The University of Santo Tomas established its Faculties of Canon Law and Civil Law in 1733. From 1734 to 1800, of only 3,360 students, only 29 graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Civil Law, 8 with the degree of Licentiate in Civil Law and 3 with the degree of Doctor of Civil Law in that university.
In 1899, after the Malolos Constitution was ratified, the Universidad Literia de Filipinas was established in Malolos, Bulacan. It offered Law as well as Medicine, Surgery and Notary Public. In 1899, Felipe Calderón founded the Escuela de Derecho de Manila and adopted the name Manila Law College in 1924. The University of the Philippines opened its College of Law in 1910. There were around 50 Filipino and American students. Justice Sherman Moreland of the Supreme Court of the Philippines was named its first Dean, but after he ultimately declined the position, he was replaced by George A. Malcolm, who is recognized as the college's first permanent dean.
The Philippine legal system is an amalgamation of the world's major systems. These systems include the Roman civil law which was inherited from Spain; the Anglo-American common law which were derived from the laws of the United States; and Islamic law otherwise known as the Shariah law of the Muslim world.
Law degrees in the Philippines may be classified into three types—professional, graduate level, and honorary.
In order to be eligible to take the bar examinations, one must complete one of the two professional degrees: The Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) program or the Juris Doctor (J.D.) program. Advanced degrees are offered by some law schools, but are not requirements for admission to the practice of law in the Philippines.
Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) - The LL.B. is the most common law degree offered and conferred by Philippine law schools. It is a standard four-year law program covering all bar exam subjects. Almost all law schools follow a standard LL.B. curriculum, wherein students are exposed to the required bar subjects. Other schools, like the University of the Philippines College of Law, allow students to substitute electives for bar review subjects offered in the fourth year of study.
Juris Doctor (J.D.) - The J.D. degree was developed and first conferred in the Philippines by the Ateneo Law School in 1991. The J.D. program is a four-year law program. Like the standard LL.B. program, the J.D. curriculum covers the core subjects required for the bar examinations. Unlike the LL.B., the Ateneo J.D. program requires students to finish the core bar subjects in 2½ years, take elective subjects, undergo an apprenticeship, and prepare and defend a thesis. Aside from the Ateneo, other law schools offer the J.D.: the University of Batangas College of Law, and just recently, the University of the Philippines College of Law The change in degree title from Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) to Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree at the University of the Philippines was approved by its president, Dr. Emerlinda R. Roman, on July 31, 2007. In 2009, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila College of Law and the Silliman University College of Law started its own J.D. curriculum. In 2010 the Central Philippine University in Iloilo City started to offer this degree. Juris Doctor (JD) program of Central Philippine University College of Law is the first Juris Doctor (JD) program in any Law schools in the Philippines approved by the Philippine Legal Education Board.
University of St. La Salle in Bacolod city is also offering a J.D. program. Centro Escolar University School of Law and Jurisprudence offers J.D. program in their Makati campus.
Juris Doctor–Master of Business Administration, (J.D.-M.B.A.), - The J.D.-M.B.A. program is a double degree program in law and management offered at the professional-graduate level. It was introduced and is so far offered only by the La Salle-FEU MBA-JD Program, a consortium of Far Eastern University Institute of Law and De La Salle Graduate School of Business. Under this program, the requirements of the J.D. and M.B.A. programs are satisfied by the taking of concurrent units of study, allowing students to complete the program in five instead of six years.
Beyond the J.D. or LL.B., members of the Philippine bar have the option of pursuing graduate degrees in law.
Master of Laws (LL.M.) - The LL.M. is a graduate law degree offered to holders of basic law degrees (LL.B. and J.D.). It is generally offered to law graduates and lawyers of any nationality. Six Philippine law schools so far conduct the program—the Ateneo Law School, which offers an International Master of Laws program; the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law, which first offered the LL.M.; University of Manila College of Law; Manuel L. Quezon University College of Law; Central Philippine University College of Law in Consortium with San Beda College; San Beda Graduate School of Law; and PLM Graduate School of Law of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (University of the City of Manila). LL.M. programs were once offered by the Far Eastern University Institute of Law, the Escuela de Derecho de Manila (now Manila Law College Foundation), and the University of the Philippines College of Law but were eventually phased out due to lack of enrollment and funding.
Doctor of Civil Law (D.C.L.) - The D.C.L. program is a doctoral program in law offered to holders of the LL.M. degree. Candidates who hold only LL.B. degrees may be admitted upon completion of prerequisite LL.M. subjects. The D.C.L. was pioneered by the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law. Their program structure is highly similar to the D.C.L. offered in the Complutense University of Madrid. The PLM Graduate School of Law has already opened its own D.C.L. program.
Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D. or J.S.D.) - The S.J.D. or J.S.D. program is currently offered only by the San Beda Graduate School of Law. While the candidate for the degree is required some academic units, the grant of the degree relies on the candidates research output as well as his or her participation in international symposia, seminars and programs as lecturer, panel presenter or paper presenter. The candidate presents a doctoral dissertation that is argued before a Panel of Oral Examiners and then delivers a 'lectio coram' -- a lecture in the presence of legal luminaries.
Some Philippine universities also confer the honorary Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) degree. It is given to famous individuals who, in the discretion of the awarding institution, were found to have made significant contributions to a certain field, or to the improvement of society or development of the conditions of mankind in general. Honorary law doctorates in the past include:
former Philippine President Carlos P. Garcia (LL.D., honoris causa, Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan)
King Juan Carlos I of Spain (LL.D., honoris causa, University of Santo Tomas)
UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura (LL.D., honoris causa, University of Santo Tomas)
former International Court of Justice Judge César Bengzon (LL.D., honoris causa, Ateneo de Manila University and University of Santo Tomas)
former United Nations General Assembly President Carlos P. Romulo (LL.D., honoris causa, University of Santo Tomas and University of the East)
former Philippine President Corazon Aquino (LL.D., honoris causa, University of the Philippines and University of Santo Tomas)
former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos (LL.D., honoris causa, University of the East)
former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay (LL.D., honoris causa, University of the East)
former Philippine Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban (LL.D., honoris causa, University of Iloilo)
Canadian Chief Justice Beverly McLachlin, P.C. (LL.D., honoris causa, Ateneo de Manila University)
former Philippine First Lady Aurora Aragon Quezon (LL.D., honoris causa, University of Santo Tomas)
former Philippine First Lady Imelda Marcos (LL.D., honoris causa, University of the East).
Philippine Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago (LL.D., honoris causa, Centro Escolar University and Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan)
former Philippine Senator Raul Manglapus (LL.D., honoris causa, Ateneo de Manila University)
former Philippine Commission on Elections Chairman Christian Monsod (LL.D., honoris causa, Ateneo de Manila University)
former Philippine Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide, Jr. (LL.D., honoris causa, University of San Carlos)
founder of Chronicle Broadcasting Network Don Eugenio Lopez, Sr. (LL.D., honoris causa, Silliman University)
While advanced law degrees (LL.M., D.C.L., S.J.D., LL.D.) may elevate a lawyer's standing in academic settings, the basic law degree (LL.B., J.D.) remains the most important academic qualification to be admitted to the practice of law in the Philippines.
A few Roman Catholic seminaries and graduate schools offer degree programs in canon law, an ecclesiastical program that is not required in the Philippine Bar Examinations.The University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Canon Law runs the oldest academic programs of this kind. Its Licentiate of Canon Law (J.C.L.) and Doctor of Canon Law (J.C.D.) programs are open to priests, nuns, theologians, and even to lay people (i.e., trial court judges, law deans, family lawyers etc.). Judges of the Roman Catholic Marriage Tribunal typically hold academic degrees in the field. Degrees in canon law, strictly speaking, are not considered law degrees in the Philippines.
There is a move among members of the Philippine Association of Law Schools (PALS) to convert their LL.B. programs into J.D. curricula. There are currently two possible directions for the change: First, the conversion of LL.B. programs through adopting a model substantially similar to the J.D. curriculum introduced by the Ateneo de Manila Law School (the J.D. Programs of the FEU-La Salle consortium and the University of Batangas Law School are of this mold), and second, simply changing the name of the degree conferred from "LL.B." to "J.D." while essentially retaining the same course offerings as those in the DECS Model Law Curriculum (DECS Order No. 27, series of 1989).
The 1987 Constitution of the Philippines has given the Supreme Court the sole power to admit individuals to the practice of law in the Philippines. This power is exercised through a Bar Examination Committee, an ad hoc academic group tasked to formulate questions, administer proceedings, grade examinations, rank candidates, and release the results of the Philippine Bar Examination.
To be eligible to take the national bar exam, a candidate must be a Filipino citizen, at least twenty-one years of age, and holder of a bachelor's degree and a law degree obtained from a government recognized law school in the Philippines. Graduates of law schools from other countries must obtain a law degree from the Philippines to qualify for the Philippine Bar. In March 2010 the Supreme court issued Bar matter 1153 allowing Filipino who are foreign law graduates to take the Bar exam provided that applicant complies with the following conditions: a) completion of all courses leading to the degree of Bachelor of Laws or its equivalent degree; (b) recognition or accreditation of the law school by the proper authority; and (c) completion of all fourth year subjects in the Bachelor of Laws academic program in a law school duly recognized by the Philippine Government d) must have completed a separate bachelor's degree."
The Philippine Bar Examinations is the national licensure exam for admission to the practice of law. It is conducted during the four Sundays of September, or October, or November of every year. It is arguably the hardest and the most media-covered of all government licensure examinations in the country. It is also reputedly one of the hardest bar examinations in the world.
For candidates intending to practice Islamic law in the Philippines, the Special Bar Exams for Shari’a Court Lawyers is given every two years. The Supreme Court Bar Office conducts the exam while the Office of Muslim Affairs determines the qualification and eligibility of candidates to the exams.
To be a full-fledged lawyer in the Philippines and be eligible to use the title Attorney, a candidate must graduate from a Philippine law school, take and pass the Philippine Bar Examinations, take the Attorney's Oath, and sign his name in the Rolls of Attorneys of the Supreme Court.
The full names of lawyers are found in the Rolls of Attorneys of the Supreme Court, and in a similar list included in a Supreme Court publication entitled Law List.
The Legal Education Board supervises all law schools and continuing legal education providers in the Philippines. The Board is headed by a Chairman who is a retired justice of a collegiate court (i.e., Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Sandiganbayan, Court of Tax Appeals, etc.). Regular members of the Board include a representative from each of the following:
Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP)
Philippine Association of Law Schools (PALS)
Philippine Association of Law Professors (PALP)
active law practitioners
bona fide law students
The Board has made legal reforms which include—the stricter selection of law students and law professors; improvements in quality of instruction and facilities of law schools; provisions for legal apprenticeship of law students; and the requirement of attendance to continuing legal education seminars for practicing attorneys.
Mandatory Continuing Legal Education
Lawyers with names appearing in the Rolls of Attorneys of the Supreme Court, unless disbarred, are all members of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP).
However, to be IBP members of good standing, lawyers are required to complete, every three years, at least thirty-six hours of continuing legal education seminars approved by the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Committee (MCLE). Members who fail to comply shall pay a non-compliance fee, and shall be listed as a delinquent member.
The Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Office, established by the Supreme Court, is the official government agency tasked to implement compliance with the MCLE requirement.
The MCLE Office is headed by former Supreme Court Justice Carolina C. Grino-Aquino, widow of former Supreme Court Chief Justice Ramon Aquino. Its office is located at the fourth floor of the IBP Building in Ortigas Center.
There are one-hundred-five (105) law schools legitimately operating throughout the Philippines. These include independent law schools, resident colleges, and affiliated units of much larger private and public universities:
The fifteen oldest law schools are as follows:
University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law, established in 1734, is the oldest law school in the Philippines. In 1734, the University of Santo Tomas opened a Faculty of Civil Law and a Faculty of Canon Law. From 1734 to 1800 (66 years), out of 3,360 students, only 40 students graduated from various law programs: 29 in Bachelor of Civil Law, 8 in Licentiate in Civil Law, and 3 in Doctor of Law, reflecting the rigid training in these courses. The school has produced four Philippine Presidents, three Vice Presidents, and six Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of the Philippines.
Universidad Literia Filipinas, established in 1898, was the second oldest law school in the country. It is no longer operating. The university was established in Malolos, Bulacan and offered programs in law and notary public. The school later moved to Tarlac.
Escuela de Derecho de Manila (now Manila Law College Foundation) was established in 1899. Don Felipe Calderón, author of the 1899 Malolos Constitution, founded the school. In 1924, the school was renamed the Manila Law School. It was further renamed Manila Law College Foundation.
University of the Philippines College of Law, established in 1910, is the flagship law school of state colleges and universities in the Philippines. In 1910, the College of Law of the University of the Philippines opened with fifty (50) Filipino and American students. Justice Sherman Moreland of the Philippine Supreme Court was named as the first dean, but after he ultimately declined the post, he was replaced by George A. Malcolm, the first permanent dean of the College. The school has dominated past and present memberships in the Philippine Supreme Court and other collegiate courts.
Philippine Law School was established in 1915. Former Presidents Diosdado Macapagal and Carlos P. Garcia attended the school.
University of Manila College of Law was established in 1918. Cecilia Muñoz Palma, the first woman to be appointed Associate Justice of the Philippine Supreme Court and the President of the 1986 Constitutional Commission, earned her Master of Laws from this institution.
Far Eastern University Institute of Law, established in 1934, is the alma mater of former Supreme Court Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban, former Philippine President Corazon Aquino, former Philippine Court of Appeals Presiding Justices Oscar Herrera and Salome A. Montoya, and Sandiganbayan senior associate justice Edilberto Sandoval.
Silliman University College of Law was established in 1935 with a class of 22 freshmen. Carlos P. Garcia, 4th President of the Republic of the Philippines took law subjects in the school before finally proceeding to the Philippine Law School. Atty. Felix Gaudiel, a long serving dean of the college was a member of the 1973 Constitutional Convention.
Southern College of Law was established in 1935. It is no longer operating.
Ateneo de Manila Law School, established in 1936, is the alma mater of former Chief Justice Claudio Teehankee, 1986 Constitutional Commissioner Fr. Joaquin Bernas, S.J.., and former Philippine Vice President Teofisto Guingona.
University of San Carlos College of Law in Cebu City, was established in 1937. It is the only law school in the Visayas and Mindanao to be granted license by the Supreme Court to have a Clinical Legal Education Program (CLEP), whereby its senior students are allowed to handle actual cases in the court with the assistance and under the guidance of a licensed member of the Bar. Likewise, it is the first law school outside Manila to be accredited by the Supreme Court to conduct Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) seminar for lawyers.
The Arellano University School of Law, formerly as the Arellano Law College and officially as Arellano Law Foundation, was established in 1938. It formed the early beginnings of Arellano University. Popular broadcaster and former Leyte Representative Ted Failon, former Court of Appeals Presiding Justice Manuel Gaviola, former Senator Francisco Sumulong, and former Congressman Jose Zafra attended the school.
Central Philippine University College of Law was established in March 18, 1939, but pre-law courses were offered in 1923.
University of San Agustin School of Law was established in 1939.
Francisco Law School was established in 1940. It is now defunct.
Manuel L. Quezon University was established in 1947. The school can look back with understandable pride to its successful alumni who are scattered throughout the Philippines holding responsible positions in the government and in private business organizations and educational institutions. Among them are former Justices Ricardo C. Puno, Sr., Isagani A. Cruz and Sedfrey Ordonez, the late Mayor of Manila, Antonio Villegas, Justice Artemio Tuquero now Dean of the College of Law, Justices Jose Vitug and Jose Melo, Atty. Augusto B. Sunico who became the president of the University, Atty. Norberto Gonzales and Atty. Lorenzo Miravite.
San Beda College of Law, was founded in 1948. Famous alumni include former Senator and Education Secretary Raul Roco, former Senator Rene Saguisag, and former Supreme Court Associate Justice Florenz D. Regalado who holds the highest bar exam grade in the history of the Philippine Bar Examinations.
The bar passing rate is the proportion of successful bar exam passers in relation to the total number of bar exam takers coming from a particular law school. The national bar passing rate (proportion of all bar exam passers in relation to all bar exam takers) changes every year, and has gone from an all-time high of 75.17% in 1954 to an all-time low of 16.59% in 1999.
The Legal Education Board's ranking for top ten law schools in the Philippines is based on the passing rate from 2001 to 2010:
Excellence in Legal Education (top five)
- Ateneo de Manila Law School (89.03)
- San Beda College of Law (85.74)
- University of the Philippines College of Law (79.84)
- Ateneo de Davao College of Law (64.99)
- University of San Carlos College of Law (61.23)
Outstanding Law Schools (rest of the top ten)
- University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law (60.22)
- Arellano University Law Foundation (42.90)
- Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan College of Law (38.90)
- Far Eastern University Institute of Law (33.14)
- University of San Agustin College of Law (31.63)
Law schools with the highest average bar passing rates from 1996 to 2005 include:
Schools with more than 30 examinees:
Ateneo de Manila Law School - 89.19%
San Beda College of Law - 85.27%
University of the Philippines College of Law - 85.19%
University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law - 56.70%
Far Eastern University Institute of Law - 26.25%
Schools with 30 or less examinees:
Ateneo de Davao University College of Law - 65.57%
University of San Carlos - 54.45%
Arellano University - 46.18%
Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila College of Law - 41.26%
Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan - 37.45%
Lyceum of the Philippines University - 32.40%
St. Louis University - 31.38%
In the 2006 bar examinations, Basilan State University's lone bar candidate passed, giving the school a 100% passing rate.
Bar topnotchers are bar examinees who garnered the highest bar exam grades in a particular year. Every year, the Supreme Court releases the bar top ten list. The list contains the names of bar examinees who obtained the ten highest grades. It is possible for more than ten examinees to place in the top ten because numerical ties in the computation of grades usually occur.
Schools which have produced bar topnotchers (1st placers) include:
University of the Philippines College of Law - forty-nine (49) bar topnotchers
Ateneo de Manila Law School - nineteen (19) bar topnotchers
San Beda College of Law - seven (7) bar topnotchers
Philippine Law School - seven (7) bar topnotchers
University of Manila - six (6) bar topnotchers
Far Eastern University Institute of Law - three (3) bar topnotchers
University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law - three (3) bar topnotchers
University of the Cordilleras (formerly Baguio Colleges Foundation) College of Law - two (2) bar topnotchers
Manila Law College Foundation (formerly Escuela de Derecho de Manila) - one (1) bar topnotcher
Manuel L. Quezon University College of Law - one (1) bar topnotcher
Divine Word College - one (1) bar topnotcher
University of the East College of Law - one (1) bar topnotcher
San Sebastian College Institute of Law - one (1) bar topnotcher
Two bar examinees topped the bar exams without graduating from any Philippine law school:
Jose Diokno - former Senator of the Philippines; 1st placer, 1945 bar exams
Carolina C. Griño-Aquino - former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court; 1st placer, 1950 bar exams
In the past, non-law school graduates were allowed to take the bar. However, the Revised Rules of Court and Supreme Court Circulars allow only Philippine law graduates to take the bar, necessarily excluding non-law graduates and foreign law graduates from taking part in the exercise.
The quality of law schools is often measured by the prestige, influence, or wealth of famous law alumni.
Some of the law schools and their famous alumni include:
Ateneo de Manila Law School alumni:Teofisto Guingona - former Vice President of the Philippines
Claudio Teehankee - former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
Adolfo Azcuna - Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
Renato Corona - former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
Jose Miguel Arroyo - First Gentleman of the Philippines
Fr. Joaquin G. Bernas, S.J. - Member of the 1986 Constitutional Commission
Alan Peter Cayetano - Senator of the Philippines
Ignacio Bunye - Presidential Spokesman
Arturo D. Brion - former Secretary of Labor and Employment; Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
Rolando Andaya, Jr. - former Secretary of Budget and Management
Sergio Apostol - Chief Presidential Legal Counsel
Ernesto Maceda - former Senate President
Hernando Perez - former Secretary of Justice
Merceditas Gutierrez - Ombudsman of the Philippines; former Secretary of Justice
Agnes Devanadera - Acting Secretary of Justice; former Solicitor-General; former Government Corporate Counsel
Michael P. Elbinias - Associate Justice of the Philippine Court of Appeals
Evelio Javier, former Governor of Antique
Far Eastern University Institute of Law alumni:Corazon Aquino - former President of the Philippines
Artemio Panganiban - former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
Court of Appeals Presiding Justice and Remedial Law expert Oscar Herrera
Jose Nolledo - Member of the 1986 Constitutional Commission, delegate of the 1971 Constitutional Convention
Salome Montoya - former Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeals of the Philippines
Eliezer R. de los Santos - Associate Justice of the Court of Appeals of the Philippines
Juan Q. Enriquez, Jr. - Associate Justice of the Court of Appeals of the Philippines
Edilberto Sandoval - Associate Justice of the Sandiganbayan (Philippine Anti-Graft Court)
Manuel Collantes - former Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Ambassador to the United Nations
Sedfrey Ordonez - former Solicitor General, Secretary of Justice, Ambassador to the United Nations, and Chairman of the Commission on Human Rights
Edgar Ilarde - former Senator of the Philippines
Wenceslao Lagumbay - former Senator of the Philippines
Neptali Gonzales, Jr. - former Mayor of Mandaluyong City and Majority Floor Leader of the Philippine House of Representatives
San Beda College of Law alumni:Florenz D. Regalado - former Justice of the Philippine Supreme Court, obtained the highest rating in entire history of the Philippine Bar Examinations
Raul Roco - former Senator, Education Secretary, 1998 & 2004 presidential candidate
Rene Saguisag - former Senator and Human Rights Lawyer
Ramon V. Mitra - former Speaker of the House of Representatives and 1992 presidential Candidate
Antonio Eduardo Nachura - Associate Justice of the Philippine Supreme Court, former Solicitor-General
Jose Catral Mendoza - Associate Justice of the Philippine Supreme Court
Justo P. Torres, Jr. - Associate Justice of the Philippine Supreme Court
Antonio Martínez - Associate Justice of the Philippine Supreme Court
Romeo Callejo, Sr. - Associate Justice of the Philippine Supreme Court
Gregory S. Ong - Associate Justice of the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan
Rodolfo Ponferrada, Sr. - Associate Justice of the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan
Eugenio Labitoria - Associate Justice of the Philippine Court of Appeals
Eloy Bello, Jr. - Associate Justice of the Philippine Court of Appeals
Bienvenido Reyes - Associate Justice of the Philippine Court of Appeals
Francisco Acosta - Associate Justice of the Philippine Court of Appeals
Mario Lopez - Associate Justice of the Philippine Court of Appeals
Antonio Eugenio, Jr. - President, Philippine Judges Association
Sixto Brillantes, Jr. - Election law expert
Rodrigo Roa Duterte - President-elect, Mayor, Davao City and former Congressman, Davao City
Leila de Lima - Chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights
Oscar Moreno - Governor, Misamis Oriental and former Congressman, First District of Misamis Oriental
University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law alumni:Manuel L. Quezon - former President of the Philippines
Sergio Osmeña - former President of the Philippines
José P. Laurel - former President of the Philippines
Diosdado Macapagal - former President of the Philippines
Emmanuel Pelaez - former Vice President of the Philippines
Fernando Lopez - former Vice President of the Philippines
Arturo Tolentino - former Vice President of the Philippines
Cayetano Arellano - former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
Victorino Mapa - former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
Manuel Araullo - former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
Ramon Avanceña - former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
Roberto Concepción - former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
Andres Narvasa - former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines and Chairman, Preparatory Commission for Constitutional Reform
Angelina Sandoval-Gutierrez- Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
Rosalinda Asunción Vicente - Associate Justice of the Court of Appeals of the Philippines
Monina Arevalo Zenarosa - Associate Justice of the Court of Appeals of the Philippines
Diosdado Peralta- Associate Justice of the Sandiganbayan (Philippine Anti-Graft Court)
Raul Gonzalez - Secretary of Justice and former Tanodbayan (Special Prosecutor)
Arturo Buena - former Associate Justice of the Philippine Supreme Court and Presiding Justice of the Philippine Court of Appeals
Bernardo Pardo - former Associate Justice of the Philippine Supreme Court and Commission on Elections Chairman
Alfredo Benipayo - former Commission on Elections Chairman, Solicitor General, and Supreme Court Administrator
University of the Philippines College of Law alumni (Associate Justices not included; For a more comprehensive list, see List of University of the Philippines College of Law alumni):José P. Laurel - former President of the Philippines
Manuel Roxas - former President of the Philippines
Elpidio Quirino - former President of the Philippines
Ferdinand Marcos - former President of the Philippines
Pia Cayetano - Senator of the Philippines
Aquilino Pimentel III - Senator of the Philippines
José Yulo - former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
Ricardo Paras - former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
César Bengzon - former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
Fred Ruiz Castro - former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
Enrique Fernando - former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
Felix Makasiar - former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
Querube Makalintal - former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
Pedro Yap - former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
Ramon Aquino - former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
Marcelo Fernan - former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
Hilario Davide, Jr. - former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
Reynato Puno - former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
Maria Lourdes Sereno - current Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
Juanito C. Castañeda, Jr. - current Associate Justice of the Philippine Court of Tax Appeals
Cecilia Muñoz Palma - President of the Philippine Constitutional Commission of 1986 and first woman Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
