The six pillars of excellent Law schools

The two leading law schools in the country, UP and Ateneo, were badly beaten by “provinciano” Law schools, if we base our judgment on the results of the 2019 Bar exams. But we are disheartened that there were no topnotchers from Cebu this time. We should reflect why.

I have been in the faculty of various Law schools in Cebu and Metro Manila, since 1977. Perhaps the deans and professors in all Law schools in Cebu and elsewhere can find some grain of truth in what I am going to say here. There are six pillars of an excellent Law school, divided into two groups: the principal pillars, composed of four and accessory pillars consisting of two. The four principal pillars are: the students, the faculty, the dean, and the administration. The two accessory pillars are the parents and the support group. The reason why some Law schools are doing well is because all the pillars have been working excellently and harmoniously.

The student is the source of passion and determination, intelligence, and hard work. The faculty is the source of legal wisdom and the art and science of imparting law, not only “in a grand manner” but also in a style that motivates, inspires and challenges students to work hard, to accept mistakes, and to strive more. The dean is the source of leadership, management, and overall coordination and harmonizing synergy among the six pillars. The dean is the engine and the steering wheel, the source and initiator of action and direction, speed, and intensity. The dean should be inspiring but firm, and must guide the faculty to clear targets and definite courses of actions. The administration should allocate funds enough to attract, retain, and motivate excellent faculty, and to buy all the best books written by the best authors.

The faculty must have the academic competence to teach Law, (not all excellent lawyers can be excellent teachers) not only the letter but also, and perhaps, with more emphasis, the spirit of the laws, the philosophy behind all statutes, the whys and the wherefores, the causes and effects, the reasons why they were enacted, the good sought to be attained and the evil sought to be avoided. To be a lawyer is an achievement but to be a teacher of Law is a gift, a grace, a higher level of accomplishment, borne out of a love for others, driven by a passion to inculcate the values of truth, justice, and freedom of thought.

The parents play a vital role. They do not only pay the tuition but they provide moral support, inspiration, and prayers. They must not distract their sons and daughters who are studying Law and taking the Bar. If they can afford it, let them focus on their study and not work. I was a working student while I was in Law school working eight hours each day as a court interpreter. It was a very difficult life to be in both the workplace and in Law schools. Then the support group, composed of non-teaching personnel in Law schools, the library personnel and the dean’s office staff, as well as the Bar operations group.

If all the six pillars can work together, and work harmoniously and productively, excellent results can be produced. The synergy and excellence among the six pillars is the true meaning of what they, in Dilliman, used to call “teaching Law in a grand manner.”