THE FACULTY of Civil Law will now be offering Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) classes yearly to help its graduates comply with Supreme Court requirements.
“Every year, we produce 70 to 120 lawyers and the Supreme Court requires all lawyers to undergo continuing legal education every three years. So we have to provide a venue for our own graduates to attend their MCLE,” said Nilo Divina, dean of the Faculty of Civil Law. “It will also establish a sort of a reunion among UST graduates.”
All members of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines are required by the high tribunal to take MCLE courses every three years and complete at least 36 credit units. Continuing legal education was mandated by the Supreme Court in 2001 to ensure that lawyers are updated on developments in the legal system, to maintain the ethics in the profession, and to enhance the standards of the law practice.
Before, the Faculty was offering MCLE only every three years.
Divina said the program will be called “BALIK UST” since it was the clamor from graduates that pushed the faculty to offer yearly MCLE courses. This will serve as a new source of income for the University, he said.
Meanwhile, the Faculty has imposed an automatic make-up class policy following frequent class suspensions due to typhoons.
“For whatever reason, if classes are suspended, professors are required to conduct make-up classes on a default schedule,” Divina said.
The dean’s office is also encouraging professors to administer quizzes at least once a month to keep track of students’ progress and test knowledge retention.
Divina said quizzes could be made mandatory because of positive feedback from professors.
“As you know, in law school, there are recitations every meeting but then you need another tool to encourage, if not force them, to study,” he said. “Right now, I’m letting them have the feel of it but next year we will require it as a policy.”
