Humility 101

By Atty. Egay Uy

WHEN I was a student in the College of Law of Xavier University from SY 1980-81 until 1984-85, my classmates and I never enjoyed, out of delicadeza, being called “attorney.” Whenever someone in all seriousness called me an attorney, I always had to correct the mistaken reference because it was simply wrong and I didn’t have the right then to use that professional title. Of course, there were those that were said in jest or to tease and were alright.

On the side, I studied law full time for four straight years while employed in a private company. At that time I was already passionate about doing a job. I already did not want to be made by the job. I always saw to it that I made the job.

Some of my batchmates then who made it to and passed the 1985 bar examinations were Monching Tabor, Sid Lico, Canz Guibone, the late Allan del Bando and Sammy Ocampo, and several others. There were also those who graduated ahead of us but took the 1985 bar exams with us. Some of them were Micmic Borje, Roy Salcedo, Alvin Calingin, and several others whose names escape me at the moment. Sorry guys.

We then feared that the ensuing EDSA revolution would delay the results of the exams but it did not. It was just unfortunate that my father did not know that I passed the bar because he joined our Creator before the results were released.

I vividly recall that when we were in the first year, we were the loudest in the corridors of XU Law School. We were so loud that we thought we had the world in our hands simply because we were studying law. It was normal, they said for freshmen students of law.

It was indeed. And as we moved up from year to year, our group became thinner and thinner and we became quieter and quieter. As graduation neared, the bar exams were the next hurdle we had to make to become full-fledged lawyers. Not the “attorney” some others would seriously savor being referred to.

When a college of law drop out figuratively salivates or even drolls when addressed as “attorney” he needs to wake up, especially if he deliberately and boastfully walks like one. But it may be some kind of a coping mechanism and I’d leave it at that.

After we passed the bar exams, I “shared” with bar hopefuls some tips I learned from my mentors then, among whom was Arnold Barba, and from my personal experiences after the rigorous five-month review classes and four-week examination month. Tips like how to write answers, how to manage study time, when to close the law books, and more, were among those that I shared. Of course, the bottom line was one has to take his law course seriously. Study his law.

I have yet to hear a lawyer who would agree to take the bar exams again ang go through the rigors of the review classes, and the exams themselves. It is that difficult to earn a professional title.

That’s Humility 101 and food for thought for law students and dropouts.