STATEMENT FOR NEU-COL PROVIDED MCLE
The great Thomas Jefferson once said, “A lawyer without books would be like a workman without tools.”[1] This great saying of a great lawyer and statesman fittingly describes what would make a great lawyer. He or she must be knowledgeable of his or her craft, and that is his or her profound knowledge and mastery of the law.
This is the mission for the creation of the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE). To quote, “To ensure that all members of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines keep abreast with law and jurisprudence, maintain the ethics of the profession[,] and enhance the standards of the practice of law.”[2]
The mission for the creation of the MCLE is pursuant to the provision of the Rules of Court, which states that:
“The fundamental purposes of the Integrated Bar shall be to elevate the standards of the legal profession, improve the administration of justice, and enable the bar to discharge its public responsibility more effectively.”[3]
Thus, pursuant to these objectives as expressed in the Rules of Court, the Supreme Court promulgated Bar Matter No. 850 (Resolution Adopting the Revised Rules on the Continuing Legal Education for Members of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines). According to the Resolution, the purpose for the creation of the MCLE, which is the same with its avowed mission, is “to ensure that throughout their career, [members of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines] keep abreast with law and jurisprudence, maintain the ethics of the profession[,] and enhance the standards of the practice of law.”[4]
Lawyers Who are Required to Attend
According to the Resolution, all members of the Integrated Bar not exempt shall complete every three (3) years at least thirty-six (36) hours of continuing legal education activities approved by the MCLE Committee, which includes:
- At least six (6) hours shall be devoted to legal ethics equivalent to six (6) credit units;
- At least four (4) hours shall be devoted to trial and pretrial skills equivalent to four (4) credit units;
- At least five (5) hours shall be devoted to alternative dispute resolution equivalent to five (5) credit units;
- At least nine (9) hours shall be devoted to updates on substantive and procedural laws, and jurisprudence equivalent to nine (9) credit units;
- At least four (4) hours shall be devoted to legal writing and oral advocacy equivalent to four (4) credit units;
- At least two (2) hours shall be devoted to international law and international conventions equivalent to two (2) credit units; and
- The remaining six (6) hours shall be devoted to such subjects as may be prescribed by the MCLE Committee equivalent to six (6) credit units.[5]
On the other hand, the following are exempted from the coverage of the MCLE:
- The President and the Vice President of the Philippines, and the Secretaries and Undersecretaries of Executive Departments;
- Senators and Members of the House of Representatives;
- The Chief Justice and Associate Justices of the Supreme Court, incumbent and retired members of the judiciary, incumbent members of the Judicial and Bar Council and incumbent court lawyers covered by the Philippine Judicial Academy program of continuing judicial education;
- The Chief State Counsel, Chief State Prosecutor and Assistant Secretaries of the Department of Justice;
- The Solicitor General and the Assistant Solicitors General;
- The Government Corporate Counsel, Deputy and Assistant Government Corporate Counsel;
- The Chairpersons and Members of the Constitutional Commissions;
- The Ombudsman, the Overall Deputy Ombudsman, the Deputy Ombudsman and the Special Prosecutor of the Office of the Ombudsman;
- Heads of government agencies exercising quasi-judicial functions;
- Incumbent deans, bar reviewers, and professors of law who have teaching experience for at least ten (10) years in accredited law schools;
- The Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor and members of the Corps of Professors and Professorial Lecturers of the Philippine Judicial Academy;
- Governors and Mayors;
- Those who are not in law practice, private or public; and
- Those who have retired from law practice with the approval of the IBP Board of Governors.[6]
There are also those who may be exempted upon application. According to the Resolution:
Good cause for exemption from or modification of requirement. – A member may file a verified request setting forth good cause for exemption (such as physical disability, illness, post graduate study abroad, proven expertise in law, etc.) from compliance with or modification of any of the requirements, including an extension of time for compliance, in accordance with a procedure to be established by the MCLE Committee.[7]
MCLE Provided by the New Era University College of Law
The College of Law of the New Era University is a provider of the MCLE whose lecturers are recognized in their respective fields, with the competitive rate of fees compared with the other providers:
| Senior Citizen’s Rate/PWD | Php 6,500.00 |
| NEU Law Alumni/Faculty Member/INC Member | Php 6,500.00 |
| Early Bird Rate | Php 6,500.00 |
| Regular Rate | Php 7,000.00 |
For anyone interested in attending the MCLE provided by our College, please feel free to contact us at the following:
Email: mcle@neu.edu.ph
Landline: (02) 8981-4221 local 41305
[1] Library of America, Jefferson: Writings 922 (1984), retrieved from https://www.azquotes.com/quote/740612 (last accessed Feb. 18, 2022).
[2] Retrieved from mcle.judiciary.gov.ph (last accessed Feb. 18, 2022).
[3] Rules of Court, rule 139-A, § 2.
[4] Supreme Court, Bar Matter No. 850 [Resolution Adopting the Revised Rules on the Continuing Legal Education for Members of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines], rule 1, § 1 (Oct. 2, 2001).
[5] Id. rule 1, § 2.
[6] Id. rule 7, §§ 1 & 2.
[7] Id. rule 7, § 3.