My Experience During My Law Practicum

My dream to be a lawyer started when I was still too young to understand what the lawyers do and old enough to know what a lawyer is. I was on a piggyback ride with my father home when I was about eight years old or so. As you know, I am not really a daddy’s girl because we do not see him much at that time. But I can vividly remember when he told me that day, that I would be a lawyer or doctor someday. And to this day, I am still holding on to that words he spoke to me. Perhaps, aside from my own desire to be a lawyer, my father’s words are the magic that keeps me going.

I work and study at the same time but this does not, in any way, becomes a hindrance to my pursuit in achieving what I desire – to be able to get the diploma for Bachelors of Law and to be a future lawyer. In fact, I take this as a challenge for me to go further. I would say that I am not much of a risk-taker by nature, but I am definitely very competitive and diligent in what I do. I manage two big worlds – work and school. I have to pass my work’s required scorecard and strive hard to pass my grades at school in order to help me finance my school fees. I may not have much financial resources at hand because cash inflows and outflows are almost breakeven but who am I to complain? I am easily contented and I work for what I need and want.

I see law school as a very good outlet for my personal growth as well as in fulfilling my social responsibility. Not only that, I may not be the superstitious type of person but there’s something within me that’s dragging me to this field. It feels like everything just fall into place and there’s nothing for me to do but to follow it, like solving a puzzle. It is passion and love and the fun of knowing things that I feel is really more important for every citizen of this country than accounting, engineering, information technology, and that is law.

During my first year, I was so overwhelmed at how much ordinary individuals deserve to know and understand more about the law because it does not only involve those who made them, or who enforced them but it is most prominently helpful to those who are supposed to follow and obey them – the populace .

I am not in a very good place to comment on the profession because I am still a student and have the idealism unflawed by the realities of the lawyering life. Personally though, I feel that being required to render few hours of law practicum is one way to enhance your practical knowledge of law and to give you an overview of the usual work done to prepare the law students for the future. This way a student will have a balanced idea of how it is to be a lawyer in the real world compared to what you typically think a lawyer is when you are at school. Although, a professor may have substantial knowledge of the subject but then, there are things you ought to know that are not taught at school. For one, the Legal Forms subject has a very wide scope of law because it does not only cover one particular subject but embraces criminal, commercial, civil, labor and all other subjects in only an hour session at school. This means that if we study each and every form that can be drafted by a lawyer in his notarial works, for example, we might spend more than a year for that, as there are a lot of legal forms to speak of.

Every day is not just about the good times, indeed. I honestly had some difficulties in adjusting my schedules with work, practicum, and school since I am enrolled for summer classes. I had to request to be off from work which needed authorization from the higher management which was also the reason why I did not sign the list for those who needs to be assigned to lawyers since I don’t have control of my time. Too many sacrifices – from the unpaid time-offs where I get my payment for my tuition fees, compromised time schedule for studying the subjects for summer due to things that needs to be completed for the practicum and many other things. But if there’s a will, there’s a way. It was going smoothly with the practicum and I had a lot of things to tell.

 I was connected with the RP Mora Accounting and Law Office located near Royal Concourse Hotel in Gorordo, Cebu City. I was under the supervision of Atty. Rheneir P. Mora who was my Accounting Professor during my Accountancy years. I actually applied for practicum in a Public Attorney’s Office but due to time constraints and some requirement that’s needs approval from the main office in Manila, I did not pursue my application. I was actually excited about it because I had to work with government lawyers who devoted themselves to working with indigents. I could only imagine how fulfilling that might be. Anyway, on the brighter side, RP Mora Accounting and Law Office is primarily focusing on Tax and Corporate laws so the forms drafted are only in line with the aforementioned law subjects. These forms cover contract agreements, board resolutions, special power of attorney and other forms since Atty. Rheneir P. Mora is also a Notary Public however, catering services only to those clients of the accounting firm. So normally, they only have labor and some civil cases that need possible court appearances.

On my first day of practicum, I was immediately tasked to submit forms to the Securities and Exchange Commission and was asked to submit the Notarial Register for receipt. That was my first time to see the Notarial Seal, and the Notarial Book and how to log the data therein. It was also my first time on how to do the notary works. I was able to assist in drafting affidavits and other forms like Board Resolution, Construction Contracts, contract agreements, petition, and the like. Honestly, those were the only times I was able to visit and got acquainted with the government agencies for some serious business other than accompanying my mom or my aunt for concerns that I was really unaware or unmindful of. I spent about five days for the practicum and as days went by, it felt as if it was already a routine to drop off to the law office and do something. I was not so busy every day though. There were times when I was left at the office doing nothing. That was such an awful thing to do especially seeing those people around you who were very busy about something else not related to law but audit and accounting and you are just sitting at the corner looking like a fool making yourself busy with nothing. I honestly don’t know if there are other students who share the same feelings as mine. I do feel that I have to share this though. Sometimes it felt like forty-hour practicum was long enough but at times when I was making an affidavit or busy with things to do in the office, even a few hours  already felt like long day of big accomplishment.  My last day was actually quite toxic because I had to go to City Health very early to file for the Petition for Change of Name and check for the procedure and other requirements needed to complete it. I was really euphoric that day because it seemed to me that I have contributed something to the office before I end my practicum. I meticulously prepared the documents and drafted the affidavits that need to be filed to make sure that I did it right.

In summary, the experience I had was priceless! I have some views though that maybe helpful for those students who are yet to take up the Legal Forms subject and be required to take the practicum. First, based on my own experience, forty hours is either long or short enough depending on how many forms you are required to finish in that span of time. It felt too long in my case because I did not have quite a number of forms to finish thus, it was a bit boring, though very much rewarding since you are not rushed to make them and no deadline to meet. I suggest that a student should have the initiative to ask his supervising attorney for forms or documents that he can make to ease the latter’s burden at work. Second, I was expecting that there would be too many workloads on my practicum so I was disappointed when I was doing nothing because it feels like I am just a benchwarmer at the office. A student should not feel bad and be oriented with what he is expected to do because I realize it was not all the time that you have too many things to do in a day. I am writing on behalf of what I experienced though because this may not be the case for other students. And lastly, it may be an additional load for our part to be required to do a practicum but it was truly gratifying and worthwhile involvement despite of it all. I would definitely want to be doing additional practical exercises in the future, like participating and appearing in a real courtroom action, perhaps.