CANON 9. A LAWYER SHALL NOT DIRECTLY OR
A lawyer shall not attribute to a Judge
INDIRECTLY ASSIST IN THE UNAUTHORIZED PRACTICE
OF LAW
Rule 9.01 A lawyer shall not delegate to any unqualified
person the performance of any task which by law may
only be performed by a member of the bar in good
standing.
Rule 9.02 A lawyer shall not divide or stipulate to divide
a fee for legal services with persons not licensed to
practice law, except:
(1) Where there is a pre-existing agreement with a
partner or associate that, upon the latter’s
death, money shall be paid over a reasonable
period of time to his estate or to the persons
specified in the agreement; or
(2) Where a lawyer undertakes to complete
unfinished legal business of a deceased lawyer;
or
(3) Where a lawyer or law firm includes non-lawyer
employees in a retirement plan, even if the plan
is based in whole or in part on a profit sharing
agreement
CANON 10. A LAWYER OWES CANDOR, FAIRNESS AND
GOOD FAITH TO THE COURT.
 
Rule 10.01. A lawyer shall not do any falsehood, nor
consent to the doing of any in Court; nor shall he
mislead, or allow the Court to be misled by any artifice.
Rule 10.02. A lawyer shall not knowingly misquote or
misrepresent the contents of a paper, the language or
the argument of opposing counsel, or the text of a
decision or authority, or knowingly cite as law a
provision already rendered inoperative by repeal or
amendment, or assert as a fact that which has not been
proved.
Rule 10.03. A lawyer shall observe the rules of
procedure and shall not misuse them to defeat the ends
of justice.
CANON 11. A LAWYER SHALL OBSERVE AND MAINTAIN
THE RESPECT DUE TO THE COURTS AND TO JUDICIAL
OFFICERS AND SHOULD INSIST ON SIMILAR CONDUCT
BY OTHERS.
Rule 11.01. A lawyer shall appear in court properly
attired.
Rule 11.02. A lawyer shall punctually appear at court
hearings.
Rule 11.03. A lawyer shall abstain from scandalous,
offensive or menacing language or behavior before the
Courts.
Rule 11.04.
motives not supported by the record or have no
materiality to the case.
Rule 11.05. A lawyer shall submit grievances against a
Judge to the proper authorities only.
CANON 9. A LAWYER SHALL NOT DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY
ASSIST IN THE UNAUTHORIZED PRACTICE OF LAW
 Assistance to unauthorized practice of law,
Prohibited
o He must not take as partner or
associate in his law firm:
 A person who is not a lawyer
 A lawyer who has been
disbarred or suspended
 A foreign lawyer who is not
licensed by the Supreme Court
Rule 9.01 A lawyer shall not delegate to any unqualified
person the performance of any task which by law may only
be performed by a member of the bar in good standing.
 Delegation of legal work to an unqualified
person is misbehavior
o A lawyer is prohibited from taking as
partner or associate any person who is
not authorized to practice, to appear in
court or to sign pleadings
 Lawyers cannot delegate his authority without
client’s consent even to a qualified person
Rule 9.02 A lawyer shall not divide or stipulate to divide a
fee for legal services with persons not licensed to practice
law, except:
(1) Where there is a pre-existing agreement with a
partner or associate that, upon the latter’s death,
money shall be paid over a reasonable period of
time to his estate or to the persons specified in the
agreement; or
(2) Where a lawyer undertakes to complete unfinished
legal business of a deceased lawyer; or
(3) Where a lawyer or law firm includes non-lawyer
employees in a retirement plan, even if the plan is
based in whole or in part on a profit sharing
agreement
 If attorney’s fees were allowed to non-lawyers,
it would leave the public in hopeless confusion
as to whom to consult in case of necessity and
also to leave the bar in a chaotic condition,
aside from the fact that non-lawyers are not
amenable to disciplinary measures
CANON 10. A LAWYER OWES CANDOR, FAIRNESS AND
GOOD FAITH TO THE COURT.
 
 A lawyer is an “officer of the courts”, he is, “like
the court itself, an instrument or agency to
advance the ends of justice.”
 His duty is to uphold the dignity and authority
of the courts to which he owes fidelity
Rule 10.01. A lawyer shall not do any falsehood, nor consent
to the doing of any in Court; nor shall he mislead, or allow
the Court to be misled by any artifice.
 The Attorney’s Oath mandates the lawyer
among other duties:
(a) To do no falsehood
(b) Nor, consent to the doing of the
same in court
(c) To conduct himself as a lawyer
according to the best of his
knowledge and discretion with all
good fidelity to the court
 Violation of the Attorney’s oath is a ground for
suspension or disbarment
 A lawyer has the duty not to mislead a judge
o A lawyer is held in contempt of court by
raising issues long laid to rest by final
and executory judgment
 Any person who shall knowingly offer in
evidence a false witness or testimony in any
judicial or official proceeding shall be punished
as guilty of false testimony and shall suffer the
respective penalties
Rule 10.02. A lawyer shall not knowingly misquote or
misrepresent the contents of a paper, the language or the
argument of opposing counsel, or the text of a decision or
authority, or knowingly cite as law a provision already
rendered inoperative by repeal or amendment, or assert as
a fact that which has not been proved.
 Prohibited:
(a) Deliberate misquotation
(b) deliberate citation of an inoperative
provision as law
(c) assertion of something as a fact which
has not been proved
 A lawyer is prohibited from:
(1) Knowingly misquoting or misrepresenting
a. Contents of paper
b. Language or argument of opposing
counsel
c. Text of a decision or authority
(2) Knowingly citing as a law, a provision
already rendered inoperative by repeal or
amendment
(3) Asserting as a fact that which has not been
proved
 When a lawyer makes a quotation of a decision
in his pleadings, he should quote the same
verbatim to avoid misleading the court
 Foisting a non-existent rule to mislead the Court
is a violation of legal ethics
Rule 10.03. A lawyer shall observe the rules of procedure
and shall not misuse them to defeat the ends of justice.
 Aim of lawsuit is to render justice, and the rules
of procedure are precisely designed to attain
such objective
 Any lawyer who misuses the rules to frustrate
the ends of justice deserves stern
condemnation
 Judges should not condone the deliberate
abuse of the procedural rules by any member of
the Bar
 For truly, justice delayed is justice denied.
CANON 11. A LAWYER SHALL OBSERVE AND MAINTAIN THE
RESPECT DUE TO THE COURTS AND TO JUDICIAL OFFICERS
AND SHOULD INSIST ON SIMILAR CONDUCT BY OTHERS.
 
 A lawyer’s first duty is to courts
 He occupies a quasi-judicial office with a
tripartite obligation to the courts, to the public,
and to his clients.
o Public duties takes precedence over his
private duties
o Where duties to the courts conflict
 Respect to the courts must be maintained.
 Respect towards the justices, judges, and
officers of the courts (clerks of court, sheriffs,
and other judicial officers)
 Lawyers must be respectful not only in their
actions but also in their use of language
whether in oral argument or pleadings
 Disrespectful acts and language are
contemptuous
 The highest sign of respect to the courts is the
lawyer’s obedience to court orders and
processes
 A lawyer’s unexplained failure to appear at the
scheduled hearing constitutes disrespect to the
court and is guilty of contumacious behavior
 Lawyers should stand foremost in complying
with court orders obediently and respectfully
Rule 11.01. A lawyer shall appear in court properly attired.
 To maintain the dignity and respectability of the
legal profession, lawyers who appear in court
must be properly attired.
Rule 11.02. A lawyer shall punctually appear at court
hearings.
 It is the duty of the lawyer to be punctual in
attendance and to be concise and direct in the
trial and disposition of cases.
 He shall delay no man for money or malice.
 Failure to appear in a pre-trial conference may
result in the non-suit or the dismissal of the
complaint for failure to prosecute or in the
declaration of the defendant as in default.
  Lack of punctuality interferes in the speedy
administration of justice
Rule 11.03. A lawyer shall abstain from scandalous,
offensive or menacing language or behavior before the
Courts.
 Lawyer’s language should be dignified, in
keeping with the dignity of the legal profession
 It is his duty to abstain from all offensive
personality and to advance no fact prejudicial to
the honor or reputation of a party or witness
 Rule 8.01 is general (“A lawyer shall not, in his
professional dealings, use language which is
abusive, offensive, or otherwise improper”).
 Rule 11.03 specifies “before the Courts”.
 Rule prohibits scandalous behaviors like:
o Unnecessary display of passion
o Provocative or challenging gestures
o Shouting at the judges, witnesses, or
opposing counsel
o Slapping, boxing, or challenging any one
in court to a fistfight or duel
 Lawyers must maintain ‘rule of the law’ and
not ‘rule of the jungle’
 Raising one’s voice is a sign of disrespect
 The respect shown to courts helps build the
high esteem and regard toward them which is
essential to the proper administration of justice
 A mere disclaimer of any intentional disrespect
is not a ground for exoneration
 The lawyer’s disavowal of any offensive intent –
in using defamatory words – is of no avail.
 If complaint is administrative in nature, it must
be filed with the Supreme Court
 If complaint is criminal and not purely
administrative in nature, it must be filed with
the Office of the Ombudsman
 Criminal complaints against judges in
connection with their duties as such must be
filed with the Supreme Court, not with the
Office of the Ombudsman.
 Complaints should not be coursed through the:
o Media
o Military authorities
o President
o Governors
o Mayors
o Or other officers or institutions which
are not the proper forums to
investigate the judges and magistrates
 If the complaints are based on impeachable
offenses, the complaint must be coursed
through the House of Representatives and the
Senate in accordance with the rules of
impeachment
 IBP cannot initiate and prosecute charges
against justices and judges
 Article 8, Section 6 of the 1987 Constitution
explicitly vests in the Supreme Court
administrative supervision over all courts and
court personnel

Rule 11.04. A lawyer shall not attribute to a Judge motives

not supported by the record or have no materiality to the
case.

 Example of direct contempt: lawyer stating “it

shows the control of the accused over the court
and court procedure”
 Not a contemptuous act: Lawyer demanding
that the misbehavior of a judge be placed on
record
 While lawyers are prohibited to attribute
motives to a judge not supported by the record,
lawyers must however be courageous enough
to expose arbitrariness and injustices of courts
and judges

Rule 11.05. A lawyer shall submit grievances against a Judge

to the proper authorities only.

 A lawyer has the duty to defend a judge from

unfounded criticisms or groundless personal
attack, irrespective of whether he loses or wins
his cases in the sala of the judge.
 However, such duty does not prevent a lawyer
from filing administrative complaints against
erring judges or from accepting cases of clients
who have legitimate grievances against them.
 Complaint must be filed with the proper
authorities only.