2021 Qu AMTO in Legal Ethics PDF

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University of Santo TomasFaculty of Civil LawLEGAL ANDJUDICIALETHICSQuestions Asked More Than OnceQuAMTOQuAMTO is a compilation of past bar questions with answers as suggested by the UPLC and otherdistinct luminaries in the academe, and updated by the UST Academics Committee to fit for the2021 Bar E...

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University*of*Santo*Tomas* Faculty*of*Civil*Law* *

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LEGAL%AND% JUDICIALETHICS% ! ! Questions!Asked!More!Than!Once!!

QuAMTO%2021% %

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! QuAMTO!is!a!compilation!of!past!bar!questions!with!answers!as!suggested!by!the!UPLC!and!other! distinct!luminaries!in!the!academe,!and!updated!by!the!UST!Academics!Committee!to!fit!for!the! 2021!Bar!Exams.! ! Bar!questions!are!arranged!per!topic!in!accordance!with!the!bar!syllabus!released!by!the!Supreme! Court!and!were!selected!based!on!their!occurrence!on!past!bar!examinations!from!1987!to!2019.! !

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ATTY.&ISAIAH&O.&ASUNCION&III& & JUDGE&PEDRO&T.&DABU,&JR.& & ATTY.&FERDINAND&JOSEPH& DECHAVEZ& & JUDGE&EDGARDO&BELLOSILLO& & JUDGE&MADONNA&C.&ECHIVERRI& & DEAN&RODEL&A.&TATON& & ATTY.&JAY-R&C.&IPAC& & ATTY.&ARSENIK&PAGADUAN& & ATTY.&GLEN&R.&LUANSING& & DEAN&GEZZEZ&GIEZI&G.&GRANADO& & JUDGE&JESUSA&LAPUZ-GAUDIANO& & JUDGE&EMILY&CYNTHIA&WEE& & ATTY.&LOURDES&ANIFEL&CASPE& & JUDGE&LEILANI&MARIE&D.& GRIMARES&

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QuAMTO (1987-2019) LEGAL!AND!JUDICIAL!ETHICS!QUAMTO! !

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LEGAL!ETHICS! ! Q:!What!do!you!understand!by!Legal!Ethics?! Discuss!its!importance!and!state!its!sources.! ! A:! Legal! ethics! is! that! branch! of! moral! science! which!treats!of!the!duties!that!an!attorney!owes!to! the! court,! to! his! client,! to! his! colleagues,! in! the! profession,!and!to!society.! ! The!sources!of!legal!ethics!are!the!Constitution,!the! Rules! of! Court,! some! particular! provisions! of! statutes,! the! Code! of! Professional! Responsibility! and!Judicial!decisions.! ! Legal!ethics!is!important!in!order!to!maintain!a!high! moral! standard! for! the! lawyer! in! performing! his! duties! as! an! officer! of! the! court,! his! duties! to! his! client,! to! the! members! of! the! legal! profession! as! well! as! to! society.! Lawyers! wield! so! much! power! and! influence! in! society.! Unless! their! acts! are! regulated!by!high!norms!of!ethical!conduct,!they!are! likely!to!abuse!them.! __________________________________________________________! ! PRACTICE!OF!LAW!(RULE!138)! _________________________________________________________! Definition!of!the!practice!of!law! ! Q:!Atty.!Yabang!was!suspended!as!a!member!of! the!Bar!for!a!period!of!one!(1)!year.!During!the! period!of!suspension,! he!was! permitted!by!his! law! firm! to! continue! working! in! their! office,! drafting! and! preparing! pleadings! and! other! legal!documents,!but!was!not!allowed!to!come! into!direct!contact!with!the!firms’!clients.!Atty.! Yabang! was! subsequently! sued! for! illegal! practice! of! law.! Would! the! case! prosper?! Explain.!(2005!BAR)! ! A:! The!Supreme!Court! has!defined!the!practice!of! law!as!any!activity!in!or!out!of!court,!which!requires! the! application! of! law,! legal! principle,! practice! or! procedure! and! calls! for! legal! knowledge,! training! and!experience!(Cayetano(vs.(Monsod,(201(SCRA(210( [1991]).! Based! on! this! definition,! the! acts! of! Atty.! Yabang! of! preparing! pleadings! and! other! legal! documents!would!constitute!practice!of!law.!More! so,!if!his!activities!are!for!the!benefit!of!his!law!firm,! because! the! employment! of! a! law! firm! is! the! employment!of!all!the!members!thereof.!The!case! against!him!will!prosper.! ! ALTERNATIVE!ANSWER:! ! The!traditional!concept!of!practice!of!law!requires! the! existence! of! a! lawyer-client! relationship! as! a! requisite.! Pursuant! to! this! concept,! inasmuch! as! Atty.! Yabang! was! not! allowed! by! his! law! firm! to! come! into! direct! contact! with! the! firm’s! clients! during!the!period!of!his!suspension,!he!cannot!be! considered!as!having!engaged!in!illegal!practice!of! law.!The!case!against!him!will!not!prosper.! !

Q:! Evelyn,! Luisa.! Myra,! Josefina,! Pamela! and! Rose! are!bona! fide! members!of! the! Philippine! bar.!They!agree!to!form!a!close!corporation!to! be!named!LEGALCARE!the!principal!purpose!of! which! is! “to! provide! clients! legal! services,! research!and!advice!as!well!as!trial!advocacy!for! a!fee."!The!services!shall!be!rendered!not!only! by! these! enterprising! pioneers! of! LEGALCARE! but! also! by! lawyers! to! be! employed! by! the! projected! corporation! on! a! regular! monthly! salary!basis.! ! May! LEGALCARE! be! legally! incorporated?! Discuss!fully.!(1995!BAR)! ! A:! A!corporation!cannot!engage! in!the! practice! of! law!even!by!hiring!lawyers!to!perform!legal!work.! It! has! been! held! that! only! a! natural! person! can! engage!in!the!practice!of!law.!A!lawyer!is!burdened! with! peculiar! duties! and! responsibilities.! A! corporation! cannot! take! an! oath! of! office,! be! an! officer!of!the!court!or!subjected!to!court!discipline:! it!cannot!engage!in!law!practice!directly,!it!cannot! evade! the! requirements! by! employing! competent! lawyers!to!practice!for!it!(Matter(of(Cooperative(Law( Co.,(N.Y.(579).!Hence,!LEGALCARE!cannot!be!legally! incorporated! because! the! principal! purpose! involves!the!practice!of!law.( ! Practice!of!law!is!a!privilege,!not!a!right! ! Q:!Is!the!practice!of! law!a!right!or!a!privilege?! Discuss!fully.!(1995!BAR)! ! A:! The! practice! of! law! is! basically! a! privilege! because! it! is! limited! to! persons! of! good! moral! character! with! special! qualifications! duly! ascertained! and! certified! (5( Am.( Jur.( 270).! Thus,! only!those!persons!are!allowed!to!practice!law,!who! by! reason! of! attainments! previously! acquired! through!education!and!study,!have!been!recognized! by!the!courts!as!possessing!profound!knowledge!of! legal! science.! Attorneys! are! the! court’s! constituency! -! to! aid! it! in! the! administration! of! justice.!(Dodge(v.(State,(38(NE(745)! ! Law!as!a!profession,!not!a!business!or!trade! ! Q:!You!are!the!managing!partner!of!a!law!firm.!A! new!foreign!airline!company,!recently!granted! rights!by!the!Civil! ! ! ! ! Aeronautics!Board!at!the! NAIA,! is! scouting! for! a! law! firm! which! could! handle!its!cases!in!the!Philippines!and!provide! legal!services!to!the!company!and!its!personnel.! After!discussing!with!you!the!extent!of!the!legal! services! your! law! firm! is! prepared! to! render,! the!general!manager!gives!you!a!letter-proposal! from!another!law!firm!in!which!its!time-billing! rates! and! professional! fees! for! various! legal! services!are!indicated.!You!are!asked!to!submit! a! similar! letter-proposal! stating! your! firm's! proposed!fees.! ! The! airline! company's! general! manager! also! tells! you! that,! if! your! proposed! fees! would! at! least!be!25!per!cent!lower!than!those!proposed! by! the! other! firm,! you! will! get! the! company's! legal! business.! How! would! you! react! to! the!

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U!N!I!V!E!R!S!I!T!Y!!O!F!!S!A!N!T!O!!T!O!M!A!S!! 2021 ACADE MICSCOMMITTE E

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U!S!T!!! BAR OPERATIONS

Legal and Judicial Ethics suggestion?!(1997!BAR)!! ! A:!I!will!emphasize!to!the!General!Manager!that!the! practice! of! law! is! a! profession! and! not! a! trade.! Consequently,!I!will!not!propose!a!lower!fee!just!for! the!sake!of!competing!with!another!firm.!Because! such!practice!smacks!of!commercialism.!Moreover,! Rule!2.!04!of!the!Code!of!Professional!Responsibility! provides!that!a!lawyer!shall!not!charge!rates!lower! than! those! customarily! prescribed! unless! the! circumstances! so! warrant.! I! will! charge! fees! that! will!be!reasonable!under!the!circumstances.! ! Q:! As! a! new! lawyer,! Attorney! Novato! started! with! a! practice! limited! to! small! claims! cases,! legal! counseling,! and! notarization! of! documents.!He!put!up!a!solo!practice!law!office! and!was!assisted!by!his!wife!who!served!as!his! secretary/helper.!He!used!a!makeshift!hut!in!a! vacant! lot! near! the! local! courts! and! a! local! transport!regulatory!agency.!With!this!strategic! location,!he!enjoyed!heavy!patronage!assisting! walk-in!clients!in!the!preparation!and!filing!of! pleadings! and! in! the! preparation! and! notarization! of! contracts! and! documents,! and! charges! a! reasonable! fee! for! the! service.! He! draws! electric! power! from! an! extension! wire! connected!to!an!adjoining!small!restaurant.!He! put! up! a! shingle! that! reads:! “Atty.! Novato,! Specialist! in! Small! Claims,! Fastest! in! Notarization;! the! Be! stand! Cheapest! in! Copier! Services.”! ! Is! Atty.! Novato’s! manner! of! carrying! out! his! professional!practice!–i.e.,!mixing!business!with! the!practice!of!law,!announcing!his!activities!via! a! shingle! and! locating! his! office! as! abovedescribed!–!in!keeping!with!appropriate!ethical! and!professional!practice?!(2013!BAR)! ! A:! NO.! Atty.! Novato’s! manner! of! carrying! out! his! professional! practice! is! not! in! keeping! with! appropriate! ethical! and! professional! practice.! He! has!degraded!the!law!profession,!which!may!result! to!loss!of!respect!to!lawyers!as!a!whole.! ! The! use! of! a! makeshift! hut! standing! alone! would! create!the!impression!that!the!lawyer!does!not!have! a!permanent!address!which!is!required!to!be!stated! in!all!pleadings!he!signs!as!well!as!required!to!be! shown!in!documents!he!notarizes.! ! His!shingle!shows!that!he! has!considered!the!law! profession!as!a!business.!He!should!have!a!separate! shingle!for!his!copier!services!business.! ! When! he! included! in! his! shingle! the! phrases! “Specialist! in! Small! Claims”! and! “Fastest! in! Notarization,”he! has! transgressed! the! rule! that! a! lawyer!in!making!known!his!legal!services!shall!use! only! dignified! information! or! statement! of! facts.! (Code(of(Professional(Responsibility,(Canon(3)! ! So! also! the! norm! that! a! lawyer! shall! not! use! or! permit!the!use!of!any!misleading,!undignified,!selflaudatory! or! unfair! statement! or! claim! regarding! his!qualifications!or!legal!services.!(Ibid.,(Canon(3,( Rule(3.01)! ! The! use! of! the! phrases! “Specialist! in! Small! Claims”and! “Fastest! in! Notarization”is! misleading!

advertisement!because!they!are!likely!to!create!an! unjustified!expectation!about!the!results!the!lawyer! can!achieve!or!implies!that!the!lawyer!can!achieve! results!by!improper!means.!(ABA(Model(Rule(7.1.b)! ! Q:!Cite!some!of!the!characteristics!of!the!legal! profession!which!distinguish!it!from!business.! (2015!BAR)! ! A:! The! primary! characteristics! which! distinguish! the!legal!profession!from!a!business!are:! ! 1. a!duty!of!public!service!of!which!emolument!is! a!by-product!and!in!which!one!may!attain!the! highest! eminence! without! making! much! money;! 2. a! relation! as! officer! of! the! court! to! the! administration! of! justice! involving! thorough! sincerity,!integrity!and!reliability;! 3. a! relation! to! client! in! the! highest! degree! fiduciary;! 4. A! relation! to! colleagues! characterized! by! candor,!fairness!and!unwillingness!to!resort!to! current! business! methods! of! advertising! and! encroachment! on! their,! or! dealing! directly! with!their!clients.!(In(Re(Sycip,(92(SCRA(1)! ! Qualifications!for!admission!to!the!Bar! ! Q:!Upon!learning!from!newspaper!reports!that! bar! candidate! Vic! Pugote! passed! the! bar! examinations.! Miss! Adorable! immediately! lodged! a! complaint! with! the! Supreme! Court,! praying! that! Vic! Pugote! be! disallowed! ! ! from! taking!the!oath!as!a!member!of!the!Philippine! Bar! because! he! was! maintaining! illicit! sexual! relations! with! several! women! other! than! his! lawfully! wedded! spouse.! However,! from! unexplained!reasons,!he!succeeded!to!take!his! oath!as!a!lawyer.!Later,!when!confronted!with! Miss! Adorable’s! complaint! formally,! Pugote! moved!for!its!dismissal!on!the!ground!that!it!is! already! moot! and! academic.! Should! Miss! Adorable’s! complaint! be! dismissed! or! not?! Explain!briefly.!(2004!BAR)! ! A:!It!should!not!be!dismissed.!Her!charge!involves! a!matter!of!good!moral!character!which!is!not!only! a! requisite! for! admission! to! the! Bar,! but! also! a! continuing! condition! for! remaining! a! member! of! the!Bar.!As!such,!the!admission!of!Vic!Pugote!to!the! Bar! does! not! render! the! question! moot! and! academic.! ! Q:! Miguel! Jactar,! a! fourth-year! law! student,! drove! his! vehicle! recklessly! and! hit! the! rear! bumper!of!SimplicioMedroso’s!vehicle.!Instead! of!stopping,!Jactar!accelerated!and!sped!away.! Medroso! pursued! Jactar! and! caught! up! with! him! at! an! intersection.! In! their! confrontation,! Jactar!dared!Medroso!to!sue,!bragged!about!his! connections!with!the! courts,!and!even!uttered! veiled! threats! against! Medroso.! During! the! police! investigation! that! followed,! Medroso! learned! that! Jactar! was! reviewing! for! the! Bar! examinations.! Under!these!facts,!list!and!justify!the!potential! objections! that! can! be! made! against! Jactar’s! admission!to!the!practice!of!law.!(2013!BAR)! !

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QuAMTO (1987-2019) A:!The!potential!objection!that!can!be!made!against! Jactar’s! admission! to! the! practice! of! law! is! the! absence! of! good! moral! character.! (Rules( of( Court,( Rule(138,(Sec.(2)! ! Jactar’s! bragging! about! his! connection! with! the! courts!and!uttering!veiled!threats!against!Medroso! are!indications!of!his!lack!of!good!moral!character.! His!acts!are!contrary!to!justice,!honesty,!modesty!or! good!morals!(In(Re(Basa,(41(Phil.(276).!He!has!acted! in!a!manner!that!has!violated!the!private!and!social! duties! which! a! man! owes! to! his! fellowmen,! or! to! society! in! general,! contrary! to! the! accepted! and! customary!rule!of!right!and!duty!between!man!and! man.!(Tak(Ng(v.(Republic,(G.R.(No.(L-13017,(106(Phil.( 730,(December(23,(1959)! ! NOTE:! Any! answer! which! explains! the! nature! of! absence! of! good! moral! character! should! be! given! full!credit.! ! Q:!Prior!to!his!admission!to!the!freshman!year! in!a!reputable!law!school,!bar!examinee!A!was! charged!before! the!Municipal! Trial!Court! with! damage! to! property! through! reckless! imprudence! for! accidentally! sideswiping! a! parked!jeepney.!The!case!was!amicably!settled! with!A!agreeing!to!pay!the!claim!of!the!jeepney! owner!for!P1,000.00.!In!his!application!to!take! the!1997!Bar!Examinations,!A!did!not!disclose! the! above! incident.! Is! he! qualified! to! take! the! Bar!Examinations?!(1997,!2005!BAR)! ! A:! Rule! 7.01! of! the! Code! of! Professional! Responsibility! provides! that! “a! lawyer! shall! be! answerable!for!knowingly!making!a!false!statement! or! suppressing! a! material! fact! in! connection! with! his!application!for!admission!to!the!bar”.!In!the!case! of! In( Re:( Ramon( Galang,( 66( SCRA( 245,! the! respondent!repeatedly!omitted!to!make!mention!of! the!fact!that!there!was!a!pending!criminal!case!for! slight! physical! injuries! against! him! in! all! four! (4)! applications! for! admission! to! take! the! bar! examinations.! He! was! found! to! have! fraudulently! concealed!and!withheld!such!fact!from!the!Supreme! Court!and!committed!perjury.!The!Supreme!Court! cited!the!rule!that!“the!concealment!of!an!attorney! in! his! application! to! take! the! bar! examinations! of! the!fact!that!he!had!been!charged!with,!or!indicted! for,!an!alleged!crime,!is!a!ground!for!revocation!of! his!license!to!practice!law.”( ! A’s!failure!to!disclose!that!he!had!been!charged!with! damage!to!property! through!reckless!imprudence! in! his! application! for! admission! to! the! bar! examinations! disqualifies! him.! It! does! not! matter! that! the! offense! charged! does! not! involve! moral! turpitude!or! has!been!amicably!settled.!When!the! applicant!concealed!a!charge!of!a!crime!against!him! but!which!crime!does!not!involve!moral!turpitude,! this! concealment! nevertheless,! will! be! taken! against!him.!It!is!the!fact!of!concealment!and!not!the! commission! of! the! crime! itself! that! makes! him! morally! unfit! to! become! a! lawyer.! (In( Re:( Ramon( Galang,(A.C.(No.(1163,(August(29,(1975)! ! Q:! Carlos! contracted! two! marriages:! the! first! was! with! Consuelo,! whom! he! left! in! the!

province,! and! the! second! was! with! Corinne! in! Manila,!with!whom!he!had!six!(6)!children.!Both! women!were!unaware!of!Carlo’s!marriage!to!the! other.! ! When! Carlos! entered! law! school,! he! met! Cristina,!a!classmate,!to! whom!he!confided!his! marital! status.! Not! long! after,! Carlos! and! Cristina! became! involved! in! an! extramarital! affair,! as! a! result! of! which! Carlos! left! Corinne! and!their!children.!During!Carlos!and!Cristina’s! senior! year! in! law! school,! Consuelo! passed! away.! After! their! admission! to! the! bar,! Atty.! Carlos!and!Atty.!Cristina!decided!to!get!married! in!Hong!Kong!in!a!very!private!ceremony.!When! Corinne! learned! of! Carlos! and! Cristina’s! wedding!in! Hong!Kong,!she! filed!a!disbarment! case! against! Atty.! Carlos! and! Atty.! Cristina! on! the!ground!of!gross!immorality.!! ! Atty.!Carlos!and!Atty.!Cristina!raised!the!defense! that! the! acts! complained! of! took! place! before! they!were!admitted!to!the!bar.!Rule.!(2018!BAR)! ! A:!It! is!not! important!that! the!acts! complained!of! were!committed!before!they!were!admitted!to!the! bar.!The!possession!of!good!moral!character!is!both! a!condition!precedent!for!admission!to!the!bar!and! a!continuing!condition!to!remain!a!member!of!the! legal! profession.! In! the! case! of! Garrido( v.( Garrido,( involving!the!same!facts,!the!Supreme!Court!held!as! follows:!! ! “Admission! to! the! bar! does! not! preclude! a! subsequent! judicial! inquiry,! upon! proper! complaint,!into!any!question!concerning!the!mental! or! moral! fitness! of! the! respondent! before! he! became! a! lawyer.! Admission! to! the! practice! only! creates! the! rebuttable! presumption! that! the! applicant! has! all! the! qualifications! to! become! a! lawyer,!this!may!be!refuted!by!clear!and!convincing! evidence! to! the! contrary! even! after! admission! to! the!Bar.”!(A.C.(No.(6593,(February(4,(2010)( ! APPEARANCE!OF!NON-LAWYERS! ! Law! student! practice! rule! (Rule! 188-A)! and! Revised!Law!Student!Practice!Rule!(A.M.!No.!1903-24-SC)! ! The!Revised!Rule!is!an!amendment!to!the!existing! provisions! of! Rule! 138-A! of! the! Rules! of! Court.! A! salient! feature! of! the! Revised! Rule! is! that! a! law! student!must!now!be!certified!to!be!able!to!engage! in!the!limited!practice!of!law.! ! NOTE:!This!rule!shall!take!effect!at!the!start!of!the! Academic!Year!2020-2021!following!its!publication! in!two!(2)!newspapers!of!general!circulation.! ! Under!Section!3!of!the!Revised!Rule,!a!law!student! shall! apply! for! and! secure! a! Level! 1! or! 2! Certification,! as! the! case! may! be,! in! order! to! be! permitted!to!engage!in!any!of!the!activities!under! the! Clinical! Legal! Education! Program! of! a! law! school.!The!basic!distinction!between!the!two!levels! involve! the! minimum! academic! requirement! the! law!student!has!successfully!completed:!for!Level!1!

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U!N!I!V!E!R!S!I!T!Y!!O!F!!S!A!N!T!O!!T!O!M!A!S!! 2021 ACADE MICSCOMMITTE E