TEN YEARS AGO, the results of the 1996 Bar Examinations came out with yours truly included in the list of successful bar passers. It was no walk in the park or smooth sailing so to speak in the preparation for the bar exams and passing the same but the feeling lingers on when an examinee makes it on his or her first try. This piece is dedicated to the unsung heroes of our lives who, through thick and thin, were and still are supportive of our personal endeavors. They are our loved ones – they may be our parents, grandparents, grandparents, wife or husband or children from whose presence we draw our strength. We salute them.
Preparing for the bar examinations and eventually passing it entails great and countless sacrifi ces on the part of the examinee and his or her immediate family. These sacrifices may differ on each examinee but the main goal is always geared towards passing the grueling if not the hardest government-administered examination given by the Supreme Court. An examinee needs to devote more time to review the lessons he or she has learned in his or her Bachelor of Laws course.
There is no concrete “formula”, believe me, for one to pass the bar exams. We hear from the testimonies of those who made it and some of them said that hard work paid off. Others quipped that being graduates of accountancy gave them edge because they were trained to analyze data. To my mind, regardless of their secret “formula”, there are two things that play important roles in the preparation for passing this kind of examination. First, the importance of having good college of law faculty and second, the English language factor. The law professors being the mentors of the examinees usually provide techniques in answering potential bar questions. The other ingredient is a good command of the English language which is a must for all examinees. Remember, the questions given in the bar exams, which were written in English, call for answers in English. One has to express his or her ideas in a grammatically correct English.
Before I took the examinations given on four Sundays of September in the year 1996 at De LaSalle University-Taft in Manila, I attended a mass in the Shrine of Saint Jude Thaddeus in San Miguel, Manila near the Malacanang Palace. I heard the priest’s homily and what stunned me was the proverbial quote: “ Pray as if everything depends on prayer, work (or study, as the case may be) as if everything depends on work.”Perhaps, this is the reason why an examinee must maintain focus while taking the exams and
this is also true in other examinations, be it for purposes of landing a job or in any government required examination.
The eight (8) subjects in the bar examinations are given in four Sundays of September with Political Law and Labor Laws and Social Legislation given on the fi rst Sunday while Remedial Law and Legal Ethics and Practical Exercises on the last Sunday.
As a parting shot, let me share with you the reply of US Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter to a young boy, M. Paul Claussen, by name.
The latter sought the advice of the good Justice regarding ways to prepare for the law profession. I found this some years ago printed in a national daily. Hereunder is the advice of
the worthy magistrate:
“My dear Paul:
No one can be a truly competent lawyer unless he is a cultivated man. If I were you I would forget all about any technical preparation for the law.
The best way to prepare for the law is to come to the study of law as a well-read person. Thus alone can one acquire the capacity to use the English language on paper and in speech and with the habits of clear thinking which only a truly liberal education can give. No less important for a lawyer is the cultivation of the imaginative faculties by reading poetry, seeing great paintings in the original or in the easily available reproductions and listening to great music. Stock your mind with the deposit of much good reading, and widen and deepen your feelings by experiencing vicariously as much as possible the wonderful mysteries of the universe, and forget all about your future career.
With good wishes.
Sincerely yours,
Felix Frankfurter”
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