Czar Faustus A.

Durante June 27, 2017

2014400030
Legal Counseling (Summer)
Dean Ulpiano Sarmiento III

THE GOOD LAWYER

By Atty. Quitain

KEY1: Internalization

What is your purpose in life?

My purpose in life is to be a good servant of God, a good husband to my wife, a good son to

my parents, a good father to my child/children, and a good lawyer and citizen of my

country.

My purpose of being a lawyer is for God, My wife and son, Parents and siblings, and the

society. They are my inspiration. When law books and subjects fill up my mind lowering my

disc space and starts lagging, I think of them and they provide me some boost and gigabyte.

How firm is your purpose?

My purpose is as solid as a rock. As the author of the book said, the purpose should be

bigger than you, bigger than your profession, and is worth dying for. My purpose and not

focused on just being a lawyer but as a regular/common person. When all else fails, my

purpose wont change and I will live up to it and every way I can. A proof that my purpose is

rock solid is my current situation. Im married for 5 years. Since I started studying law, my

wife has been supporting me with some help from my parents and in-laws. Before I entered
law school, I told my wife, honey, hindi kita masusuportahan ng ilang taon kaya mo ba?

Kapag hindi mo kaya sabihin mo sakin kasi magwoworking student ako kung ganon.

honey, kaya ko. Basta ipangako mo sakin na tatapusin mo yan at magiging abugado ka para

ako naman masuportahan mo pagkatapos, she replied. I told her then, honey, Ill finish

this at magiging abugado ako huwag kang magalala. Your approval is all I need. Kung ano

man marinig ko or natin sa ibang tao about sa situation natin dahil ikaw lang nagwowork

imbis na ako rin, hindi ko papansinin. Ill stick to my goal and I wont care about what they

say. Since then, Ive lived up to it. Me and my wife share the same goal. It doesnt involve

earning tons of money; just earn enough to support our needs. Im not greedy and I will let

get help me along the way. No matter what, I will fulfill it because Im not alone in this. Im

bringing my family along with my success.

What are your perceived obstacles to fulfilling your purpose in this profession?

Studying law comes with the obstacle of pressure and pain. Law school is not easy. Its

where every page of the whole series of harry potter book is as many as one, two, or three

cases decided by the Supreme Court. Law students are regularly pounded by straight jabs of

cases, an uppercut of books, and a left and right cross of recitations. With that number of

obstacles, one is sure to lose. But as a law student with a rock solid purpose, I get hit a lot,

knocked down a few times, but that doesnt mean that I shouldnt get back up, because we

law students get to see that certain ray of light; a small opening which gives us what we

need the most; HOPE. A hope to knockdown the opponent/obstacle with a single right or

left hook; and believe me, thats all I need to end the fight.
Prepare a purpose statement.

My way of achieving my purpose is best expressed by a statement I once heard from a

movie The Dilemma where the actor Vince Vaughn said when his bestfriend Nick was

making free shot in a game of hockey wherein one goal will win them a ticket for another

game. The line goes, Great moments are born from great opportunities. Thats what you

have here tonight Nick. Thats what youve earned here tonight. One shot. You take it 10

times, you might miss 9. BUT NOT THIS SHOT. Not tonight.

When I was studying BS Nursing, I may have been transferred from one school to another

because I didnt meet the first schools grade requirement (though I took the board once

and passed it in a single take). I may have had jobs which I didnt like because it didnt fit

me. I may have a lot of flaws and mistakes made in the past. But this one shot that I have of

being a lawyer, I will not miss. This will be the winning 3-point shot made by Kevin Durant

during the 2017 NBA Finals against Cavs in Game 3. I will prove it.

KEY2: Internalization

Self-Assessment: My ethical Barometer rating. 10 as the highest and 1 as the lowest.

A Seven out of Ten ( 7/10) would be my rating.

Why did you give yourself that rating?

Im a 7 when it comes to my ethics because as a law student and as a person, I follow the

laws and rules set by God and by men whatever it may be. I follow what is right and not

what my morals and conscience tells me.

I didnt give myself a rate of 10 because I do not know what may happen to me in the

future. I believe that there might be a situation where I may have a hard time dealing with

morality and ethics. My ethics have not been clearly tested. Just as what Robert Duvall did

in the movie the Judge, where he acted as the judge who tried a case involving a criminal

named Blackwell. Judge Palmer could have easily decided to put Blackwell behind bars for a

long period of time but since he saw through Blackwell what could have happened to his

son, Hank Palmer (Robert Downey Jr.), Judge Palmer gave Blackwell a light penalty. Thus,

Blackwell came out early and murdered a person. In this movie, it was shown how a Judge

faced a difficult decision of giving Blackwell a harsh punishment because it couldve been his

son which was in his place by the way Hank Palmer (Robert Downey Jr.) acted during his

teenage years. Family or Duty? Morality or ethics? Thats kind of hard to deal with

immediately.

What do you think you must do to reach 10?

Pray to God, surround myself with good people, study law the Bedan way and remind

myself of who I am and who I should be. For now I think this could be a good way to start

reaching 10.
Where is Gods place in your life as a lawyer?

He is a step behind me ready to catch me when I slip, beside me towards my goals, and in

front of the finish line to give me this book as a trophy and a reminder of what I promised

Him and myself.

In making ethical decisions, Gods factor would be around 75%. 20% for rational and

practical purposes and 5% luck or whatever factor.

KEY3: Internalization

To whom are you accountable in the practice of your legal profession?

I am accountable to God.

Visualization: State in a sentence your vision of yourself as a lawyer.

I see myself being a good lawyer working in the Government serving the public with utmost

sincerity, ethical consideration, and committed to Justice.

Visualization: State in a sentence your personal vision of legal profession.

A legal profession where one can serve God and the public through set of laws, following

the code of professional responsibility and the lawyers oath upholding justice and fighting

for what is right.

Do you think a support group for lawyers would be helpful for you? Why do you say so?

Yes. I say so because no man is an island. And I thought of this statement just now, I am a

Filipino living in the Philippines. And my country is not made up of a lone island but of a

group of islands. The Philippines will not be a beauty without Palawan or Polilio Island. The

Philippines is beautiful with its complete group of islands. Just as the Philippines, I will not

be a lawyer made solely by myself and for myself. I wouldnt want to be incomplete. I want

to be a lawyer with the help of other lawyers so I could be what I am bound to be.

KEY4: Internalization

What present and prevalent practices in the legal profession do you feel strongly against?

What are you doing about them?

The KAPIT or CONNECTION system wherein the more one knows or is in relation to

popular and powerful people, the better the chance of winning and getting what he/she

wants.

One of my dreams is that Im going to be the one in power or at least have some of it so I

can have a stand and a chance to change it.

How do you usually respond when you see a colleague commit or about to commit an

unethical or immoral act?

I warn him of the possible consequences of his act. If he still chooses to continue the act,

then so be it. Im here to remind him of the laws and rules but it is his choice if he should
abide by it or not (except for grave illegality of his acts like murder, rebellion, adulterous

relationships, etc.).

List down at least 3 things which prevent you from being courageous in the face of

unrighteousness or injustice in the profession.

1. Fear of the damage it may bring to me and my family.

2. Fear of non-acceptance by the public and society.

3. Fear of making a mistake, thus losing the trust of the people.

What do you think are the benefits of courageous lawyering?

1. Improved self-esteem.

2. Additional friends and acceptance of my ideas.

3. Being different from the traditional corrupt and fearful lawyers.

4. Making a difference in this poor country run by corrupt government officials.

5. Fame and influence.

KEY5: Internalization

Rate yourself based on the following criteria for excellent lawyering (10 as the highest and

1 as the lowest).

A. I am passionate about what I do.

I would rate myself as a 9. Im really passionate about studying law. Im prioritizing it

over other matters. But I didnt put a 10 because sometimes, laziness attacks. My

laziness can be countered by focusing on my goals and purpose, but sometimes laziness

wins.

B. I am serious about learning more about my field of law.

10. Im still a law student. I have a lot of rice to eat and gum to chew. I am an incoming

irregular 4th years student but I treat myself as a curious and hungry for knowledge 1st

year student of law.

C. I can keep my focus on my profession.

Im an 8 at this. Im married and since my older brother is abroad, Im the eldest son of

my parents here in the Philippines. I have law as my top priority, but I cannot simply

ignore my other priorities as a husband and a son.

D. I usually sacrifice beyond my duty as counsel.

Im not a lawyer yet Ill rate myself as a student of law. Im a 7. I do my tasks as a

student but I still cannot neglect my other duties such as being a husband to my wife
and son to my parents. There are family matters which I am not willing to put behind my

studies for now. But in the future, when Im already a lawyer, I will do my tasks and

duties excellently and rate myself a 10 in this criteria.

Self-Rating: I am an excellent law student

Sometimes, I am an excellent law student. This is so because due to my responsibilities

and present capabilities, there are lapses and mistakes that I make which couldve been

avoided if I had done a good job. I know that I can do more and I am practicing myself to

be always a good and excellent law student.

What are the things that prevent you from becoming a truly excellent lawyer? List

them down.

1. Other family responsibilities

2. Stress in law school.

3. Poor time management.

4. Poor sense of priority.

In the area of excellence:

Are you interested to be mentored?

Yes. I have a lot to learn to be a good and excellent lawyer.

Are you interested to mentor another?

Yes. If Im excellent on the subject matter then it would be nice to mentor another and

share my knowledge.