Exam grades don't define lawyer skill or integrity, says 2005 Bar topnotcher

Amid the issue regarding Vice President Sara Duterte’s law school record, a 2005 Bar topnotcher said Thursday that the grade received during the exams is not the measure of a lawyer's skill or integrity but how he or she upholds the rule of law and defends the right of their clients.

"Hindi po sukatan ng galing at integridad bilang abogado ang grado sa Bar exam,” said 2005 Bar topnotcher Joan De Venecia-Fabul in a Facebook post. 

(The Bar exam grade is not a measure of skill and integrity as a lawyer.)

“Hindi po nakakatulong ang mga ganitong naratibo. 75, 80, 85 man ang grado, ang pasado, pasado," she also said.

(These kinds of narratives are not helpful. Whether the grade is 75, 80, or 85, a pass is a pass.)

She issued the remark while quoting a Facebook post on how the vice president passed the exams.

“Ang mahalaga ay kung paano isinabuhay ng isang Bar passer ang kanyang sinumpaang tungkulin na itaguyod ang rule of law at ipaglaban ng patas ang karapatan ng kanyang mga kliyente,” she added.

(What is important is how a Bar passer lives out their sworn duty to uphold the rule of law and to fairly defend the rights of their clients.)

National Union Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) president Ephraim Cortez echoed De Venecia-Fabul’s remarks. 

“[L]awyers should be judged by how they practice their profession. The way they acted as officers of the court was mindful of the importance of the lawyers' role in dispensing justice,” he said.

“In the end, you excelled because you are faithful to your lawyer’s oath by conscientiously working for justice and in safeguarding the rights and freedoms of all persons, and adhering to the ethical standards imposed by the Code of Professional Responsibilities in both our professional and personal lives,” he added.

During the House Justice committee hearing on the impeachment complaints against her, Ramil Madriaga claimed she needed help to complete law school.

READ: Who is Ramil Madriaga?

For her part, Duterte defended her academic record, saying she “completed her studies on her own terms.” 

She also added that she “never asked any professor for special accommodation” and was never the subject of complaints during her time at San Sebastian College-Recoletos College of Law.

Duterte also said that she passed her first attempt with a GWA of 80. —VAL/VBL, GMA News