THE Supreme Court (SC) said it would conduct a thorough review of its legal aid program following the call of the League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP) to lift its suspension on the implementation of the rule requiring new lawyers to render pro bono legal aid services to qualified litigants.
SC Spokesman Brian Hosaka assured that the judiciary under the leadership of Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo and the other magistrates are fully aware of the need to provide the public, particularly the marginalized sectors, easy access to legal services.
He also noted that providing indigent people access to justice and legal service is one of the key objectives of the five-year strategic plan recently approved by the SC for the judiciary.
The Court suspended in September 2019 the rule on Community Legal Aid Service (CLAS) because of the seeming conflict with the Revised Law Student Practice Rule or Rule 138-A of the Rules of Court.
The revised law student practice rule, which was promulgated on June 25, 2019, states “a law student must now be certified to be able to engage in the limited practice of law.”
Under the CLAS Rule, qualified lawyers are required to render 120 hours of pro bono legal aid services to qualified parties within the first year of the covered lawyers’ admission to the Bar, counted from the time they signed the Roll of Attorneys.
Among those qualified to avail of pro-bono legal assistance under CLAS are indigent party or pauper litigants; other persons of limited means; individuals, groups, or organizations unable to secure free legal assistance by reason of conflict of interest on the part of government-provided legal assistance through the Public Attorney’s Office; and public interest cases that have societal impact and involves a group or sector of society that otherwise would not be capable of securing legal assistance by reason of inability of other lawyers, law firms.
In a news statement, the LPP said a resolution was approved during its 7th General Assembly requesting CJ Gesmundo to bring back the CLAS Rule.
LPP National President and Marinduque Governor Presbitero J. Velasco Jr. said the return of CLAS Rule will address the insufficient number of volunteer lawyers from the Integrated Bar of the Philippines nationwide who are tasked to render free legal aid services to the poor and the underprivileged.
Image credits: Roy Domingo