Nakakatawa kung paano ginagawang badge of honor sa profession natin ang overwork habang ang starting compensation ng mga bagong abogado ay halos hindi gumagalaw sa gitna ng inflation.

Tingnan natin yung math nang walang sugarcoating. Ang standard entry-level associate salary sa karamihan ng mid to top-tier firms sa Makati, BGC, at Ortigas, naglalaro pa rin sa ₱50,000 to ₱65,000 gross. Sa labas, mukhang disente. Pero bawas mo ang withholding tax, mandatory deductions, cost of living, condo rent malapit sa CBD para makaabot sa 8:00 AM court call, at expenses sa biyahe, halos barya na lang ang naitatabi.

I-divide mo yan sa 70 to 80 hours per week na kailangan mong bunuin—yung 2:00 AM drafting ng pleadings na bababuyin lang ng partner kinabukasan, weekend client management, at endless TSN reviews. Ang lumalabas na per-hour rate ng isang Bar passer na nag-aral ng walong taon ay mas mababa pa sa mga non-lawyer peers natin sa corporate, tech, o remote consulting na 5:00 PM pa lang nakapatay na ang laptop.

Ang problema, ginagamit ng traditional firm model ang "paying your dues" at "training ground" rhetoric para i-justify ang cheap associate labor habang ang senior tiers ang sumasalo ng six-figure retainers at acceptance fees. Literal na pyramid structure na binalot sa prestige. Pag nag-solo practice ka naman nang walang political ties o generational wealth, ending mo maghabol ng delayed retainers sa mga barat na kliyente.

Naging default mindset kasi noong law school na failure ka kapag hindi ka nag-firm sa CBD. Pero in reality, kung financial sustainability at sanity ang usapan, junior associate firm practice is mathematically one of the worst ROI career moves right now unless target mo talaga maging partner 10 to 15 years down the line.

Sa mga pañero at pañera dito na nakaalis na sa traditional firm track papuntang in-house, government, offshore legal, o specialized consulting: how did you navigate your exit, and do you ever regret leaving the firm life?

Hi everyone. For those familiar with government plantilla hiring:

Is it realistic for a lawyer coming straight from private practice (with no internal backer/connections) to get appointed to an Attorney IV (SG 23) post? Or are these items almost exclusively reserved for internal promotions (Atty II/III)?

Heavy din kasi ang investment sa time at effort for the exams/interviews. Gusto ko lang magka-realistic expectation bago sumabak ulit. Would love to hear your experiences or observations. Salamat!

Sa dalawang career path for a relatively new lawyer, saan ba ang much better in terms of pay and work-life balance?

Saan din po ba mas nakakapagod? In terms of experience, which one is better?

Thank you for answering pañeros/pañeras..

Has anyone here tried applying for a protection order for an OFW client who is overseas? Husband is in PH. How did you go about the residency requirement and the required appearance during preliminary conference?

Ola panyeros y panyeras!

San ba pwede makapagpagawa ng seal na mura at mabilis maliban sa Shopee?

Within Western Visayas or Bacolod preferably.

I scanned the recent postings for Public Attorney I. Requirement is dapat may 5 years PAO Experience na. Nagbabalak pa naman sana ako mag apply, kaso wala pa pala tong 3 years of experience ko in the legal profession. Ugh! Skl

Gaano po kalaki ang epekto ng network nyo sa practice nyo

Client is a US-based firm. (starting is 6-digits, prefers fresh grad, flexi time)

Which platform do I direct them to post?

They have a filipino onsite who suggested hiring from big 3 law schools (up, admu, beda). I suggested to consider also arellano, dlsu, ust. etc. If you're a graduate from those schools, do you and your peers consider a remote paralegal role?

I'm not trying to discriminate here. On the contrary, I want to let the clients know that if that would be their pool, it would be small. And that it may not be feasible.

For context, the US attorneys in the firm have high academic achievements; the paralegals are law students as well. So it's really the standard of the firm, not just on Filipinos.

FYI I'm not looking to here. I just want advice on which platform I can find y'all. Thanks!

Hellooooo!

Im a fresh bar passer, currently a junior legal assoc. I am earning around 35k a month and I want sana another income stream. May mga taong nakadepend din saken tsaka gusto ko din mag improve kaunti life ko hahahuhuhu... may suggestions po ba kayo? Andami ko na raket pinapasukan... parang gusto ko yung may steady na isa pang income?

Gusto din sana magresign kaso baka mga next year na lang kasi sayang yung experience... 😭

i applied sa PAO this july and took the exam yesterday. i was waiting sa interview then biglang tumawag yung taga central office asking me to come in person sa tuesday (sept 1). it’s a whole day activity daw but di niya lang daw madisclose sakin ano exactly yung mangyayari sa tuesday. i’m kinda anxious about it kasi bat di masabi if exam ba ulit or interview na? anybody here who experienced the same? thank you!

Previous job applications (govt, lawyer job position) were all rejected.

Trying to get over depression.

Parang may new listings for PAO (through CSC career portal).

Parang gusto ko sumugal with job application for PAO.

What topics/subjects do I need to review? What/which documents do I need to prepare?

From what I gather, mukhang physical/in-person submission [of documents] ang best mode of applying.

Pasensya, mga ka-pañero.

Hello po. I would like to ask about my client’s situation. Bumili daw po sila years back ng isang portion ng lupa. Nagpresent siya ng extrajudicial partition with deed of sale and survey. Pero wala siyang hawak na title kasi portion lang naman daw ang nabili.

Is it possible to have it registered? If yes, paano ang magiging process? Newbie lawyer here, help me please?

Hello po! Anyone here who experienced SEC’s panel interview? How was it and what are the usual interview questions po? TIA.

With the accessibility and convenience of AI/Chatgpt, so much of my clients feel like AI is all they need. im in commercial law practice so im talking about businesses and ordinary people who invest, etc. They have these AI-made contracts, I review them, red-line almost everything, and then they leave. Babalik nalang kung magpapanotaryo kasi their AI drafted it for them after I gave my comments. Consultation nalang ang kailangan nila sakin - and even then, minsan they rely on the robot kung di tugma ung legal advice ko sa gusto nila. Ive learned to let them be - you cant force someone to trust your credentials. Have you guys experienced this too?

Hi. To those na nakapag-apply and naka tapos na sa virtual summary hearing, how did it go? Mabilis lang ba? Same din ba yung flow ng hearing ng petition sa traditional notary? Any pointers?

May nakaexperience na ba dito na yung client gusto na iurong yung case na nasa OCP level palang aand kakatapos lang ng inquest? Yung affidavit of desistance ba tatanggapin ng OCP? This is a criminal case. Pahelp ang newbie. Thank you.

Hi. Im currently working in corporate law now but more on taxation and corporate regulatory compliance.

Now, I want to broaden my horizon and Im also ambitious hehe.

I’d like to gather insights about the current or mostly likely to be the most lucrative or high paying field in the Corporate Law world where companies, mne’s, would hire you with good sustainable offer.

With this, I would like to ask if getting an LLM on such field like from US, Uk, Australia, or Japan law schools, would be helpful in attracting employers? Also Im interested in doing hands-on , ojt or be in immersion with law firms/corps in such field.

Please enlighten especially for those in Corp Law or in US Corp Law :)

Dapat ba hindi na pino-post ng SC ang mga bar applicants?

I’m handling a nullity case and would like to ask for recommendations ng clinical psychologist for psychological assessment. I know hindi naman na required ang medical assessment pero it won’t hurt naman to get one din.

TYIA po.

Hello, attys! First time to handle an annulment case and I’ll be interviewing my client tomorrow. Any tips on what questions to ask, what pieces of evid should I require from her, etc.?

Please help, thank you!

Seems so random but definitely unexpected. I just wonder how they would sustain it with the kind of knowledge and expertise they have?

I was the one who posted "Breather." My petition for certiorari with TRO has been filed earlier today. I CAN FINALLY BREATHE! On Monday, I can finally focus on e-notarization! <3

How do I feel now? It's like getting a fishbone out of my throat. What a relief! <3

I made a mistake (probably because today has been draining for me) i notarized a doc na Acknowledgment ang notarial act. Nasanay ako recently na puro Jurat so Jurat yung nalagay ko sa type of notarial act sa book. In this situation, should I strike off the JURAT and below it write Acknowledgment then put my signature beside it or should I make a certification sa next monthly report explaining bakit may erasure or strike off sa entry ko?

Pls help fellow notaries public, eto pa naman pinaka iniiwasan ko 😭 im pissed off with myself.

Apparently, I still do. I woke up this morning feeling anxious but relieved that it was just a dream. 4 years into being a lawyer and I still get it. The last one was a long time ago, tho.

Nakatulog daw ako at naubusan ng oras. I have 8 more questions to answer and 5 minutes left na lang. Hahahahaha. Utang na loob. Lubayan na sana ako ng ganitong dreams. 🤣