Seeking guidance on what's best for my situation.
I'm currently starting to build my own office, but I don't have any connections yet here in Metro Manila. I'm not sure which option is better:
1.Physical office – for notary purposes and the opportunity to accommodate walk-in clients.
2. Virtual office – less hassle and much more sustainable.
What do you think would be the better choice?
Newbie lawyer. After filing a Notice of Appeal in the RTC (Criminal Case, murder). What is the next step? Should I just wait for the CA’s order for filing of brief?
Thank you.
Lawyers of reddit, do you think a lawyer should place a photo of himself/herself sa cv/resume niya when applying?
Lemme know what you think.
I am currently employed as Administrative Assistant III in a gov agency and has been in the service for almost 11 years. Kapapasa lang (2025 bar exam) and eversince nung nag-take oath ako, 5 months akong naging stagnant cause ive been submitting multiple applications to different gov agencies. Unfortunately, no luck. Now, Ive been thinking applying to a law office.
Is it worth it to pursue private practice in a law office or stay in the government with limited authority to practice? Is it worth it to give up my gov benefits in exchange of unpredictable law firm income? To be honest, wala na din akong halos sinasahod kasi maraming kaltas due to loans (law school tuition) and I already have a young family with 2 kids.
I would like to hear your opinions regarding this. If you are in my shoes, what would be your choice? Are you going to take the risks? Thank you!
Hi panyeros. Asking if worth it pa bang mag CPD points hahah bat kasi merong CPD points
One side is very big on rehabilitation and intervention and exemption from criminal liability for minors.
The other side calls out for criminal liability and punishment.
But can we make a compromise and agree that: ok, let's exempt mass murdering minors from criminal liability and they should go to rehabilitation, but for the love of God can we have a long-term incarceration that guarantees the safety of the community? For something as heinous as school shootout, 40 years incarceration should be reasonable.
It's not a punishment. It's "rehabilitation" but done behind secured facilities.
If your solution to 14yr old mass murderers is just "guidance counseling," then you hate the community and you should check your common sense.
Maayong gabi mga panyero!
Sharing a crazy experience I had at the office today.
Weeks ago, several students came in asking for their documents to be “re-notarized”. I was handed the documents and notarized na sila—so I asked anong mali at kailangan daw ulitin.
Apparently, na-jurat daw yung document (school doc required for board exam app) nila when ang tamang procedure ay i-CTC. Taka ako paano din nanotaryohan when student ang nagpunta sa office pero di sila ang signatories (dean ang signatory so obviously they must appear before the NP).
I was surprised bakit recklessly nanotaryohan ng NP yung document nila w a jurat. Kwento ng students, babae daw ang nagnotaryo ng papeles nila—when ang stamp ni NP clearly shows a man’s name. To cut it short, secretary ang nagnonotaryo.
Fast forward to this day, may nagpunta sa office na dalawang babae. Nagooffer sila ng “notarial service” in a sense na magbubukas sila ng office nila using my name, then I provide them with my stamp and seal. Yung pwesto daw kasi nila ay malapit sa municipal hall and mataas foot traffic kaya I can potentially earn daw ₱80k-100k monthly. The arrangement would be, I supply them with my stamp and seal, then we share the utilities and rent 50-50. As to the earnings daw, 60-40 ang hatian in my favor.
Nagulat ako knowing that such blatant disregard for the sanctity of a notarial commission actually is a common practice na pala. They named lawyers they are currently working with (aka lawyers na nagbigay ng stamp and seal nila for these ladies to use).
And more shocking, itong 2 babaeng ito pala ang nag-jurat ng document nung students. Napagalitan sila ng lawyer na partner nila sa illegal business kaya naghahanap sila ngayon ng new partner.
I’m so torn if irereport ko si lawyer. Mind you, the lawyer is from the recent batches lang. Ang tapang!
I asked around tue community and apparently it is TRUE. This young lawyer holds THREE DIFFERENT OFFICES and he doesn’t stay at two of those and secretaries lang ang nandun who do his notaries. Thus, he has three sets of stamps and seals.
Nakakagulat makarinig ng ganito pero parang common practice na siya dito sa amin sadly. Now thinking of a way to report them sa EJ kasi napakaunfair sa mga patas lumalaban at sumusunod sa rules.
Take note: nasa Book 54 na siya, January lang nagrant commission. Ganun kalakas illegal practice nya.
Should I report? I don’t want to go through all the hassle but I want him to be disciplined. If I push through, how do I report?
I'm a female lawyer doing litigation. May kameeting kami together with my senior lawyer ko na chinese client and during meeting tinanong ako kung how old na ako and sinabi ko na 27 years old na (male senior lawyer ko is 46 years old).
Sinabihan ako ng client ko na mabait daw ang mukha ko as a lawyer and mahiyain. Idk kung ano ma feel ko, pero more on talaga sa feeling na hindi ako pang abogada ang datingan sa face. Yung walang facecard effect or anong tawag ba dun.
I do makeups naman: blush on, mascara, brows, but not bold color of lipsticks (just close to the color of my lips).
Branch Clerk of Court V interview for a Family Court in a few days. The invitation only says to “come prepared.” Has anyone here gone through the application process? Was it just an interview, or was there also a written exam ba or other assessment? Any tips would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Torn between being the legal counsel of a big energy corporation and staying at the government as a litigation lawyer (income might become stagnant) then pursuing judiciary at the appellate level.
Hi po! New lawyer here. Currently employed as a contract manager for a corpo with ~2000 employees + private practice on the side.
May I ask po if tama ba tung career path ko 🥺
Hi panyes! We have a judgment where the court ordered the transfer of a lot from A to B. However, may problema kami with the sheriff kasi parang di niya alam ano gagawin. Ako pa tinanong niya ano need niya gawin.
To those who have experienced execution over a property won pursuant to a court order, may I ask ano steps tinake niyo para maeffectuate ang transfer? I'm a new lawyer so I really don't know what happens after a case is won. Would appreciate the help!
Hello fellow lawyers who migrated:
How do you plan to comply with the ULAS compliance? It seems our sole option is to pay around 60,000 (not sure on the amount ULAS board will say). Medyo mabigat sa bulsa and wala naman option as I am not living in the PH anymore.
I am willing to provide online consultations for free legal aid (which I have done and willing to do naman). If anyone knows a platform to do this, please inform me.
Personally, and I've been thinking for a while, to do an entire career shift here so I am not sure if it would be worth it to continue paying.
Ano po ba ang diskarte ng ibang notary public on how they get away sa notarial register. My relatives and friends kc have been saying na bakit napaka-strict ko when ALL the notary they went to, many naman daw di nag appear personally ang affiant/signer/declarant/acknowledger, esp yung pwd, pregnant, senior, sick; just their ID, photocopy of their ID with 3 specimen signatures. Andami ko na kc tinuturn down, siguro daily 5 or more. Nakakahinayang ang mahal pa naman ng rent ko. Please pm me if bawal dito.
Hi, Attys. What are your thoughts on law firms with high attrition rates due to heavy workload, long work hrs, and low pay? In my current firm, associates usually stay for only about 4–6 months. I'm also thinking of resigning, although I've only been with the firm for 3 months. I'm wondering whether resigning this early would negatively affect my CV or cause future employers to see me as a job hopper during interviews 🥲Also, very low pay (35k and ive been in the practice for 4yrs).
Hi! Wanna ask your thoughts how much yung compensation division when it comes to a civil case between two counsels (not one firm), if A is the one who got the client, and only sourced B to collab.
Workload = same (hati sa pleading, equally distribute hearings)
Manner of payment (from client) = package
Thanks!
Hello! As a 37 yo. newly minted lawyer na next project sana is magkaroon ng anak w/in 2 years, I need an insight or advice on my career options please.
Bale I am working in the judiciary and was previously involved in legal work within the judiciary, being then a staff in a judicial office. Currently holding a non lawyer post in a nonlegal dept. within the judiciary.
As of present here are my options:
Casual lawyer sa judiciary: Ito sana talaga gusto ko yung hindi na aalis sa judiciary since matagal na ko dito pero walang assurance kung hanggang kailan hihintayin ko para sa casual lawyer item.
SG 23 item sa office ko ngayon pero non lawyer position: may RATA rin and allowances inooffer ng boss ko para hindi ako umalis, pero nonlawyer position and to be honest last resort ko na talaga to feeling ko kasi inooffer lang to sakin para ijustify exploitation nila sakin sa work. (May culture sa amin na hanggat makakaiwas sila sa work, gagawin nila) Feeling ko wala akong growth na dito, hindi ako natututo and nasasayang yung panahon na hindi ko nagagamit license ko.
PAO regional office sa nearby province / or PAO-SAC: Magandang options din pero hindi ko alam if worth it iwan judiciary since dekada na ko dito and yung hinihintay kong casual lawyer position baka biglang dumating tsaka yung overall disposition ko ngayon sa life if kakayanin ko ba. What if nagpplano kami mgbaby? Ok ba kahit sa PAO regional office? Though based sa mga nabasa ko parang magandang training ground din kasi PAO.
Thank you sa inputs and no bashing please 🙏
Hi attys. Question lang po sana. Can a case be dismissed if the complainant fails to appear at the preliminary investigation on both scheduled dates? If yes, what is the legal basis po? Respondent yung client ko and planning to file an MTD sa OCP. Thank you.
Hi, fellow lawyers. I’d like to ask for your guidance regarding our Petition for Allowance of Will. Is it necessary to furnish the OSG with a copy of the petition or is service upon the OSG only required if the court directs it? Thank you in advance.
Looking to hear the experience of the lawyers here who are neurodivergent
To start, I have AuDHD (mild autism with the inattentive type of ADHD). Highly adversarial environments do not agree with me, so I did not pursue a litigation practice (I tried and it wasn’t for me)
So I tried a more consulting/advisory kind of practice. My expertise is kind of niche, so the repetitiveness contributed to the burnout (at a faster rate). It doesn’t help that the opportunities in my firm for other kinds of engagements are rare, so even if I request for another kind of work, it’s not guaranteed. Plus, my inattentiveness (I miss details), difficulty in task switching (I work slow), I have to rehearse all conversations in my head (I can’t think on my feet), and my RSD (I take criticism very differently even if I know it’s just work) made me the last person to be chosen for an engagement
I’ve been in the profession for a while now, and I just started my medication because I know I need it. So if anyone here has the same experience, does it get better? What’s your practice? Because honestly I am feeling lost, and I’m starting to feel like this profession isn’t for me
Hoping to hear from someone here :(
