In the Philippines, only Filipino lawyers are allowed to practice law. Note, too, that Filipino lawyers cannot practice law overseas unless they have taken that country's Bar Exam. So unlike engineers, nurses, and even doctors, it is worth pointing out that Filipino lawyers stay put in the country for the most part and decide to build their careers here.
There are a variety of career tracks that Filipino lawyers can take and specialize in. The breadth and scope of law as a professional field gives lawyers plenty of opportunities for employment in a wide array of industries: from corporate to litigation to mining and media to just about any other field there is.
The choice of where to build one's legal career in depends in large part on the lawyer's own prefences, specialization, and personal convictions. Here are some of the career options Fiipino lawyers have:
- Associate lawyer at a law firm. This entry-level position is the most popular career track for new lawyers. Going this route provides new lawyers plenty of experience to work with seasoned lawyers on a variety of cases dealing with a variety of issues. Working at a law firm allows lawyers to get a grip of the many fields of law and to eventually specialize in a niche field they feel strongly about as they climb up the career totem pole from associate lawyer to eventually a partner. Another advantage of working in a law firm is that lawyers get to expand their professional network and at the same time familiarize themselves with the administrative nitty-gritty of running a firm in case they wish to establish their own in the future. The downside? Expect to work long hours and learn to deal with the idiosyncracies of older colleagues.
- Government lawyer. There used to be a time when a career in the government was shunned due in large part to low pay and perceived lack of career growth. Not anymore. In recent years, working as a lawyer in the government has become one of the most popular career options for new lawyers. With pay upgrades and professionalization of government work, lawyers increasingly turn to the public sector for work either as litigators or managers in both national and local levels. But a career in the public sector, it must be noted, requires just as much long hours and patience, if not more, as work in the private sector.
- Corporate secretary. Many lawyers choose to go corporate precisely because no other professionals are as able to fulfill the tasks demanded by the job as lawyers. With so many legal issues and regulations involved in a corporation's day to day affairs, it is a no-brainer to choose nobody else but a lawyer. From contract reviews to regulatory compliance to court appointments and just about everything else in between, lawyers are essential in making sure the corporation's operations continue without running afoul of the law.
- Lawyer at a non-government or not-for-profit organization. Advocacy lawyers have been at the forefront of pushing for and demanding solutions to some of the social issues the country is confronted with. These include human rights violations, poverty, labor issues, social inequality, gender concerns, and inadequacy of health infrastructure, among others. Lawyers are particularly valuable in this kind of work because their knowledge of legal rules and procedures allows them to advance their causes without being ignored.
- Law professor. Lawyers who have acquired specialized knowledge in a particular field of law are the most ideal in teaching the subject. And while most people would wonder if teaching law is considered practice of law, the Supreme Court has settled the matter when it underscored that the practice of law is not merely confined to litigation work, but is in fact present everytime the knowledge of law is used, such as teaching.
- Elective official. There are a number of reasons why there are many lawyers elected to government posts. Among these are: first, lawyers, especially the older ones, have an expansive network they can tap on for support. It helps that many of these lawyers also hail from well to do families with existing political ties. And second, lawyers are viewed by the public as more knowledgeable when it comes to formulating policies and laws. The kind and quality of leaders that they become is of course a different thing altogether.
Becoming a lawyer is difficult, and for a very good reason: The law profession is imbued with public interest, so it makes sense that only those with proven competence, moral standing, and intellectual capacity are allowed to join its ranks. In this regard, lawyers have the obligation to remain true to their sworn duty of upholding the law at all times no matter what field or industry they find themselves in.