1. KNOW THY REASON IN ENTERING LAW SCHOOL.
2. PERPEND THE GRAVITY OF DEMAND.
3. SHRIFT THYSELF TO READING.
4. UNDERGO CUNNING RECITATIONS AND TESTS.
5. THOU SHALT NOT BE FEARFUL.
6. THOU SHALT NOT ABHOR THY COMMITMENT.
7. OVERCOME PAINFUL LOSSES.
8. REWARD THYSELF FOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
9. BE HONEST TO THYSELF.
10. REMEMBER THAT IT IS THE LAW!
1. KNOW THY REASON IN ENTERING LAW SCHOOL.
Knowing the reason will give you the motivation to study and perform the duties of a law student. This reason, however, is not readily present for you to understand unless, you have a vision of yourself. You picture the next 5-10 years of your life as a lawyer. That vision will serve as your guide on the path you are going to take and the decisions you are going to make. Now, it will fortify your sense of calling to the law profession with a clear objective of what to do everyday. You can solidify your aims with focus and without confusion.
That reason of yours, may it be because you want to be a lawyer, or it runs in your family and you want to keep the legacy, or whatever it is that you think is applicable in your situation, will be the foundation of your journey in the law school. It is likewise the spirit which fires, defines and motivates you when you start. Nevertheless, the reason that you may base your legal career on will depend on how you reflect. It is your personality that can shape the kind of lawyer you are in the future. Each choice you make has an equivalent consequence. It may lead you to a positive or negative outcome. However, let's say you get a negative result from your choice, it does not necessarily mean you were wrong because it depends on your reason behind such choice. An undesirable consequence might be a gateway for you to be strong and independent if it is a necessary component of your reason. That is why it is necesssary that you know your reason in entering law school so that even at the start, you will already be prepared against unexpected events such as, but not limited to, mind-bending recitations and body-shaking examinations.
To reiterate, your reason must be inclined to your decision. A defective reason is when you enter law school just for the sake of dating women or finding friends. If such is the case, then law school is not for you. Law school is for the study of law, for you to be a lawyer, and for you to be a member of the Integrated Bar.
2. PERPEND THE GRAVITY OF DEMAND.
During your time in gradeschool, highschool upto college even, you know you can pass all of your subjects easily. It is simple, you go to class and you listen to the discussion of your teachers. Without even reading your books, you can learn about your subjects and can answer well in exams. Sometimes, if not often, you are given leeway. You are pampered very much and spoon fed every time. You can say you are happy because you have time with your friends. You can play, eat, dance or date with anyone at whatever time it pleasures you. But NOT in LAW SCHOOL.
Law school is a post-graduate degree. It is a far advanced study of exact science. Most of what you see, do, feel, or create is bound by a certain law, rule or regulation. Even you right now, breathing oxygen, is guaranteed by law. Specifically under our Constitution, the right to life. If you want to be a lawyer, you should know the law. Knowing involves, understanding, memorizing, and applying the law. However, it cannot be done with just listening to someone. It must be done with reading, writing, reciting and internalizing.
In law school, you are on your own. You cannot depend on anyone but yourself because it is you who are studying law right? And law is not something which can be understood with a simple A, B, C because the study of law includes the use of all of your senses. Imagine the criminal laws for example. Do you think you can easily understand or memorize a provision fully by just reading it once and without consulting to cases or books? Yes you can if you are genius or have a photographic memory. But an ordinary person would normally grind his way to register a law in his mind and retain it. You will later use what you learned in school when you are called to recite. By now, you should have an idea how demanding law school is. If you think law school is just like in college, you have to think twice because there is a great chance that you will be overwhelmed with how many you should do and how much sacrifice you must give. The tendency of being overwhelmed is not doing anything at all. You will be pressured. That is why, it is important to know that law school is really demanding. If you don't get this, fine. But soon as you start, you will be deemed as the husband of your books. If you neglect your wife, there will be consequences, you know it.
3. SHRIFT THYSELF TO READING.
It is the reason that books are created. That is for you to READ and comprehend. One book is around 300-1,500 pages. One semester is around 8 subjects. Basically you read more or less 10,000 pages of books, excluding ofcourse the Supreme Court Cases which can go as many as 70 pages for a single case. Your duty is to focus only to reading. Otherwise you will have enormous backlogs. A topic left unread, is a burden that lies ahead. You will be haunted by your past and will make you miserable. You must read everytime you have the chance like there is no tomorrow for tomorrow is a day closer to your exam. Cramming is an act of acting and not of studying. You act as if you are studying but really you don't understand a thing.
There is nothing that you can do to study well but to read. You need to remind yourself every now and then that what you entered is not for a physical fitness degree but for a law degree. Books, cases, reviewers or notes, whatever you like or whatever gives more understanding is your choice. It is required, at the end of the day, that you learn something. Otherwise, reading without understanding is like collecting water using a screw driver.
You should not wait until you graduate, to read atleast 8 hours a day. The start of your law school in your first year is already the start of review for the bar examination. You are given atleast four years to study everything which is really not a long time. You see, when your birthday comes, you say, why is time fast? And you grow a year older. One year is like a month. One month is like a week. One week is like a day. A day is like an hour. An hour is like a minute. A minute is like a second. Time is fast, before you know it you are already preparing for the bar exam. Surely, to pass this is to sacrifice your time. What is 4 years of hardship compared to a lifetime of gratification?
4. UNDERGO CUNNING RECITATIONS AND TESTS.
Most law schools use the socratic method. This is a form of cooperative and simultaneous dialogue between individuals based on asking definitions, enumerations, views, and arguments to help the students understand more of the law. Being called to recite like this is not a baby's task. You need to showcase your intellect. Prove to your professors that you know the law and that you can do critical thinking on the spot. Make it sure that there will be a dialogue. Mere non-response is not what Socrates employed in his method. From the words of Plato when Socrates posed a question to the Pythia, the Oracle of Delphi, "I know that I know nothing" showed the effectiveness of his method. There were exchanges of words which depicted their brilliance.
For years now, this has been the most effective training for lawyers because in court, you do the talking. The oral skills that you develop will make you more believable. Your goal is to persuade the judge into your line of thinking and make him render a decision in your favor. The same is true with your professors in law school. They judge your performance and knowledge through recitations as well as tests.
In terms of exams, especially in essays, your answers should be intellectually and psychologically satisfying. Construct sentences that contain legal terms and form a paragraph that is logical. At this point, it is important that you impress your professor with your words. First you fight with your voice, now you fight with your pen. As Dr. Jose Rizal said, "pen is mightier than the sword."
If he fought the Spaniards using words, then so can you. You fight for what is right and legal in accordance with the laws and the Constitution. You use words to stab your enemy where it hurts the most, his mind. The mind is more of a matter of concern than physique because psychological damage is long term or permanent while physical damage is short term or curable. With the appropriate articulation, you are able to cunningly growl at your enemy and make him tremble. This is the beauty of being a lawyer, you make plays of the literature of exact science and induce the world to run in your own way.
The point here is the application of your knowledge and skill. It is the practical side of law school. The basis on this one is mainly your own style like how you present your ideas because after studying, the next is mostly theatrical. Just consider yourself as a politician when the floor is yours. Convince the people that you are correct and shove them with the laws and jurisprudence. Thereafter, you end with a strong note of your conclusion and basically imply who's the boss through an intellectual performance.
5. THOU SHALT NOT BE FEARFUL.
As Shakespeare said "extreme fear can neither fight nor fly." You cannot do something you are afraid of because of the notion of a negative reaction. You nail yourself to the ground because of limitations you impose upon yourself. Instead of moving forward to chase your dream, you get stuck because of fear. If you want to be a lawyer, you can be a lawyer. However, if you are scared of being embarrassed in front of the class or being judged by the people because of a wrong answer or a wrong grammar, then you cannot proceed. Being the subject of commentaries and being the object of ridicules is a part of law school. You have to set aside your pride for the mean time because becoming a lawyer is a battle with different factors which you do not have control. You become a peasant, a slave, and a follower of our Lady Justice. You humble yourself before your colleagues and mentors. Otherwise, you boast something you do not even have a backup for. You must fight with what you know, and you hit with a brave heart.
This is a game of life where you push yourself to the top. From peasant during your law school to king after becoming a lawyer. It is mandatory to set your mind as someone who does not have anything to lose. It is you against the world and being fearless is a way to conquer it. You should also be a lion. A lion is not a king if it can't hunt and kill its prey. It is feared by animals. They run away for their lives when they see a lion. That's why a lion is crowned as the king of the jungle. You, as a warrior and a predator at the same time shall be thirsty and hungry for blood. Nothing in this world can stop you except yourself, so fear is nothing but a description of your own limitation, that is if you even make it as one.
6. THOU SHALT NOT ABHOR THY COMMITMENT.
If you want to be a lawyer, you need to dedicate yourself into the field of law which includes reading, reciting and writing. All aspects of your life as soon as you enter law school should be in furtherance of your legal knowledge and it should be confined to it and nothing else because you become bound by the magistrate of justice. A requisite to uphold justice is to be competent since a lawyer is an instrument of the mandates of the law. He protects, promotes and preserves the rights and remedies of the people, thus, he should be reliable.
You, as a pending lawyer, need to offer yourself, including your time and effort, to the study of the law so that you will be prepared and competent. You must submit and bet your life to become a lawyer and swear to the world that you will do all things necessary to achieve it. Consider this as doomsday, where the people are in distress and in dire need of salvation, and you are the messiah who will bring them of what they seek. It is, thus, paramount that you commit to the people the same way as you commit to the study of law.
7. OVERCOME PAINFUL LOSSES.
"Ask yourself if what you are doing today is getting you closer to where you want to be tomorrow." No matter the consequences of your actions, as long as it is for your pursuit of the legal profession, you will surely be rewarded. You may fail in the process. That is inescapable. Along the way, there will always be this obstacle that will drag you down. You will get trampled somewhere. You will be hurt. Other times, you will get criticisms. It may crush your life feeling like you are left behind by everyone in a deep dark well alone. You might find it hard to breathe like something heavy is pushing you and feel claustrophobic. You also cry when everything is really not in place for you and you start questioning your existence.
Law school is hard. Expect your defeat all the time. Each person does not have the same situation with the rest, which means that you are unique. You are what you are identified to be by the people, if you allow that, but not if you, yourself, define who and what you are. In their eyes, you may be a loser, but within you, it's the opposite. Losing only makes you stronger if you start again. You accept defeat, not as an end to your life or goal, but as an opportunity to start again. You are reborn everytime you lose. This time, being born with the knowledge of the past. Let's say you are a 1st year student, you have 0% knowledge to pass your subjects. In case you fail and have to repeat the 1st year, you never start again with 0%, but with 10% or more. On the third try, you start with an advantage of 20% already, and so on and so forth. If you still fail, you just keep trying as you gain more knowledge when you restart. You have to be persistent though, like the water in a river breaking through a solid rock because of non-stop flow. If you quit, you spill the milk on the ground. What a waste.
Remember to "strike while the iron is hot." Grab this very moment to equip yourself in preparation for the battle that can't be foreseen. No water will boil with a fire that is on and off. It shall always be on fire. Stick to your burning desire and everything else will fall in place.
8. REWARD THYSELF FOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
This is the most important part of the 10 Commandments of Law of School. All goes well with the right condition of mind and body. You get productive if you are in the mood. If you are happy, you do more. If are fulfilled, you get inspired. You get these if you are rewarded. You feel the rush of dopamine in your brain which makes you feel good. This is most especially felt when you do something very hard, exerting all your efforts and afterwards you get yourself a treat. It can be a smoke break, coffee break, or whatever you do to give yourself something tangible or intangible. You can feel the sense of purpose with what you do if you reward yourself. It maintains your sanity. On the contrary, if you keep on pushing yourself, you burn-out. In worst cases, you can be overwhelmed. You do a lot less if you don't take a break. It is like jogging for the first time. You can't reach 10 miles without taking occasional stop overs. The same goes to reading. You cannot understand the texts starting on the 3rd hour if you read continuously.
As recommended by one of the best Criminal Law professors, Atty. Maximo Amurao, when you are studying or reviewing, you should read every 2 hours and have a 15 minute break then repeat. Treat a small break as a reward for just reading and you progress even more until you reach your goal.
9. BE HONEST TO THYSELF.
There are techniques and guides on how to read, study, memorize, or how long you should study, etc. You may refer to those. However, you must account as well, your progress. If you follow the 8 hours of reading a day, but while reading, your mind is daydreaming, then the joke's on you. Reading for 8 hours is really not the same as studying for 8 hours. Reading may just be literally uterring out the words you see without understanding them. It must be paired with understanding and comprehension for the whole 8 hours.
After every study session, you need to reflect. You ask yourself what you have learned. Try to recite with yourself what you read and explain it as if a professor is asking you. If you cannot do it, you have not retained what you read. You have to be real with yourself. You need to go back and read again and again until you store it in your brain. This is an assessment made by you, whether you are ready or not. This can be done only if you are honest with yourself.
10. REMEMBER THAT IT IS THE LAW.
Dura lex sed lex, the law may be harsh, but it is the law. No person can evade what is mandated by the law. If it punishes a person for giving alms for the poor, then he should be punished, no questions asked because it is the law. If it punishes a squatter for loitering beside a church, then he should be punished, no questions asked because again, it is the law. The harshness of the law is not only towards its application, but also its enactment by the congress, its understanding by the people, and its implementation by the officers because there is a high degree of meticulousity in a law. It is a complex yet precise science of peace and order and human interaction which is exactly propounded by the human conscience.
It is a basis for all actions and remedies, may it be civil, criminal, or administrative. Without a law, you cannot assert your right. Law is everything, from top to bottom of your body, to the smallest item found in your premises, a law is almost always certain to have an application to it.
The law confers powers. It defines rights, obligations and duties. It is the basis of all human creations. It dictates what you can or cannot do. It provides who you can or cannot demand.
The law is your very existence. It gives you the right to life, liberty or property, so you really can't mess with the law. Without which, I myself, can kill you, yes you, the one reading this right now without consequences. I can massacre anyone. I can do evil and still get away only inasmuch as there is no law. That is why you should remember that it is the law that is your life, your purpose, your wife, your children, your property, your everything...
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