What kind of lawyer can be an excellent chief justice?

If I were to summarize the qualities of an excellent chief justice, I would say that the Judicial and Bar Council should search for and recommend to the president one who has the legal wisdom of chief justices Claudio Teehankee, Ricardo Paras, and Cezar Bengzon, the humility and human touch of Hilario Davide Jr., the leadership skills of Andres Narvasa, the political acumen and maturity of Marcelo Fernan, the integrity of Ronaldo Puno, the independent mind of Chief Justice Roberto Concepcion, and the illustrious reputations of Cayetano Arellano, Victorino Mapa, and Manuel Arraullo.

The president should not get a very inexperienced Law professor. That job is not just for writing decisions on criminal, civil, labor, administrative, and tax cases. It requires leadership and maturity because the chief is the “el primus in ter pares,” the first among equals. The next chief justice must enjoy the respect, support, and affection of his or her peers. A chief justice should know how to consult other members of the court, not be a solo flier who acts like a university nerd. The chief justice must have a strong EQ, people skills, and know how to persuade and inspire others around a common goal.

The next chief justice must be a consensus-builder, an excellent diplomat, and human relations expert. Look at Davide. He was much loved by the Supreme Court employees. He is naturally a humble man, soft-spoken, he never insults others even his subordinates. These qualities are almost totally absent in the former chief justice Maria Lourdes Sereno. Chief justice Renato Corona, despite his imperfections, was loved and respected by the staff. When Corona was impeached, thousands of court employees cried. When Sereno was ousted, they were shouting with joy.

The next chief justice must be strict when it comes to work, but approachable, open to listen to others. He or she must be consultative and should motivate peers to participate in decision-making. It is not easy to become an associate justice. It is a thousand times more difficult to become chief justice. He or she must be a good executive, an expert in planning, leading, organizing and controlling. These responsibilities coupled with the required qualities of wisdom in making judgment concerning internal matters on budget, personnel, training, performance appraisal, and leadership, above all. Not all lawyers have all these.

Let us all avoid the errors in judgments in the past, and hope that the next chief justice will no longer be subject to any Quo Warranto or impeachment. The court has many more important things to attend to. There is no time for another debacle.