EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
)
First Regular Session 
)
SENATE
S. No. 781
'(OKirf of ti)f jfer't\'tni-;>
*19 
JU L25 
A ll ;12
REC£. . ,y i;. i
Introduced by SENATOR LEILA M. DE LIMA
AN ACT
TO HARMONIZE LEGAL EDUCATION IN OUR COUNTRY
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Under present law, there are two institutions that regulate legal education. 
The first is the Legal Education Board (LEB), which was created under R.A. No. 
7662, otherwise known as the Legal Education Reform Act of 1993- The LEB is an 
independent unit under the supervision of the Department of Education. It is 
tasked with the following objectives:
S e c tio n  7 . P o w e rs  a nd F u n c tio n s . - F o r th e  p u rp o s e  o f a c h ie v in g  th e  
o b je c tiv e s  o f th is  A ct, th e  B o a rd  sh a ll h a ve  th e  fo llo w in g  p o w e rs  and 
fu n c tio n s :
(a ) to  a d m in is te r th e  legal e d u c a tio n  s y s te m  in th e  
c o u n try  in a m a n n e r c o n s is te n t w ith  th e  p ro v is io n s  o f th is 
A ct;
(b ) to  s u p e rv is e  th e  la w  s c h o o ls  in th e  co u n try, 
c o n s is te n t w ith  its p o w e rs  an d  fu n c tio n s  a s h e re in  
e n u m e ra te d :
(c) to  s e t th e  s ta n d a rd s  o f a c c re d ita tio n  fo r la w  
s c h o o ls  ta k in g  into  a c c o u n t, a m o n g  o th e rs, th e  size  o f 
e n ro llm e n t, th e  q u a lific a tio n s  o f th e  m e m b e rs  o f th e  
fa c u lty , 
th e  
lib ra ry  
a n d  
o th e r 
fa c ilitie s , 
w ith o u t 
e n c ro a c h in g  u p o n  th e  a c a d e m ic  fre e d o m  o f in s titu tio n s  
o f h ig h e r le a rn in g :
(d ) to  a c c re d it la w  s c h o o ls  th a t m e e t th e  s ta n d a rd s  o f 
a c c re d ita tio n :


(e ) to  
p re s c rib e  
m in im u m  
s ta n d a rd s  
fo r 
la w  
a d m is s io n  
a nd 
m in im u m  
q u a lific a tio n s  
a nd
c o m p e n s a tio n  o f fa c u lty  m e m b e rs ;
(f) 
to  p re s c rib e  th e  b a sic c u rric u la  fo r th e  c o u rs e  o f 
s tu d y  a lig n e d  to  th e  re q u ire m e n ts  fo r a d m is s io n  to  th e  
B ar, la w  p ra c tic e  a nd so cia l c o n s c io u s n e s s , an d  su ch  
o th e r c o u rs e s  o f s tu d y  a s m a y  be p re s c rib e d  by th e  la w  
s c h o o ls  an d  
c o lle g e s  u n d e r th e  d iffe re n t le ve ls o f 
a c c re d ita tio n  s ta tu s
(g ) to 
e s ta b lis h  
a 
law  
p ra c tic e  
in te rn s h ip  
a s a 
re q u ire m e n t fo r ta k in g  th e  B a r w h ic h  a la w  s tu d e n t shall 
u n d e rg o  w ith  a n y  d u ly  a c c re d ite d  p riva te  o r p u b lic  law  
o ffic e  o r firm  o r legal a s s is ta n c e  g ro u p  a n y tim e  d u rin g  
th e  la w  c o u rs e  fo r a s p e c ific  p e rio d  th a t th e  B o a rd  m a y 
d e c id e , b u t n o t to  e xce e d  a to ta l o f tw e lv e  ( 12) m o n th s.
F o r th is  p u rp o se , th e  B o a rd  sh a ll p re s c rib e  th e  
n e c e s s a ry  g u id e lin e s  fo r su ch  a c c re d ita tio n  a n d  th e  
s p e c ific a tio n s  o f su ch  in te rn s h ip  w h ic h  sh a ll in c lu d e  th e  
a c tu a l w o rk  o f a n e w  m e m b e r o f th e  B ar.
(h ) to  a d o p t a s y s te m  o f c o n tin u in g  legal e d u c a tio n .
F o r th is  
p u rp o s e , 
th e  
B o a rd  
m a y 
p ro vid e  fo r th e  
m a n d a to ry  a tte n d a n c e  o f p ra c tic in g  la w y e rs  in su ch  
c o u rs e s  a nd fo r su ch  d u ra tio n  as th e  B o a rd  m a y d e e m  
n e c e s s a ry : and
(i) 
to p e rfo rm  su ch  o th e r fu n c tio n s  a nd p re s c rib e  
su ch  ru le s a nd re g u la tio n s  n e c e s s a ry  fo r th e  a tta in m e n t 
o f th e  p o lic ie s  a nd o b je c tiv e s  o f th is  A ct.
The other institution tasked with the development and administration of 
legal education is the Philippine Judicial Academy (PHILJA), which was created by 
virtue of R.A. No. 8557. PHILJA, on the other hand, is mandated to “serv?e as a 
training school for justices, judges, court personnel, lawy ers and aspirants to 
judicial posts.”1
While the LEB deals with the education of aspiring lawyers, PHILJA deals 
with the training of those already practicing law. While these two institutions cater 
to different students, both of them teach the same legal system. Thus, there is need 
to harmonize the direction in wrhich the legal education is being administered. As
1 R.A. No. 8557, 5ec 3


the practice of law is an ever-evolving discipline whose role is continually increasing 
in our society, we should have a coordinated effort towards legal education. We can 
do so by establishing a nexus betw'een the LEB and PHILJA.
Since PHILJA is more connected to the judiciary and the bar owing to its 
mandate, their presence in the LEB can serv^e to provide opportunities to initiate 
faster reforms based on real time developments in the practice of law'.
This bill designates the PHILJA Chancellor or his representative as the vice­
chair of the LEB. As such, the PHILJA will be strategically connected with LEB, and 
thus will be able to influence LEB policies to harmonize both institutions’ efforts.
LIEILA M. DE LIMA


EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
)
Fii’st Regular Session 
)
SENATE
B'Ciiau-
cf tij.'£;:m .fnrp
19 
JUL 25 All :12
Introduced by SENATOR LEILA M. DE LIMA
AN ACT
TO HARMONIZE LEGAL EDUCATION IN OUR COUNTRY
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
1 
Section i. Section 4 of Republic Act No. 7662, otherwise knowTi as “An Act
2 
Providing for Reforms in the Legal Education, Creating for the Purpose, a Legal
3 
Education Board and for other Purposes”, shall be amended to read as followrs:
4
5 
“ S e c tio n  
4 . 
Legal Education 
Board; 
Creation 
and
6 
Composition. -  T o  c a rry  o u t th e  p u rp o s e  o f th is  A ct, th e re
7 
is h e re b y  cre a te d  th e  L e g a l E d u c a tio n  B o a rd, h e re in a fte r
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re fe rre d  to  a s th e  B o a rd , a tta c h e d  s o le ly  fo r b u d g e ta ry
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p u rp o s e s  a nd a d m in is tra tiv e  s u p p o rt to  th e  D e p a rtm e n t o f
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E d u c a tio n , C u ltu re  a nd S p o rts.
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T h e  B o a rd  sh a ll be c o m p o s e d  o f a C h a irm a n , w h o
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sh a ll p re fe ra b ly  be a fo rm e r ju s tic e  o f th e  S u p re m e  C o u rt
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o r C o u rt o f A p p e a ls , 
T H E  C H A N C E L L O R  O F  T H E
14 
P H IL IP P IN E  J U D IC IA L  A C A D E M Y  (P H IL J A ), O R  H IS
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R E P R E S E N T A T IV E , A S  V IC E -C H A IR ; and th e  fo llo w in g
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as re g u la r m e m b e rs : a re p re s e n ta tiv e  o f th e  In te g ra te d  B a r
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o f th e  P h ilip p in e s  (IB P ); a re p re s e n ta tiv e  o f th e  P h ilip p in e
18 
A s s o c ia tio n  o f L a w  S c h o o ls  (P A L S ); a re p re s e n ta tiv e
19 
fro m  
th e  
ra n k s  
o f a c tiv e  
la w  
p ra c titio n e rs ; 
a nd, 
a


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re p re s e n ta tiv e  
fro m  
th e  
la w  
s tu d e n ts ' 
s e cto r. 
T h e  
S e c re ta ry  o f th e  D e p a rtm e n t o f E d u c a tio n , C u ltu re  and 
S p o rts , o r his re p re s e n ta tiv e , sh a ll be an e x o ffic io  m e m b e r 
o f th e  B o a rd.
W ith  th e  e x c e p tio n  o f th e  re p re s e n ta tiv e  o f th e  la w  
s tu d e n ts ' s e cto r, th e  C h a irm a n  an d  re g u la r m e m b e rs  o f 
th e  B o a rd  m u s t be n a tu ra l-b o rn  c itiz e n s  o f th e  P h ilip p in e s  
a nd m e m b e rs  o f th e  P h ilip p in e  B ar, w h o  h a ve  b e en  
e n g a g e d  fo r a t le a s t te n  (1 0 ) y e a rs  in th e  p ra c tic e  o f law , 
as w ell as in th e  te a c h in g  o f la w  in a d u ly  a u th o riz e d  o r 
re c o g n iz e d  la w  s c h o o l.”
Sec. 2. Republic Act No. 7662, Section 5, shall be amended to read as follows:
“Section 5. Term of Office; Compensation. - EXCEPT 
FOR CHANCELLOR OF THE PH ILJA , W HO 
SHALL SERVE EX O F IC IO , [t]he Chairman and 
regular members of the Board shall be appointed by the 
President for a term 
of five 
(5) 
years without 
reappointment from a list of at least three (3) nominees 
prepared, without prior authorization from the Supreme 
Court, by the Judicial and Bar Council, for every position 
or vacancy, and no such appointment shall need 
confirmation by the Commission on Appointments. Of 
those first appointed, the Chairman and the representative 
of the IBP shall hold office for five (5) years, the 
representatives of the PALS and the PALP, for three (3) 
years; and the representative from the ranks of active law 
practitioners and the representative of the law students’ 
sector, for one (1) year, without reappointment.
Appointments to any vacancy shall be only for the 
unexpired portion of the term of the predecessor.
The Chairman and regular members of the Board 
shall have the same salary and rank as the Chairman and


1 
members, respectively, of the Constitutional Commissions:
2 
Provided, That their salaries shall not be diminished during
3 
their term of office.
4 
Sec. 3. Appropriations. -  Such amounts as may be necessary to implement
5 
this Act shall be included in the next succeeding General Appropriations Act.
6 
Sec. 4. Repealing Clause. — All laws, decrees, orders, rules or regulations, other
7 
issuances or parts thereof inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or amended
8 
accordingly.
9 
Sec. 5. Separability Clause. -  If any provision of this Act is declared invalid,
10 
other parts or provisions hereof not affected thereby shall remain and continue to be
11 
in full force and effect.
12 
Sec. 6. Ejfectivity. -  This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after the
13 
completion of its publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers
14 
of general circulation in the Philippines.
Approved,