A.M. No. 17-03-09-SC RULE ON COMMUNITY LEGAL AID SERVICE

October 22, 2017

SECTION 1. Title.— This Rule shall be known as the "Community Legal Aid Service Rule."

SECTION 2. Rationale. — The legal profession is imbued with public interest. As such, lawyers are charged with the duty to give meaning to the guarantee of access to adequate legal assistance under Article III, Section 11 of the 1987 Constitution by making their legal services available to the public in an efficient and convenient manner compatible with the independence, integrity and effectiveness of the profession. As a way to discharge this constitutional duty, lawyers are obliged to render pro bono services to those who otherwise would be denied access to adequate legal services.

SECTION 3. Scope.— This Rule shall govern the mandatory requirement for covered lawyers to render pro bono legal aid services to qualified litigants, as defined herein.

SECTION 4. Definition of Terms.— For purposes of this Rule, the following terms shall be understood to be how they are defined under this Section:

(a) "Covered lawyers" shall refer to those who have successfully passed the Annual Bar Examinations and have signed the Roll of Attorneys for that particular year; for purposes of this Rule, it shall include those who will pass the 2017 Bar Examination and are admitted to the Bar in 2018.

(b) "Pro Bono Legal Aid Service" shall refer to supervised post-admission legal services in civil, criminal and administrative cases consisting of:

1. Legal services provided without charge for the following qualified parties or litigants:

i. Indigent Party or Pauper Litigants, as defined;

ii. Other persons of limited means, as defined;

iii. Individuals, groups, or organizations rendered unable to secure free legal assistance by reason of conflict of interest on the part of government-provided legal assistance through the Public Attorney's Office; and

iv. Public interest cases that have societal impact and involves a group or sector of society that otherwise would not be capable of securing legal assistance by reason of inability of other lawyers, law firms, or government offices, including the Public Attorney's Office.

2. The following shall be considered legal services for purposes of this Rule:

i. Representation of qualified litigants, as defined, in the trial courts in civil and criminal cases and quasi-judicial bodies in administrative cases, including proceedings for mediation, voluntary or compulsory arbitration, and alternative dispute resolution;

ii. Legal counseling, rendering assistance in contract negotiations and drafting of related legal documents, including memoranda of law and other similar documents that are provided to the client. Drafting may include policy work involving legal research and advocacy;

iii. Developmental Legal Assistance, consisting of rights awareness, capacity-building, and training in basic human rights, documentation, and affidavit-making, rendered in public interest cases, including legal assistance rendered by identified Public Interest Law Groups;

iv. Legal services provided as part of employment in the judiciary, executive, or legislative branches of government shall be considered sufficient compliance with this Rule, provided that the covered lawyer must already be in government service at least six months before admission into the Bar; provided further, that the legal services provided are substantive, as certified by the Heads of Office; and

v. Legal services provided to marginalized sectors and identities, such as but not limited to: (a) urban poor; (b) workers/laborers; (c) overseas foreign workers; (d) children in conflict with the law; and (e) persons involved in gender issues.

(c) "Indigent Party" shall refer to a party in a case covered by Rule 3, Section 21 of the Rules of Court. The test for indigency shall not be based on a set financial amount but rather on the capacity to afford the services of counsel after considering his or her basic necessities for himself or herself and his or her family.

(d) "Indigent Litigants" shall refer to a party in a case covered under Rule 141, Section 19 of the Rules of Court.

(e) "Other Persons of Limited Means" shall refer to those who may not be covered by Sections (c) and (d) but would, under the circumstances, not be financially able to afford the services of counsel. This includes marginalized groups and entities such as farmers, indigenous peoples, children in conflict with the law, victims of gender violence, and other similar causes.

(f) "Law School Legal Aid Office" is an office or center under a law school's clinical legal education program duly organized and accredited under Rule 138-A (The Law Student Practice Rule) to render legal assistance and services to indigent and pauper clients.

(g) "Public Interest Law Group" is any group, association, institution, office, or center duly organized and with a specific and clear mandate to assist specific marginalized sectors of society in their legal needs. For purposes of this Rule, such a group must have been organized and in active service of its mandate for at least five (5) years prior to the effectivity of this Rule.

(h) "Accredited Legal Aid Service Providers" are legal aid offices duly accredited with the Office of the Bar Confidant (OBC) where covered lawyers may render pro bonolegal aid service. These offices shall include:

i. Law organizations regularly rendering legal aid services, such as the Philippine Bar Association, and other similar organizations;

ii. Developmental Legal Assistance Groups and Alternative Law Groups rendering developmental legal assistance as defined herein and alternative law groups;

iii. Public Interest Law Groups, as defined herein;

iv. Law School Legal Aid Offices, as defined herein; and

v. Law firms which handle cases for persons of limited means, as defined herein, or marginalized groups and entities. This shall include law firms with established legal aid departments or which regularly render pro bono legal aid service or act as counsel de officio.

(i) "Integrated Bar of the Philippines" (IBP) is the official national organization of lawyers in the country.

(j) "National Committee on Legal Aid" (NCLA) is the national committee of the IBP which is specifically tasked with handling legal aid cases.

(k) "IBP Chapters" are those located in the different geographical areas of the country as defined in Rule 139-A of the Rules of Court.

(l) "IBP Chapter Legal Aid Committee" is the committee of the IBP Chapter which will supervise the covered lawyers in the rendition of free legal services.

(m) "Law Firm" refers to a private law firm or office with a pro bono program intended to provide free legal aid services and assistance to indigent and pauper clients.

(n) "Office of the Bar Confidant" (OBC) is the office of the Supreme Court that has custody of the Bar records and personal records of lawyers. It assists the Supreme Court in disciplining the Bar by investigating complaints against lawyers and Bar candidates. For purposes of this Rule, it shall be the Office that accredits legal aid providers, as defined herein, and certifies compliance or non-compliance by covered lawyers.

SECTION 5. Requirements.—

(a) Number of Hours — Covered lawyers, as defined under Section 4 (a),are required to render one hundred twenty (120) hours of pro bono legal aid services to qualified parties enumerated in Section 4 (b),within the first year of the covered lawyers' admission to the Bar, counted from the time they signed the Roll of Attorneys. For this purpose, covered lawyers shall report to the chairperson of the IBP Chapter Legal Aid Committee of their choice or the chairperson, director, or supervising partner or lawyer from the Accredited Legal Aid Service Provider of their choice for their compliance with this Rule.

(b) Free Legal Aid Services on Weekends — Upon written request duly approved by the chairperson of the IBP Chapter Legal Aid Committee or the chairperson, director, or supervising partner or lawyer from the Accredited Legal Aid Service Provider, covered lawyers may comply with the requirements of this Rule on weekends. Said lawyers are entitled to an extension of the compliance period, upon submission of the weekend schedules by the IBP committee chairperson or the appropriate officer of the Accredited Legal Aid Service Provider.

(c) Exemptions — The following shall be exempted from the requirements of this Rule upon sufficient proof of their respective circumstances submitted with the OBC:

i. Covered lawyers in the executive and legislative branches of government, provided that the covered lawyer must already be in government service at least six (6) months before admission into the Bar; however, those employed upon admission into the Bar with the judiciary, the Public Attorney's Office, the National Prosecution Service, the Office of the Solicitor General, the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel, and the Office of the Ombudsman shall be automatically exempt from compliance with this Rule;

ii. Those who have already undergone and completed the clinical legal education program duly organized and accredited under Rule 138-A (The Law Student Practice Rule);

iii. Covered lawyers who have worked for at least one (1) year in law firms offering pro bono legal services or regularly accepting counsel de officio appointments;

iv. Covered lawyers who have previously worked for more than one (1) year as staff of a Law School Legal Aid Office, as defined, a Public Interest Law Group, or an alternative or developmental law group; and

v. Covered lawyers who have worked with lawyers for Public Interest Law Groups or alternative or developmental law groups for more than one (1) year and have filed public interest cases.

Within thirty (30) days from the date of signing the Roll of Attorneys, any aforelisted lawyer shall submit his/her sworn statement and that of the chairperson, director or supervising partner or lawyer of the Accredited Legal Aid Service Provider showing his/her entitlement to the exemption from the rule. Otherwise, the new lawyer shall not be considered exempt from the Rule.

(d) Supervision of Covered Lawyers — Representation in civil and criminal cases before courts and in administrative cases before quasi-judicial agencies and the rendition of other pro bono legal aid services shall be under the direct supervision and control of the chairperson of the IBP Chapter Legal Aid Committee, or the chairperson, director, or supervising partner or lawyer from the Accredited Legal Aid Service Provider where the covered lawyers are registered or affiliated.

(e) Signing of Pleadings — Any and all pleadings, motions, briefs, memoranda, or other papers to be filed in court or any quasi-judicial agency must be signed by the covered lawyers and co-signed by the chairperson of the IBP Chapter Legal Aid Committee, or the chairperson, director, or supervising partner or lawyer from the Accredited Legal Aid Service Provider.

The pleadings may be signed solely by the covered lawyers only in the event the chairperson of the IBP Chapter Legal Aid Committee or the chairperson, director, or supervising partner or lawyer from the Accredited Legal Aid Service Provider is unavailable but such signature page shall indicate who the supervising lawyers are.

(f) Time Log and Timesheets — The IBP Chapter Legal Aid Committee or the Accredited Legal Aid Service Provider shall keep a record of the time/hours spent by new lawyers in rendering free legal aid services to qualified parties or litigants. For this purpose, the said committee or legal aid service provider shall designate a person responsible to keep timesheets containing the number of hour(s) spent every week by each new lawyer in rendering free legal aid services for each assigned case and/or client. Time spent in the office or at the place designated by the IBP Chapter Legal Aid Committee or Accredited Legal Aid Service Provider, regardless of whether there are clients attended to or not, shall also be recorded and included in the computation of the hours required by this Rule. The actual hours spent by the new lawyers in court or before any quasi-judicial agency with the client shall likewise be recorded and counted.

The timesheets shall be authenticated by the chairperson of the IBP Chapter Legal Aid Committee or the chairperson, director, or supervising partner or lawyer in charge of the Accredited Legal Aid Service Provider.

(g) Certificate of Compliance — Covered lawyers shall, upon completion of the required one hundred twenty (120) hours of free legal aid services, submit a notarized Certificate of Compliance to the OBC issued and signed by the chairperson of the IBP Chapter Legal Aid Committee or the chairperson, director, or supervising partner or lawyer from the Accredited Legal Aid Service Provider where they are registered.

SECTION 6. Period for Compliance.— Covered lawyers shall complete the community legal aid service within twelve (12) months from the date they sign the Roll of Attorneys. Within one (1) month after the lapse of the said period, covered lawyers shall submit the Certificate of Compliance issued by the Accredited Legal Aid Service Provider to the OBC.

The twelve (12) month period may be extended upon a petition duly submitted and granted by the Bar Confidant, who will furnish the Office of the Chief Justice with a copy of the order resolving the petition. The petition for extension must be filed before the lapse of the period for compliance. In the event a new lawyer has completed the required number of hours before the end of the one (1) year period, he/she can already submit the Certificate of Compliance to the OBC.

In order to address possible economic hardships that may be caused by strict compliance with this Rule, or for any justifiable reason, qualified lawyers may request compliance with this Rule for two (2) years. Covered lawyers who wish to avail of this privilege must file an application with the OBC, which shall determine the validity of the deferment on a case-to-case basis.

SECTION 7. Continuous Handling or Turnover of Cases.— Representation, once entered, by covered lawyers in cases before the courts or quasi-judicial agencies, shall continue until terminated; provided, that after the twelve-month period, the requirement of supervision shall no longer be mandatory.

Should the covered lawyer, upon compliance with the Rule and lapse of the twelve-month period, be unable to continue representation of the party by reason of professional conflict of interest arising from his or her employment, he/she may turn over the handling of the cases to the IBP Chapter Legal Aid Committee or the Accredited Legal Aid Service Provider indicating clearly the reason for the turnover. The turned-over cases may then be reassigned to another covered lawyer.

SECTION 8. Prohibition against Solicitation or Acceptance of Gifts.— Covered lawyers shall not solicit, request, or accept, directly or indirectly, any fee, gift, token of gratitude, or anything of monetary value in the course of rendering the legal aid services under this Rule. Any and all legal services provided under this Rule shall be on a pro bono basis.

SECTION 9. Protection of Private Practice or Employment.— This rule is not intended to impair the private practice or employment of covered lawyers. Barring any conflict of interest or any other violation of the Code of Professional Responsibility, covered lawyers can engage in private practice and accept paid clients or be employed in the government or in the private sector within the twelve-month period for compliance.

SECTION 10. Full Credit for Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE).— A covered lawyer who successfully complies with the requirements of this Rule shall be given a full credit of thirty-six (36) MCLE units for the three year-period covered by a compliance period under the Rules on MCLE.

The grant of full credit shall be without prejudice to any other legislated benefits that the covered lawyer may be entitled to, such as tax exemptions and other similar benefits.

SECTION 11. Duties of the OBC. — The OBC shall perform the following duties and responsibilities:

(a) Verify the contents of the notarized Certificate of Compliance submitted by new lawyers with the issuing IBP Chapter Legal Aid Committee or the Accredited Legal Aid Service Provider;

(b) Keep a record of all the Certificates of Compliance and submit it to the Court en banc at the end of each quarter;

(c) Accredit Clinical Legal Aid Offices of Law Schools, Public Interest Groups, Developmental Legal Aid Groups, Alternative Legal Aid Groups, or Law Firms which intend to participate in this legal aid program. The IBP Chapter Legal Aid Committees, the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG),and previously accredited Clinical Legal Aid Offices shall be automatically accredited by the OBC;

(d) Monitor the compliance of covered lawyers and the Accredited Legal Aid Service Providers with the requirements of this Rule;

(e) File administrative charges against non-compliant covered lawyers and any group/person who may be involved in any violation of this Rule; and

(f) Provide the standard forms for the timelog, timesheets, and notarized Certificate of Compliance.

SECTION 12. Duties of IBP Chapter Legal Aid Committee or the Accredited Legal Aid Service Provider. —

The IBP Chapter Legal Aid Committee or the Accredited Legal Aid Service Provider shall submit to the OBC an Annual Report containing a summary of the certificates issued to covered lawyers, on or before June 30 of every year. The Report shall contain a list of the covered lawyers, the number of hours spent rendering free legal aid services, the legal aid cases involved, and the qualified parties or litigants for whom the services were rendered.

SECTION 13. Expenses.—

Expenses incurred by the IBP Chapter in connection with the services rendered by the new lawyers may be sourced from the IBP subsidy provided by the Court. Expenses by the Accredited Legal Aid Service Provider shall be shouldered by the respective law organization, public interest group, developmental law group, alternative law group, law school, or law firm. The Accredited Legal Aid Service Provider may, however, request the court for financial assistance.

SECTION 14. Penalties.—

(a) A covered lawyer who fails to comply with the requirements of this Rule shall be required to show cause in writing within ten (10) days from receipt of notice why no disciplinary action should be taken against him/her. Should the OBC find the new lawyer's explanation insufficient to justify the non-compliance, it shall recommend to the Supreme Court that the lawyer be delisted as a "member in good standing" of the Bar. It may also recommend any appropriate disciplinary measures depending on the reasons for and the gravity of the non-compliance.

(b) Without prejudice to criminal liability, a covered lawyer who falsifies the Certificate of Compliance required to be submitted under this Rule shall be administratively charged by the OBC with disciplinary action up to and including disbarment before the Supreme Court.

SECTION 15. Effectivity.— This Rule shall take effect after publication in two (2) newspapers of general circulation. It shall also be uploaded to the Supreme Court website through its Public Information Office.

(Rule on Community Legal Aid Service, A.M. No. 17-03-09-SC, [October 22, 2017])