Article 15p. 15

LEGAL AND JUDICIAL ETHICS CODES, CANONS AND RULES

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.

Section

4.

Requirements

for

applicants from other

jurisdictions . — Applicants for admission who, being

Filipino citizens, are enrolled attorneys in good standing

in the Supreme Court of the United States or in any

circuit court of appeals or district court therein, or in the

highest court of any State or Territory of the United

States, and who can show by satisfactory certificates that

they have practiced at least five years in any of said

courts, that such practice began before July 4, 1946, and

that they have never been suspended or disbarred, may,

in the discretion of the Court, be admitted without

examination.

Section 5. Additional requirements for other applicants .

— All applicants for admission other than those referred

to in the two preceding section shall, before being

admitted to the examination, satisfactorily show that they

have regularly studied law for four years, and successfully

completed all prescribed courses, in a law school or

university, officially approved and recognized by the

Secretary of Education. The affidavit of the candidate,

accompanied by a certificate from the university or

school of law, shall be filed as evidence of such facts, and

further evidence may be required by the court.

No applicant shall be admitted to the bar examinations

unless

he

has satisfactorily completed the following

courses in a law school or university duly recognized by

the government: civil law, commercial law, remedial law,

criminal law, public and private international law, political

law, labor and social legislation, medical jurisprudence,

taxation and legal ethics.

Section 6. Pre-Law . — No applicant for admission to the

bar examination shall be admitted unless he presents a

certificate

that

he

has

satisfied

the

Secretary

of

Education that, before he began the study of law, he had

pursued and satisfactorily completed in an authorized

and

recognized

university

or

college,

requiring

for

admission thereto the completion of a four-year high

school course, the course of study prescribed therein for a

bachelor's degree in arts or sciences with any of the

following subjects as major or field of concentration:

political

science,

logic,

english,

spanish,

history

and

economics.

Section 7. Time for filing proof of qualifications . — All

applicants for admission shall file with the clerk of the

Supreme Court the evidence required by section 2 of this

rule at least fifteen (15) days before the beginning of the

examination. If not embraced within section 3 and 4 of

this rule they shall also file within the same period the

affidavit and certificate required by section 5, and if

embraced within sections 3 and 4 they shall exhibit a

license evidencing the fact of their admission to practice,

satisfactory

evidence

that

the

same

has

not

been

revoked, and certificates as to their professional standing.

Applicants shall also file at the same time their own

affidavits as to their age, residence, and citizenship.

Section

8.

Notice

of

Applications .

—

Notice

of

applications for admission shall be published by the clerk

of

the

Supreme

Court

in

newspapers

published

in

Pilipino, English and Spanish, for at least ten (10) days

before the beginning of the examination.

Section

9.

Examination; subjects . — Applicants, not

otherwise provided for in sections 3 and 4 of this rule,

shall

be subjected to examinations in the following

subjects:

Civil

Law;

Labor

and

Social

Legislation;

Mercantile

Law;

Criminal

Law;

Political

Law

(Constitutional

Law,

Public

Corporations,

and

Public

Officers); International Law (Private and Public); Taxation;

Remedial Law (Civil Procedure, Criminal Procedure, and

Evidence);

Legal

Ethics

and

Practical

Exercises

(in

Pleadings and Conveyancing).

Section 10. Bar examination, by questions and answers,

and in writing . — Persons taking the examination shall

not bring papers, books or notes into the examination

rooms. The questions shall be the same for all examinees

and a copy thereof, in English or Spanish, shall be given to

each examinee. Examinees shall answer the questions

personally without help from anyone.

Upon verified application made by an examinee stating

that his penmanship is so poor that it will be difficult to

read his answers without much loss of time., the Supreme

Court may allow such examinee to use a typewriter in

answering the questions. Only noiseless typewriters shall

be allowed to be used.

The

committee

of

bar

examiner

shall

take

such

precautions as are necessary to prevent the substitution

of papers or commission of other frauds. Examinees shall

not place their names on the examination papers. No oral

examination shall be given.

Section 11. Annual examination . — Examinations for

admission to the bar of the Philippines shall take place

annually in the City of Manila. They shall be held in four

days to be designated by the chairman of the committee

on bar examiners. The subjects shall be distributed as

follows:

First

day:

Political

and

International

Law

(morning) and Labor and Social Legislation (afternoon);

Second day: Civil Law (morning) and Taxation (afternoon);

Third day: Mercantile Law (morning) and Criminal Law

(afternoon); Fourth day: Remedial Law (morning) and

legal Ethics and Practical Exercises (afternoon).

Section 12. Committee of examiners . — Examinations

shall be conducted by a committee of bar examiners to

be appointed by the Supreme Court. This committee shall

be composed of a Justice of the Supreme Court, who

shall act as chairman, and who shall be designated by the

court to serve for one year, and eight members of the bar

of the Philippines, who shall hold office for a period of one

year. The names of the members of this committee shall

be published in each volume of the official reports.

Section 13. Disciplinary measures . — No candidate shall

endeavor to influence any member of the committee,

and

during

examination

the

candidates

shall

not

communicate with each other nor shall they give or

receive any assistance. The candidate who violates this

provisions, or any other provision of this rule, shall be

barred from the examination, and the same to count as a

failure

against

him,

and

further

disciplinary

action,

including permanent disqualification, may be taken in

the discretion of the court.

Section 14. Passing average . — In order that a candidate

may

be

deemed

to

have

passed

his

examinations

successfully, he must have obtained a general average of

75 per cent in all subjects, without falling below 50 per

cent in any subjects. In determining the average, the

subjects in the examination shall be given the following

relative weights: Civil Law, 15 per cent; Labor and Social

Legislation, 10 per cent; Mercantile Law, 15 per cent;

Criminal Law; 10 per cent: Political and International Law,

15 percent; Taxation, 10 percent; Remedial Law, 20 per

cent; Legal Ethics and Practical Exercises, 5 per cent.

Section

15.

Report

of

the

committee;

filing

of

examination papers . — Not later than February 15th after

the

examination,

or

as

soon

thereafter

as

may

be

practicable, the committee shall file its report on the

result of such examination. The examination papers and

notes of the committee shall be filed with the clerk and

may there be examined by the parties in interest, after

the court has approved the report.

Section 16. Failing candidates to take review course . —

Candidates who have failed the bar examinations for

three times shall be disqualified from taking another

examination unless they show the satisfaction of the

court that they have enrolled in and passed regular fourth

year review classes as well as attended a pre-bar review

course in a recognized law school.

The professors of the individual review subjects attended

by the candidates under this rule shall certify under oath

that the candidates have regularly attended classes and

passed

the

subjects

under

the

same conditions as

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