the subject, hehehe....)

transcript of my post at www.attyatwork.com. this was my (unsolicited) advice to chay (a forum member) and this applies as well to the other barristers who are taking the 2008 Bar. read on...

@ chay

thanx for the kind words. it would be a big honor for me if ever my own humble Bar exam experience could also serve as a practical advice to law students like you and to barristers like ***asterisk***.

right now, no definite plans yet for me after taking my oath. my immediate plan after taking my oath is to show up at the Supreme Court during the signing of the Attorney’s Roll on the date specified, hehe…. after all, that is the final act required before one becomes a full-fledged member of the Philippine Bar. but seriously, i’ll just maintain the status quo at the moment and walk the path wherever God leads me. I’m a CPA by profession and i already told myself that i’ll stay at my present job as an accountant for a makati-based firm until i can figure out for myself where i could be of better use to society.

and since you also asked the forum members for advice regarding juggling time between working and studying, allow me to share my 2-cents worth of advice since i was also a working student myself while in law school.

first, maximize your time. if you’re in an 8 am to 5 pm job. better wake up early to study, use office lunch breaks to study, and stay still midnight to study (but don’t forget to rest also)

second, let go of unnecessary distractions like gimiks with barkadas and other distractions. they’ll eat up precious time which otherwise could have been devoted to reading piles of assigned case readings in law school. i tell you, you’ll have all the time in the world for gimiks after the Bar exams.

third, study smart not hard. know what law materials to study and how to conduct your study more effectively. touch base with law school classmates and if possible find a classmate who is as passionate as you are in studying the law. they make good company.

lastly, pray, pray, pray. don’t forget to ask Divine Providence for strength and wisdom. even if you’re still a sophomore, ask God to help you make it sa Bar exams.

good luck to your studies. God bless you always….

Trying to get the feeling again.....

transcript of my post at www.attyatwork.com. the question posted by a member of the forum was ano ba yun'g feeling ng nakapasa sa Bar? read on.....

hi there! just one word to describe yung feeling na pumasa sa Bar exam: “Heaven”

i also slept before the day of the exams, but it was already in the wee hours of morning of the exam day (2nd, 3rd & 4th Sunday of September). during the 4th Sunday of the Bar exams, i had very little sleep ‘coz i felt i had very meager arsenal in my hands for the Legal Ethics exam in the afternoon. but i don’t really recommend staying awake and trying to study very late the night prior to the day of the exams ‘coz very little is absorbed by the brain, if at all. serious studying must be done during one’s study in law school and not during the review, much more on the day before the exams. in my case, i hardly remembered what i studied the night before the exams. Bar examinees must already be resting by then. it was really an exercise in futility on my part, even though i’ve heard that advice a hundred times before. the only redeeming value is that i still managed to pass the Bar despite that. Thanks God.

my unsolicited advice to you: just follow your dream, and don’t let negative experiences in law school affect you. i also flunked my labor standards subject way back in law school, but i never allowed it to bother me at all. as they say, normal lang daw yun’g me bagsak sa law school, pag wala ka’ng bagsak, di ka daw normal, hehehe….

and one more thing, study smartly. i say “smartly” ‘coz there’s no point in studying hard till you drop, if you don’t have a definite study plan. i mean you should have an organized plan on what and how to study, yun’g hindi bara-bara lang. think of studying in law school as if it were a military training ground in preparation you for one of your life’s greatest battle: THE BAR.

to end, i wish you all the best and don’t forget to pray for guidance from the Divine Providence who guides the destinies of men and nations and also the final arbiter of our all our plans and ambitions. to God be the Glory!!!

Godspeed!