SOME topics in next year’s bar exams will be combined as part of initiatives to modernize the implementation of the test for aspiring lawyers, the Supreme Court (SC) announced.
Commercial law and taxation law will be merged since they are similar fields of practice, while remedial law and judicial ethics will be combined since these practices complement each other, the tribunal said in a statement released on Saturday evening.
“We need to modernize the manner in which we admit those who wish to join our profession if we are to keep up with the best practices that other legal jurisdictions observe and implement in their respective areas,” said Supreme Court Associate Justice Ramon Paul L. Hernando, chairperson of the 2023 bar exams.
More than 9,000 examinees completed the four-day 2022 bar examinations, which were administered at 14 testing sites across the country.
The previous 2020/21 bar exams were the first to be held digitally and in multiple testing sites nationwide.
Mr. Hernando noted the 2023 bar exams will likely be held in September instead of November to release the results earlier.
“Just as important, it will also mean lesser review costs… More importantly, the new members of the Bar will have an opportunity for early employment and contribution to society,” Mr. Hernando said.
Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo had said the bar exams would continue the digital format to take full advantage of new technology.
A total of 8,241 takers passed the 2020/21 bar exams, representing a 72.8% passing rate. — John Victor D. Ordoñez