Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel H. Gaerlan reminded the members of the legal profession to lead ethical and morally upright lives and to prioritize public service over monetary considerations in his remarks at the Integrated Bar of the Philippines – La Union Chapter’s Induction of Board of Officers and Welcome Rites for New Members of the Bench and Bar, held at Hotel Ariana, Bauang, La Union on July 7, 2023. (Courtesy of the Supreme Court Public Information Office)
“[L]awyering is and should not be merely treated as a source of livelihood….[S]trive to become a new breed of lawyers who put premium on leading ethical and morally upright lives, in which public service takes precedence over any monetary consideration.”
Thus said Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel H. Gaerlan in his message to the officers and members of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) – La Union Chapter during its Induction of Board of Officers and Welcome Rites for New Members of the Bench and Bar at Hotel Ariana in Bauang, La Union on July 7, 2023.
Stressing that lawyering “is a lifelong calling that constitutes our very core as human beings,” Justice Gaerlan took the opportunity to remind the IBP – La Union Chapter members of the importance of the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability (CPRA), which replaced the 34-year-old Code of Professional Responsibility.
The CPRA, a more comprehensive and responsive guide on the conduct of lawyers in their interactions with clients, colleagues, courts, agencies, and society in general, is in line with the Court’s initiative to promote ethical responsibility as a component in accomplishing one of its targeted outcomes of efficiency under the Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022 to 2027. Those present reaffirmed their commitment as they recited the revised Lawyer’s Oath.
Justice Gaerlan, who is the Vice-Chairperson of the Supreme Court Sub-Committee for the Revision of the Code of Professional Responsibility, reiterated that the Court remains steadfast in its commitment to promote ethical responsibility as called on the IBP’s cooperation in upholding the integrity of the legal profession.
He likewise reminded those appointed to the Bench that they are held to higher standards of conduct in the performance of their duties and even in their daily personal lives.
Justice Gaerlan emphasized that regardless of the roles they play, they are first and foremost lawyers who are guardians of the law and officers of the court who are called to serve the people. (Courtesy of the Supreme Court Public Information Office)