CPRS: Bar Review in 7 cities

If you are in Baguio, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, Iloilo, Zamboanga, Tacloban, and Ozamis, you don't have to worry about being relocated far from home during your bar review because CPRS Review Center is there to accommodate you.

Enrollment rates: The lowest rate is in Cagayan de Oro and Tacloban at P12,900, while the highest rate is in Zamboanga City, at P21,000. If I had to choose among the CPRS Review Centers, I would surely choose
Davao because it is my hometown. If Davao is not on the list then I would choose Baguio, because I love Baguio! For a complete list of rates and venues, please click here.

Schedules are also different for each of the CPRS Bar Review Centers, depending on location. Below is the start of classes for each location:

Baguio - April 20, 2012
Cagayan de Oro - April 13, 2012
Davao - April 13, 2012
Iloilo - April 13, 2012
Zamboanga - April 27, 2012
Tacloban - April 20, 2012
Ozamis - April 27, 2012

Note: CPRS Bar Review classes are scheduled on WEEKENDS (Friday to Sunday).

Pre-Week offered at JURISTS Bar Review Center

Most barristers not residing/reviewing in Manila would look for a review center which offer Pre-Week Review only for their stay during the bar examination month on November.

One of the review centers which offers pre-week only is the JURISTS Bar Review Center, offering coaching-style review with mock bar. If you want to know more about Jurists Bar Review, visit their testimonials page and read about what previous barristers have to say about this review center.

Published rates in their website are as follows:

Regular Enrollment (on or after April 17, 2012) - P18, 500 

Installment Basis - P15,000 to be paid before April 17, 2012 and balance of P3,500 to be paid on or before June 1, 2012

Early Bird - P18,000

Pre-Week Only - P4,500

NOTE: NO REFUND ALLOWED.

Review Classes will start on May 19, 2012 at the New Technology Building Auditorium, FEU, Nicanor Reyes Street, Manila.

I think that this review center is the first one to accept payments via paypal. Other accepted modes of payment, aside from cash, are cheques, BPI deposit, and credit card. Everything you need to know on how to enroll, including their downloadable enrollment form, may be found here. 

To know more, please visit their website at www.juristsbar.com.ph or call them at 02-8463937or 02-3911308. 

FREE Bar Review

Are you out of budget for the 2012 Bar Review?

Reviewing for the Bar Examination is not easy. First, you have to prepare a hefty sum specially if you're a probinsiyano planning to review in Manila. Aside from the review center's enrollment fee, you have the monthly rent, allowance, and review materials to pay for.

Do you want to avail of the 100% Free Enrollment Fee for the 2012 Bar Review? 

If you're among the top 3 students of any law school within the Philippines, you are eligible to apply for the 100% Free Enrollment Fee for the 2012 Bar Review courtesy of Chan Robles Internet Bar Review. Of course, you have to be deserving to avail of this benefit.

Access to the video lectures and internet materials shall be available on March 2012. Discounts are also available to early bird enrollees. The published rates found on their website are as follows:

Regular Enrollment (Feb. 1, 2012 and onwards) P10,000.00

Early Bird (until January 31, 2012) P9,000

10% Discount for Undergraduates, Law Fraternity/Sorority Members, and Bar Repeaters.

For full details, please visit chanroblesbar.com

Ombudsman Trunkline Update

Screen cap from the Ombudsman website:

The protector of the people is within reach via 02-479-7300. If you have some valid complaints against public officials and government employees, don't hesitate to call. The Office of the Ombudsman is mandated to promptly act upon any complaint filed in any form or manner.

Former Supreme Court Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales has been appointed by PNoy as the new Ombusman last July 25, 2011.

Sandiganbayan

I've been researching today and reached the Sandiganbayan website. It's funny that it's address is sb.judiciary.gov.ph. I was a little shocked because I thought that I was in the Supreme Court's website (sc.judiciary.gov.ph). I gazed at the address bar on my browser and realized how one letter made a big difference.

Visit the Sandiganbayan's website at sb.judiciary.gov.ph.

Bar 2012 Syllabus

Happy New Year!

The website of the Supreme Court has already updated the Syllabus for the 2012 Bar Examination. The syllabus aims to guide barristers to the basic and minimum amounts of laws, doctrines, and principles they need to know and be able to use correctly before they can be licensed to practice law.

Also, it is important to review recent jurisprudence. Pertinent Supreme Court decisions promulgated up to January 31, 2012 are included in each subject's syllabus.

To download the syllabus, please visit sc.judiciary.gov.ph

Law Schools in Davao Region

Below is the list of colleges and universities offering Bachelor of Laws in the Davao Region:

1. Ateneo de Davao University. Jacinto Street, Davao City
2. Cor Jesu College. Digos City
3. St. Thomas More School of Law and Business. Tagum City
4. University of Mindanao. Bolton Street, Davao City

What to do on Christmas vacation?

So, you're in law school and have been reading and reading until you cannot read anymore. What would you do on Christmas vacation?

You're suddenly free. Not totally free as you might have been given tons of assignments by your professors. But it's Christmas and it's the season to be jolly! Even if you still need to study your lessons during the break, please cut yourself some slack time and be merry opening gifts, attending parties, and joining reunions. You need to socialize, too, and I mean socialize outside your classmates and law school buddies.

If you haven't been able to join your pre-law school friends, now is the time to reconnect. And if you haven't been able to sleep on time for the last one (or more) semester, now is the good time to catch up on sleep. Catch up on life, generally!

Enjoy your Christmas vacation! But devote some time to read, too. It's easier to get back on track once classes start on January if you've been reading at least a few hours daily on your vacation. Enjoy!

Waiting...

Barristers who took the November 2011 Bar Examinations are now bracing themselves for the release of the exam results. An excerpt of a news article posted at ABS-CBN.com last January is quoted hereunder:

He (Midas Marquez) said the Bar exam results may also be released earlier as the test result for the first 3 Sundays will be via computerized checking.

"There is a big probability the results will be released earlier because results of the first 3 Sundays will be finished in 2 hours. We will only be left with the checking of the essay type," he added.

If the results of the multiple choice answers can be finished in 2 hours then I guess that we will just have to wait for the results of the Trial Memo and Legal Opinion. During my time, waiting was an agony. I hope the bar exam result will be released early next year. January, maybe?

5 Things a Paralegal Does

A guest post from Shelby Crockett

A paralegal is someone whose work revolves around assisting lawyers in delivering legal services to their clients.  They can work in just about every area of the law and have duties that can range from administrative to heavily legal.  To give you a better idea, we have gathered five of the tasks a paralegal commonly does.

1. Client contact – A paralegal often serves as the primary contact point between lawyer and clients.  This can include relaying information back and forth, answering questions, and even helping acquire new clients.
2. Conduct interviews – An initial legal interview is often done by paralegals.  This can include meeting with clients to get the details of the case and getting specific information.  Interviews can happen in person, over the phone, or even over the web.
3. Investigations – Ever see those massive boxes of evidence that are brought to trials?  Chances are the paralegal has done much of the research involved in it.  This can include getting evidence from both sides, looking up precedents, and even looking up similar cases and laws regarding the case.
4. Draft documents – Because the legal arena can have loads of communication, letters are still one of the most common, and paralegals are an important part.  They are often asked to draft legal documents regarding a specific client, case, or situation.  They can even be asked to prepare legal documents such as contracts, wills, and deeds.
5. Go to court – If the case a paralegal is working on goes to court, chances are the paralegal goes to court as well.  This is often because paralegals know about all the documents filed in court, where they are, and what they contain.

Shelby Crockett has been a Paralegal for 9 years 

and owns the site Paralegal Degree. 

Her site helps students find the right paralegal school.