Primacy of the Lawyer’s Professional Responsibility over Personal Interest
A person who is not a stranger in common parlance is someone whom you have met before or someone you know. In relation, when you are a newly admitted member of the Bar and someone who is not a stranger asks for help, you willingly accept, give yourself a tap in the back and officially welcome yourself to the legal profession.
I recently passed one of the rigorous exams that the Philippines have, called the Bar Examination. For my part, I attended college for eight years and took the Bar Exams right after completing my Bachelor of Law.
Fortunately, with the ingredient of luck, I slayed the Bar Exam Dragon. During my laborious study of the Philippine laws, I have never been exposed to any legal works. It was only during the post bar months, prior to the publication of the official result, where I was introduced and exposed to the practice of law.
I am grateful to the experience I had as a paralegal in one law office and thankful for the wisdom I learned. It was an eye opener for me to the realities of the legal profession. The profession requires not only mental output but also your capability to do the work with vigor no matter what the situation is and without regard to the status of the client, whether or not the client is a paying one.
So when one of my teachers in high school reached out to me and asked me if I could help her prepare some documents which she urgently needs, I didn’t hesitate and immediately said yes. I considered her as my first client and allotted time to finish the preparation of six complaint affidavit and four affidavits of witnesses.
I sent it right away and she responded thanking me and invited me for a coffee. She then asked me how much will the charge be. Initially, I thought maybe I’ll charge her but for a minimum price but by virtue of the Holy Spirit, I eventually decided not to charge her.
If guided by the schedule of fees of lawyers, each affidavit is worth 300 per document if not notarized so for 10 documents prepared, I should have earned 3,000 but I opted not to charge her. As she is a former teacher of mine, I said to myself, I will express my gratitude by the little help I can offer.
I only asked for her prayers so that I may be guided in my pursuit of the legal profession. Reflecting on both personal and social obligations, the question of whether or not to charge a client who is not stranger especially for new lawyers should not be as hard as answering a bar question.
Time and again the Supreme Court reminded all lawyers that the lawyer profession is a class in itself and the incessant reminder to all is that the profession is not a moneymaking business. Every lawyer has their own endeavors and I will always keep the learning that it pays to be socially responsible.
By: Atty. Germa B. Dumayag
