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CAREER: BEING A SEAMAN
LAWYER: EDUCATION
Top Performing Law Schools in the Philippines by Cumulative Performance in 2015.
1.
University of the Philippines
73.71%
2.
Ateneo De Manila University
67.55%
3.
San Beda University - Manila
67.13%
4.
University of San Carlos
58.00%
5.
Ateneo de Davao University
53.02%
University of Santo Tomas
43.98%
6.
University of Cebu
41.49%
7.
San Beda College - Alabang
39.10%
8.
Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila
35.80%
9.
Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan
32.20%
10.
Source: Legal Education Board
As of 2017, there are 108 law schools legitimately operating throughout the Philippines. These include independent law schools, resident colleges, and affiliated units of much larger private and public universities. Therefore, when choosing for a school, people usually look at the best performing law schools in their area, not just in the passing rates in the Philippine Bar Examination, but also to the program and its quality. Based upon the cumulative performance from the recent results of the bar examinations from 2012 to 2014, Legal Education Board (LEB) recognized the top 10 best performing law schools in the country in 2015. The University of the Philippines is the first in the list with 73.71% cumulative score, Ateneo de Manila University comes in second with 67.55, followed by San Beda University - Manila with 67.13%, University of San Carlos with 58.00%, Ateneo de Davao University with 53.02%, University of Santo Thomas with 43.98%, University of Cebu with 41.49%, San Beda University - Alabang with 39.10%, Pamantansan ng Lungsod ng Maynila with 35.80%, and Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan completes the list with 32.20%.
Oblation Statue at UP Diliman. Source: primer.com.ph
In order to be eligible to take the bar examination (to be admitted to the bar, one must complete one of the two required professional law degrees: The Bachelors of Laws (LL.B.) program and Juris Doctor (J.D.) program. Both programs are four-year degree programs, but in Juris Doctor you should finish your core law studies for 2 and a half year and take elective courses, undergo apprenticeship, and prepare and defend a thesis. The Bachelors of Laws (LL.B.) program is still the most common law degree offered and conferred by Philippine Law Schools but there is a move among members of the Philippine Association of Law Schools (PALS) to convert their LL.B. programs into J.D. curricula. Law degree programs are considered professional programs in the Philippines. As such, admission to law schools requires the completion of a bachelor's degree, with a sufficient number of credits or units in certain subject areas. Completion of a required course from a Philippine law school constitutes the primary eligibility requirement in order to take the Philippine Bar Examination, as precursor to admission to the practice of law in the country.
Beside from the required bachelor's degree to be admitted to law schools in the Philippines, one must also pass the Philippine Law School Admission Test (PhilSAT). Starting from 2017, the Legal Education Board had started implementing the Philippine Law School Admission Test (PhilSAT); the failure to pass such admission test prohibits a person from enrolling to any law schools in the Philippines. It is a one-day aptitude test intended to measure the academic potential of an examinee who wishes to pursue the study of law. The tuition fees from topnotch law schools in the Philippines ranges from P16,000 to P126,000.
References
"Top 10 best performing law schools in the Philippines". ABS-CBN News. December 12, 2015. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
Villanueva, Cesar L. (September 27, 2007). "Philippine Leadership Crisis and the J.D. Program". Ateneo Law School. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007.
Curriculum models, Philippine Association of Law Schools, 2006. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
"PhilSAT: Entrance exam for aspiring law students starts this year". ABS-CBN News. February 3, 2017. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
"How Much Does it Cost to Study to Become a Lawyer in the Philippines?". Entrepreneur Philippines. November 11, 2017. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
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