LEGAL COUNSELING AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Monday and Thursday/ 6:30 – 9:30 PM

Atty. Virgil Maverick B. Lastimoza

Outline No. 1 (June 19)

PART ONE. INTRODUCTION

I. Definition and Preliminary Concepts

A. Practice of Law
• Section 1, Canon III, Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability
(CPRA)
• Cayetano v. Monsod, G.R. No. 100113, September 3, 1991
o Justice Teodoro Padilla’s Dissenting Opinion
• People v. Villanueva, G.R. No. L-19450, May 27, 1965
• Philippine Lawyer's Association v. Agrava, G.R. No. L-12426, February 16, 1959
• Aguirre v. Rana, B.M. No. 1036, June 10, 2003
• Noe-Lacsamana v. Busmente, A.C. No. 7269, November 23, 2011
• Fajardo v. Alvarez, A.C. No. 9018, April 20, 2016
B. Legal Profession
• In Re: Sycip, Salazar, Feliciano, Hernandez & Castillo, G.R. No. X92-1, July 30, 1979
• Cristobal v. Cristobal, A.C. No. 12702, November 10, 2020
• Adez Realty, Inc. v. Court of Appeals, G.R. No. 100643, December 12, 1995
• Sison, Jr. v. Camacho, A.C. No. 10910, January 12, 2016
• Hernandez v. Go, A.C. No. 1526, January 31, 2005
C. Legal Counseling
• Section 2 and 3, Republic Act No. 7662 or the Legal Education Reform Act of 1993

II. Nature of Office of a Lawyer

• As a Public Officer; Occupies a quasi-judicial office.
o People v. Sesbreno, G.R. No. L-62449, July 16, 1984
o Salcedo v. Hernandez, G.R. No. 42992, August 8, 1935
o Regala v. Sandiganbayan, G.R. Nos. 105938 & 108113, September 20, 1996

III. Features of the Legal Profession

IV. Admission to Practice of Law; Other Authority of Supreme Court in relation to its
power to Regulate
• Section 5, Article VIII of the 1987 Constitution
• In re: Cunanan, March 18, 1954

V. Requirements for Admission to the Bar

• Rule 138 of the Rules of Court
o In re Lanuevo, A.C. No. 1162, 1163, 1164, August 29, 1975

A. Legal Education
• Pre-Law: Rule 138, sec. 6, Rules of Court
o Caronan v. Caronan, A.C. No. 11316, July 12, 2016
• Law Proper: Rule 138, sec. 5, Rules of Court
• Pimentel v. Legal Education Board, G.R. Nos. 230642 & 242954,
o September 10, 2019 Decision
o November 9, 2021 Resolution

B. Citizenship
• Constitution, Art. IV, secs. 3-5; Art. XII, sec. 14(2)
• R.A. No. 9225 (2003) – Dual Citizenship Act
o In re Muneses, B.M. No. 2112, July 24, 2012

C. Bar Examinations
• Rules of Court 138, secs. 7-16
 • Bar Matter 1153, March 9, 2010
• In re: Amparo, G.R. No. L-65120, July 18, 1975
• Re: Letter of Atty. Estelito P. Mendoza Proposing Reforms in the Bar Examinations through
Amendments to Rule 138 of the Rules of Court, March 9, 2010
• Re: De Guzman, B.M. No. 1222, April 24, 2009

D. Revised Law Student Practice Rule

• A.M. No. 19-03-24-SC Rule 138-A Law Student Practice
o Constitutional Basis
o Duties of law student practitioners (Section 6)
o Duties of law schools (Section 9)
o Duties of supervising lawyers (Sections 11)
• Cruz v. Mina, G.R. No. 154207, April 27, 2007

E. New Lawyer’s Oath

• Form 28, Rules of Court
• Re: Al Argosino, B.M. No. 712, March 19, 1997
• In re Oliva, Adm. Case No. 228, April 16, 1958
• In re: Cuevas, Jr., B.M. No. 810, January 27, 1998
• Berenguer vs. Carranza, 26 SCRA 673, January 30, 1969

VI. Continuing Requirements for the Practice of Law

• Re: Dacanay, B.M. NO. 1678, December 17, 2007

VII. Privileges of a Lawyer

• Zoreta v. Simpliciano, A.C. No. 6492, November 18, 2004
• In re: Atty. Felizardo M. de Guzman, 55 SCRA 139, January 21, 1974
• Gimena v. Sabio, A.C. No. 7178, August 23, 2016
• De Leon vs. Castelo, 639 SCRA 237, January 12, 2011
• Republic Act 1080 as amended by Republic Act 1844

VIII. Duties of Office of a Lawyer

• Rule 138 of the Rules of Court
• Four-Folds Duties of a Lawyer
• Duty of Counsel de Officio
o People v. Daban y Ganzon, G.R. No. L-31429, January 31, 1972
• Duty of a Private Prosecutor
o People v. Beriales, G.R. No. L-39962, April 7, 1976
o Bravo v. Court of Appeals, G.R. No. 48772, May 8, 1992

PART TWO. CODE OF PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY AND

ACCOUNTABILITY

A. CANON I (Independence)
• Section 1 (Independent, accessible, efficient and effective legal service)
i. Provide Efficient and Convenient Legal Services
1. See Canon 2, Code of Professional Responsibility (CPR)
• Section 2 (Merit-based practice)
i. Rely on merits; not influence or undermine court authority.
ii. Refrain from Acts Giving Appearance of Influence
1. See Canon 13, CPR
2. Cases:
a. Nestle Phils., Inc. v. Sanchez, G.R. No. 75209, 78791, September
30, 1987
b. In re De Vera, A.M. No. 01-12-03-SC, July 29, 2002
• Section 3 (Freedom from improper considerations and external influence)
i. Uninfluenced by dishonesty, immorality, or external pressures in client
advocacy.
• Section 4 (Non-interference by a lawyer)
i. Not to Invite Outside Interference
 1. See Rule 13.03, CPR
2. Case: Maglasang v. People, G.R. No. 90083, October 4, 1990
• Section 5 (Lawyer’s duty and discretion in procedure and strategy)
i. No client control over procedure. Respect client's settlement decisions after
explaining consequences.
ii. Control Proceedings
1. See Rule 19.03 CPR

B. CANON II (Propriety)
• Section 1 (Proper conduct)
i. No unlawful, dishonest, immoral, deceitful conduct
1. See Rule 1.01, CPR
ii. Rule 138 Section 21
iii. Cases:
1. Ui v. Bonifacio, A.C. No. 3319, June 8, 2000
2. Figueroa v. Barranco, Jr., SBC Case No. 519, July 31, 1997
3. Guevarra v. Eala, A.C. No. 7136, August 1, 200
4. Vitug v. Rongcal, A.C. No. 6313, September 7, 2006
• Section 2 (Dignified conduct)
i. Courtesy, Fairness, Candor Towards Professional Colleagues
1. See Canon 8, CPR
2. Cases:
a. Camacho v. Pangulayan, A.C. No. 4807, March 22, 2000
b. Reyes v. Chiong, Jr., A.C. No. 5148, July 1, 2003
ii. No Conduct Adversely Affecting the Profession
1. See Rule 7.03, CPR
iii. No Conduct Adversely Affecting the Profession
1. Cases:
a. Zaguirre v. Castillo, A.C. No. 4921, March 6, 2003
b. Tapucar v. Tapucar, A.C. No. 4148, July 30, 1998
• Section 3 (Safe environment; avoid all forms of abuse or harassment)
i. No creating or promoting unsafe environments. No abuse, violence, or
gender-based harassment.
ii. Sec. 2, Republic Act No. (RA) 1131 (Safe Spaces Act)
iii. RA 9262
• Section 4 (Use of dignified, gender-fair, and child-and culturally-sensitive language)
i. No Abusive and Improper Language
1. See Rule 8.01, CPR
2. Cases:
a. Belo-Henares v. Guevarra, A.C. No. 11394, December 1, 2016
b. Velasco v. Causing, A.C. No. 12883, March 2, 2021
ii. Proper Language and Behavior
1. See Rule 11.03, CPR
2. Cases:
a. In re: Almacen v. Yaptinchay, G.R. No. L-27654, February 18,
1970
b. Sangalang v. Intermediate Appellate Court, G.R. No. 71169, 74376,
76394, 78182, 82281, August 30, 1989
• Section 5 (Observance of fairness and obedience)
i. Impress Compliance with Laws
1. See Rule 15.07, CPR
• Section 6 (Harassing or threatening conduct)
• Section 7 (Formal decorum and appearance)
i. Proper Attire
1. See Rule 11.01, CPR
• Section 8 (Prohibition against misleading the court, tribunal, or other government
agency)
i. Not to Misquote or Misrepresent Contents of Paper
1. See Rule 10.02, CPR
2. Case: Insular Life Assurance Co., Ltd., Employees Association-NATU v.
Insular Life Assurance Co., Ltd., G.R. No. L-25291, January 30, 1971
• Section 9 (Obstructing access to evidence or altering, destroying, or concealing
evidence)
• Section 10 (Conduct in the presentation of a witness)
i. See Rules 12.05, 12.06 and 12.07, CPR
ii. See also PD 1829 Penalizing Obstruction of Justice
• Section 11(False representations or statements; duty to correct)
i. No false representations or statements on demand letters and other
correspondence without factual or legal basis.
• Section 12 (Duty to report dishonest, deceitful or misleading conduct)
• Section 13 (Imputation of misconduct, impropriety, or crime without basis)
• Section 14 (Remedy for grievances; insinuation of improper motive)
i. Not to Attribute to Judge Motives
ii. Grievances Against Judge
1. See Rules 11.04 and 11.05, CPR
• Section 15 (Improper claim of influence or familiarity)
i. No claims of power, influence, or relationships with court or government
officers.
ii. No Extraordinary Attention
1. See Rule 13.01, CPR
• Section 16 (Duty to report life-threatening situations)
• Section 17 (Non-solicitation and impermissible advertisement)
i. No indirect or self-laudatory advertisements. Only dignified, verifiable,
factual information allowed for potential client
ii. No Solicitation
1. See Rule 2.03, CPR
iii. Not using of media to attract legal business
1. See Rule 3.04, CPR
• Section 18 (Prohibition against self-promotion)
• Section 19 (Sub-judice rule)
• Section 20 (Disclosure of relationship or connection)
• Section 21 (Prohibition against gift-giving and donations)
• Section 22 (No undue advantage of ignorance of the law)
i. No exploiting non-lawyers' lack of legal knowledge.
• Section 23 (Instituting multiple cases; forum shopping)
i. Forum Shopping
1. See Rule 12.02, CPR
2. Case: Tapang v. Donayre, A.C. No. 12822, November 18, 2020
• Section 24 (Encroaching or interfering in another lawyer’s engagement; exception)
i. Not to Encroach on Professional Employment
1. See Rule 8.02, CPR
2. Case: Laput v. Remotigue, A.C. No. 219, September 29, 1962
• Section 25 (Responsibility of a solo practitioner)
i. Solo practitioner to promptly and competently address all matters requiring
professional skill
• Section 26 (Definition of a law firm; choice of firm name)
• Section 27 Partner who assumes public office
i. Partners assuming Public Office
1. See Rule 3.03, CPR
2. Constitutional Provisions
a. Article VI, Section 14
b. Article VII, Section 13
c. Article IX, Section 2
3. Case: Samonte v. Gatdula, A.M. No. P-99-1292, February 26, 1999
• Section 28 (Dignified government service)
i. See Canon 6, CPR
ii. RA 6713, sec. 4
iii. Cases:
1. Collantes v. Renomeron, A.C. No. 3056, August 16, 1991
2. Office of the Court Administrator v. Ladaga, A.M. No. P-99-1287, January
26, 2001
3. Ali v. Bubong, A.C. No. 4018, March 8, 2005
 4. Huyssen v. Gutierrez, A.C. No. 6707, March 24, 2006
• Section 29 (Lawyers formerly in government service)
i. Not to Accept Employment After Government Service
1. See Rule 6.03, CPR
ii. RA 6713, sec. 7(b)
iii. Cases:
1. In re: Silverio-Buffe, A.M. No. 08-6-352-RTC, August 19, 2009
2. Fuji v. Dela Cruz, A.C. No. 11043, March 8, 2017
iv. RA 3019, sec. 3(d)
1. Philippine National Bank v. Cedo, A.C. No. 3701, March 28, 1995
• Section 30 (No financial interest in transactions; no gifts)
i. Not to Use Public Position for Private Interest
1. See Rule 6.02, CPR
2. Case: Misamin v. San Juan, A.C. No. 1418, August 31, 1976
• Section 31 (Prosecution of criminal cases)
i. Primary Duty that Justice is Done
1. See Rule 6.01, CPR
2. Case: People v. Pineda, G.R. No. L-26222, July 21, 1967
• Section 32 (Lawyers in the academe)
• Section 33 (Conflict of interest for lawyers in the academe)
i. Disclose client's adverse interest affecting supervised students to the
institution upon discovery.
• Section 34 (Paralegal services; lawyer’s responsibility)
i. Direct and supervise paralegal's duties, maintaining confidentiality and
privilege.
• Section 35 (Non-delegable tasks)
i. Not to Delegate Work
1. See Rule 9.01, CPR
2. Case: Cambaliza v. Cristal-Tenorio, A.C. No. 6290, July 14, 2004
Responsible Use of Social Media
• Section 36 (Responsible use)
i. Understand social media's benefits, risks, and ethical implications.
• Section 37 (Online posts)
i. Online posts must uphold legal profession's dignity, maintain respect for the
law.
• Section 38 (Non-posting of false or unverified statements, disinformation)
• Section 39 (Prohibition against fraudulent accounts)
• Section 40 (Non-disclosure of privileged information through online posts)
i. Online posts must not disclose confidential client information, unless
permitted by law or CPRA.
• Section 41 (Duty to safeguard client confidences in social media)
i. Prevent unauthorized disclosure or access when communicating client
confidences on social media accounts.
• Section 42 (Prohibition against influence through social media)
• Section 43 (Legal information; legal advice)
i. Provide general legal information and advice through various means,
including mass or social media, adhering to CPRA duties for Limited Legal
Service.
• Section 44 (Online posts that could violate conflict of interest)