When Study Meets Practice

By Alex Topacio

The seminar held at Muntinlupa City Hall was quite an experience. It was an opportunity for us to be in the helm and teach what we learned in law school; a total reverse of what we do at school. It gave us the taste of responsibility with regard to other people’s concerns – a thing we are not trained at. That what made it exciting.

Understanding law is hard. But applying it is more difficult. We prepared for the Anti-VAWC seminar and prepared for the questions of the audience but it was unexpected when they asked about different fields of law, even covering matters under criminal and family law. Good thing we had the files in the laptop to answer those queries. One thing stuck to my mind after that. Preparation is not enough; expertise is needed. And that is what we are supposed to be after passing the bar, to be the jack of all trades and expert of all.

The people were friendly and somewhat looked at us with curiosity and “awe” – the brand “UP Law” really works outside for us favorably and but I wasn’t sure if we could maintain such image for 2 hours or so. We started pretty well with Nikki’s punch lines. A would be politico, huh. :-p The discussion continued, food delivery arrived, it’s a Saturday afternoon, and surprisingly, yes, they were listening. I was amazed by the fact that people were really interested in learning the law. They wanted to know. They were perceptive and inquisitive. I felt I could grasp the law with my hands because it has life after all. Law affects us all.

After the discussion, they asked questions about their personal concerns. I had this impression that they were treating us as actually lawyers. We answered their questions with bravado and hidden trepidation. It was more fun than reciting at school. The situations given were much more complex. Apart from learning the art of teaching for quite a short time, we also learned from them. It was a good exercise.

I also realized that our audience is not ignorant of the law. They have a sense of justice and know when to consult a counsel. They just needed affirmation that what they thought are correct in order to boost their confidence and act on what they know. And also apply the law and make it their tool.

And, hopefully, yes, we did not disgrace the beloved law school. For me, the seminar was a success.