Shannin Mae Olivarez

Block 1-A
Legal Technique and Logic
January 31, 2017 Reflection Paper

Why do you want to be a lawyer? Why are you here at the Ateneo?

Ever since I was a child, it has already been a dream of mine to become a lawyer. I
thought of lawyers as modern-day superheroes because they are able to give justice to people
who are in need, most especially to those who are poor and marginalized. For me, being a
superhero is not having a strong body that can physically oust enemies; lawyers are
considered as heroes because they combat social injustices throughout our society with the
use of reasoning and language. Besides of it being a dream of mine, it has always been my
passion and desire to help people. Since I am very active in our community, I have seen many
people in our barangay that need legal assistance. Whenever I see and talk to them, I pity
them because it reminded me how our justice system in the Philippines needed lawyers that
have the intelligence and the heart to serve the people. These people have inspired me to
study law, because I see law as a platform and an avenue where you can help people. It is a
career that prioritizes service to the people over money and material wealth.

I am here in Ateneo because I believe in the values that Ateneo upholds: being men
and women for others. For me, this is what law is all about. The quote reminds us that law is
not centered on ones self-interest. It is a reminder that we students are here for a reason, and
that reason is God has chosen us to become instruments of justice and equality. The education
system of Ateneo Law empowers us to become men and women for others. It focuses on
making us good lawyers that prioritizes public service. In addition to this, Ateneo Law also
offers a good law program. Unlike any other law schools in the Philippines, Ateneo Law has
the Juris Doctor Program. What sets this program apart from the normal law program is that
it focuses on the science of law. Ateneo Law does not only teach us what is in the law, and the
meaning of it; Ateneo Law also teaches us the spirit and the reason as to why the law has
been created. My greatest fear would be to know the law very well (and maybe even
memorize all of it), but not know the context and the science behind it. With this, Ateneo Law
has made me realize that there is more to law than meets the eye. For most people, law would
be perceived as a bunch of provisions with endless articles composed with complex words.
Although for Atenean lawyers, the law is something more than that: it is our culture and a
reflection of our history. Ateneo Law makes us law students realize that the law has a lot to
do with the Filipino people and our society.

What are your hopes, dreams, fears and frustrations about your journey to becoming a
lawyer?

My hope is that I will become a lawyer one day, and that I can use this profession to
help the poor and the marginalized. I want to be able to reach out to people, and to help them
achieve justice. For me, that is my very goal in life. My dream is to become a lawyer that
shall focus on human rights and family law. I would want to also help out illegitimate
children; I believe that if a lot of lawyers would prioritize their advocacy in these children,
the social or negative stigma of being illegitimate would decrease or lessen. I believe that
children, or any person in this world (no matter how conservative the community or country
is), should not be labelled as legitimate or illegitimate. All children deserve the love, care
and support of their parents. I would want to fight for their rights and to ensure that they are
loved and cared for by their family.
 My fear in my journey to becoming a lawyer is failing obligations and contracts and
my other subjects. With that, my worst fear in life so far is getting kicked out of law school.
Another reason why I am here in law school is that it is my fathers dream to have a lawyer in
the family. My other siblings did not take up law, and since I am the youngest, I was the only
one left to fulfil his dream. In my case, I am a little bit pressured because my dad expects a
lot from me, and I do not want to disappoint him. I am trying my best in law school so far,
and I am very thankful that God has given me another semester here in Ateneo Law. I want to
fulfil my dads dream of having a lawyer in the family, and I just pray to God that I can make
it.

My frustration in my journey to becoming a lawyer would be the stress, sleepless

nights, tiredness, and the heaps and heaps of readings that seem endless. There are times that
I would just want to pull time and become a lawyer at this very moment. There are many
times where I would read provisions and would just sob or cry all of a sudden for no reason.
Also, there are times when I would feel homesick since I miss my parents. I realized that
studying law is a sacrifice, and once you enter law school, you should be prepared for all the
challenges and trials. In my journey so far, I just take it one semester at a time. I see my
journey as a form of survival, that is backed up by hard work and perseverance. I just pray to
God that my love for law school will not fade away because of the stress and difficulty.
Whenever I feel frustrated, I always ask myself: why did you start in the first place? Do you
remember why you are here? I tend to forget that being in law school is a blessing from God.
From now on, I will always keep that in mind and I should always be thankful to God
because He has given me the opportunity to be in Ateneo Law; an opportunity that not
everyone can have in their lifetime.

What knowledge, skills, and attitudes do you want to learn from this class?

The knowledge that I would want to learn from this class is how the justice system
affects how society creates their facts and information. I would want to know how the
Philippine justice system contributes to the way people see information and how people see
the justice system as a bank or source of information. The skills that I would want to learn
from this class would be the skill of creating a strong, clear, and logical argument. In addition
to this, I would also want to learn the skill of arguing and debating. That is why I am very
happy that the final requirement for this class is the moot court, because this is where we can
practice the skill of debating, arguing, and formulating logical statements. In addition to this,
I would like to also strengthen the skill of researching and finding good information in
preparation for the thesis. Lastly, the attitude that I would want to learn from this class would
be the attitude of being sceptical. I do know that we should not just absorb any information
that we hear right away, but I want to strengthen my attitude of being sceptical, most
especially in law school.