Article 27p. 27

LEGAL AND JUDICIAL ETHICS CODES, CANONS AND RULES

the Philippines (IBP), recommended by the IBP, endorsed

by the Philippine Judicial Academy, and reviewed and

passed upon by the Supreme Court Committee on Legal

Education, the Court hereby resolves to adopt, as it

hereby

adopts,

the

following

rules

for

proper

implementation:

RULE 1 PURPOSE

Section 1. Purpose of the MCLE

Continuing legal education is required of members of the

Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) to ensure that

throughout their career, they keep abreast with law and

jurisprudence, maintain the ethics of the profession and

enhance the standards of the practice of law.

RULE 2 MANDATORY CONTINUING LEGAL

EDUCATION

Section 1. Constitution of the MCLE Committee

Within two (2) months from the approval of these Rules

by the Supreme Court En Banc, the MCLE Committee

shall be constituted in accordance with these Rules.

Section 2. Requirements of completion of MCLE

Members of the IBP not exempt under Rule 7 shall

complete, every three (3) years, at least thirty-six (36)

hours of continuing legal education activities approved

by the MCLE Committee. Of the 36 hours:

(a) At least six (6) hours shall be devoted to legal ethics.

(b) At least (4) hours shall be devoted to trial and pretrial

skills.

(c) At least five (5) hours shall be devoted to alternative

dispute resolution.

(d) At least nine (9) hours shall be devoted to updates on

substantive and procedural laws, and jurisprudence.

(e) At least four (4) hours shall be devoted to legal writing

and oral advocacy.

(f) At least two (2) hours shall be devoted to international

law and international conventions.

(g) The remaining six (6) hours shall be devoted to such

subjects as may be prescribed by the MCLE Committee.

RULE 3 COMPLIANCE PERIOD

Section 1. Initial compliance period

The initial compliance period shall begin not later than

three (3) months from the constitution of the MCLE

Committee. Except for the initial compliance period for

members

admitted

or

readmitted

after

the

establishment of the program, all compliance periods

shall be for thirty-six (36) months and shall begin the day

after the end of the previous compliance period.

Section 2. Compliance Group 1.

Members in the National Capital Region (NCR) or Metro

Manila shall be permanently assigned to Compliance

Group 1.

Section 3. Compliance Group 2.

Members in Luzon outside NCR shall be permanently

assigned to Compliance Group 2.

Section 4. Compliance Group 3.

Members in Visayas and Mindanao shall be permanently

assigned to Compliance Group 3.

Section 5. Compliance period for members admitted or

readmitted after establishment of the program.

Members admitted or readmitted to the Bar after the

establishment of the program shall be permanently

assigned to the appropriate Compliance Group based on

their Chapter membership on the date of admission or

readmission.

The

initial

compliance

period

after

admission

or

readmission shall begin on the first day of the month of

admission or readmission and shall end on the same day

as that of all other members in the same Compliance

Group.

(a) Where four (4) months or less remain of the initial

compliance period after admission or readmission, the

member is not required to comply with the program

requirement for the initial compliance.

(b) Where more than four (4) months remain of the initial

compliance period after admission or readmission, the

member shall be required to complete a number of hours

of approved continuing legal education activities equal to

the number of months remaining in the compliance

period in which the member is admitted or readmitted.

Such member shall be required to complete a number of

hours of education in legal ethics in proportion to the

number of months remaining in the compliance period.

Fractions of hours shall be rounded up to the next whole

number.

RULE 4 COMPUTATION OF CREDIT UNITS

Section 1. Guidelines

The following are the guidelines for computation of credit

units (CU):

PROGRAMS CREDIT UNITS SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS

1. SEMINARS, CONVENTIONS, CONFERENCES, SYMPOSIA,

IN-HOUSE

EDUCATION

PROGRAMS,

WORKSHOPS,

DIALOGUES,

ROUND

TABLE

DISCUSSIONS

BY

APPROVED PROVIDERS UNDER RULE 7 AND OTHER

RELATED RULES

1.1

PARTICIPANT

1

CU

PER

HOUR

CERTIFICATE

OF

ATTENDANCE WITH NUMBER OF HOURS

1.2 LECTURER 5 CU PER HOUR PHOTOCOPY OF PLAQUE

OR SPONSOR'S CERTIFICATION

1.3 RESOURCE 3 CU PER HOUR PHOTOCOPY OF PLAQUE

OR SPONSOR'S SPEAKER CERTIFICATION

1.4 ASSIGNED 2 CU PER HOUR CERTIFICATION FROM

SPONSORING

PENALIST/

ORGANIZATION

REACTOR/COMMENTATOR

1.5 MODERATOR/ 2 CU PER HOUR CERTIFICATION FROM

SPONSORING

COORDINATOR/

ORGANIZATION

FACILITATOR

2. AUTHORSHIP, EDITING AND REVIEW

2.1

RESEARCH/

5-10

CREDIT

UNITS

DULY

CERTIFIED/PUBLISHED

INNOVATIVE

TECHNICAL

REPORT/PAPER PROGRAM/CREATIVE PROJECT

2.2 BOOK 50-100 PP 101+ PUBLISHED BOOK SINGLE

AUTHOR 12-16 CU 17-20 CU

2 AUTHORS 10-12 CU 13-16 CU

3 OR MORE 5-6 CU 7-11 CU

2.3 BOOK EDITOR 1/2 OF THE CU OF PUBLISHED BOOK

WITH PROOF AUTHORSHIP AS EDITOR CATEGORY

2.4 LEGAL ARTICLE 5-10 PP 11+ PUBLISHED ARTICLE

SINGLE AUTHOR 6 CU 8 CU

2 AUTHORS 4 CU 6 CU

3 OR MORE 2 CU 4 CU

2.5

LEGAL

3-6

CU

PER

ISSUE

PUBLISHED

NEWSLETTER/JOURNAL

NEWSLETTER/LAW

JOURNAL

EDITOR

3. PROFESSIONAL 6 CU PER CHAIR CERTIFICATION OF

LAW DEAN CHAIR/BAR 1 CU PER LECTURE OR BAR

REVIEW

DIRECTOR

REVIEW/

HOUR

LECTURE/LAW

TEACHING

Section 2. Limitation on certain credit units

In numbers 2 and 3 of the guidelines in the preceding

Section, the total maximum credit units shall not exceed

twenty (20) hours per three (3) years.

© Compiled By RGL

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