Open Sesame: The liberalization of the Philippine legal profession

• Main Authors: Machado, Jerica Clara Santos, Ong, Princess Poa, Sy, Michael Gerard Chua
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2007
• Subjects: Lawyers > Philippines; Law > Vocational guidance > Philippines; Commercial Law
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_bachelors/11546
• Institution: De La Salle University

The next generation is at the dawning of a new age an age where physical distance and borders have been deemed unimportant, a time where anything can happen. With that in mind, the WTO and the GATS were formed, intended to promote a global economy by opening not only trade sectors, but also the service region of an economy. Already, a number of countries have backed this trend of liberalization, and it will only be a matter of time before it truly reaches our shores. The legal profession is one of the fields in which professional services are offered. Lawyers are evolving and developing, utilizing their resources to educate themselves with the laws of other countries. However, here in the Philippines, only Filipino lawyers can practice law in the country. The power to admit lawyers into the Bar lies with the Judiciary, while the power to negotiate and execute treaties and other international agreements lies with the Legislative and Executive Departments. This is where the conflict begins: all three Departments are supposed to be co-equals, but in this apparent struggle for power, only one side can win. Which side will it be, the Judiciary, or the Legislative (and Executive)? This is a question which the researchers hope to have resolved by the end of this paper.