Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
I.
II.
III.
IV.
September
Should I be booked in a hotel for the Bar?
The Day Before
D-Day
Before the exam starts
During the exam
How do I answer questions?
The Morning After
Chapter I.
PREPARING FOR BAR REVIEW
Book: Congressman Nachura's book Political Law Outline is generally good, but is not
comprehensive enough when it comes to Public Officers, Election Law, and International
Law. Also, certain parts of the 2000 edition were not updated. But by large, it's a musthave.
When to read it: Second reading.
Reviewer: RAM notes. But this was last updated in 1996, so you will have to plug in
the new laws and new decisions.
Public Officers: The Bar Ops Pub Off reviewer. Authored by Calica and Lat,
based on Prof. Barlongay's outline and lectures.
Election Law: I will have to shamelessly plug my reviewer. I finished this in
May 2001, while reviewing for the Bar. Since there was no Election Law
commentary sufficient for my purposes (and I couldn't quite understand the
subject), I made my own outline and filled out the details. Of course, it helped
that I had the A-98 reviewer and Prof. Barlongay's lectures to build on.
Codal: The Constitution (of course! Don't leave home without it.)
Local Government Code
Election Code and other related laws (You can read either Rex bookstore's
compilation of Election Laws, or Access Law's Election Law compilation by
Commissioner Haydee Yorac.)
Labor Law
Outline: Prof. Disini's labor law outline
Books:
Title:
Labor and Social Legislation
Author:
Alcantara
No. of pages:
When to read: 1st reading
Review:
The best!. At more than 1000 pages, it may seem daunting, but
surprise, surprise, it's an easy read, and so much better than Azucena's 2volume work. A must-read for your 1st reading.
Be warned though: the book's table of contents is not comprehensive,
and the chapters lacks sub-headings, so you may get disheartened when it
seems that a chapter seems to go on forever. (This is particularly true for the
chapter on Termination and Dismissal.) You will notice eventually however that
he follows a definite framework; only the headings are missing. So take the time
to put in your own headings; it makes for easy retention of the concepts. Also
be warned that at certain points in the book, he includes landmark cases, only for
you to find a couple of pages later on that such cases have already been
superseded by more recent jurisprudence. Can be annoying, but that doesn't
detract from the fact that this book is comprehensive and well-written.
Title:
Everyone's Labor Code
Author:
Azucena
No. of pages:
When to read: 2nd reading; pre-week
Review:
After Alcantara, Azucena's Everyone's Labor Code makes for a
good second reading. It is mostly codal, with a summary of the salient
jurisprudential points per provision. If you transfer your Alcantara notes to this
book (which is a good idea), this book can serve as your pre-week as well.
Civil Law
Balane's Succession
I didn't like Jurado's Civil Law Review, comments to the contrary notwithstanding. Jurado
discusses the Civil Code in the order of the provisions, not according to any topical or thematic
grouping. It worked for my other batchmates, but not for me.
Taxation
Outline: Prof. Ricalde's outline
Books: Aban. Recommended by Prof. Rachel Follosco, and is an excellent read.
I attempted to read Vitug during my first reading, but plodded through it because
of the heavy language used. Vitug, I think, is better suited for 2nd reading, when
one already has a grasp of the basic concepts.
Commercial Law
Books: Villanueva. A surprisingly good read, initial impressions to the contrary. His
discussion on Securities is outdated, though, due to the recent enactment of the
Securities Regulation Code.
Miravite has a lot (and we mean A LOT) of errors, which is a shame since his
discussion of the subject matter is very reader-friendly and easy on the brain. If
you want to test your proficiency in commercial law by spotting the errors, then
this is the book for you. Otherwise, always cross-reference this commentary with
the codals, or with another commentary you trust. Don't say we didn't warn you.
Check out Sec. Nani Perez's Commercial Law books. (Jun-Jun read them.)
Criminal Law
Books: Reyes. Still the best book to read, esp. if your foundation in Criminal Law isn't good.
Book I is a must-read.
Regalado Criminal Law Conspectus
Very difficult to outline because the discussion is choppy and not wholistic. (It is,
after all, merely a compilation of significant jurisprudence.) I was initially excited
about this because it has the latest cases, but the enthusiasm eventually wore off
the farther into the book I got. He uses the same style as in his Remedial Law
Compendium.
Sandoval's Pointers in Criminal Law is a fun read, although it does not include
some of the minor penal code provisions which have been asked in the Bar on
occasion. Must be read only after one has gone through the entire Revised
Penal Code at least once. Ideal for pre-week.
Reviewers:
Ortega Notes
Remedial Law
For Remedial, make sure that you master the codal provisions. Make your own tables
and diagrams for better retention.
Civ Pro
Justice Feria's 2-volume work is THE BEST!!! (Why didn't they come out with this when
we were taking up Civ Pro?) Well worth the cost (P 840.00 per volume, hardbound), and the time
expended in reading it.
Crim Pro
Agpalo. Exhaustive, according to Prof. Tony Bautista. Didn't have time to read through
it, though, since I was busy working on the Crim Pro reviewer which we were putting together at
the time.
Evidence
If you studied conscientiously enough while you were taking Evidence for the first time, a
review of the codal provisions should be sufficient. The jurisprudence has not changed much.
Spec Pro
Sadly, there is no sufficient text for a thorough, comprehensive discussion of Spec Pro.
So again, I must shamelessly plug my reviewer. Authored by Jessie Abrenica and Tanya Lat, this
reviewer was put together while we were taking Spec Pro under Prof. Bautista.
WHERE DO I STUDY?
Chapter II.
BAR REVIEW PROPER
ST
READING,
ND
READING
& PRE-WEEK
A spaceship, when it blasts off, is bulky and long, well-loaded with fuel and provisions.
As it consumes its provisions, it ejects the portion of the spaceship that is no longer needed. It
continues to do so, until upon re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, when it is reduced to its core,
i.e. the shuttle containing the astronauts.
Bar Review should pretty much be the same way. During first reading, you are bulky:
you do extensive reading, resorting to the codal and commentaries. You then summarize and
condense this information into notes which you annotate onto your reviewer or text for the second
reading.
The text which you use for your 2nd reading should be more compact than what you used
for the 1st reading. It should also contain your previous notes so that there will be no need for you
to return to your 1st reading text, except perhaps for portions which you need to refresh yourself
on. Distill this information further into an even more compact form, say memory aids, an outline
or mnemonics for pre-week.
C. Do's and Dont's
Chapter III.
FILING YOUR PETITION TO TAKE THE BAR
What are the requirements for filing my petition to take the Bar?
Chapter IV.
SEPTEMBER
A. Should I be booked in a hotel for the Bar?
C. D-Day
Before the exam starts
(1) Bring your comfort stuff (e.g., favorite jacket, favorite pen, favorite chocolates).
(2) Bring medicines for just in case.
(3) Go to the examination center early so that you can settle in and acclimatize.
During the exam
(1) Skim over the entire exam so that you have an overview of the number of questions being
asked and the coverage of the topics involved. That way, you can properly budget your time.
(2) If you cannot answer a particular question, MOVE ON to the next one. Just make sure to
leave adequate space for the question you've skipped.
(3) Do not sacrifice substance for brevity.
How do I answer questions?
D. The Morning After
(1) Stop thinking about the previous day's exam! Resist the temptation to find out the answers to
the questions. Remember: you can't change the past, but you can still change the future.
TANYA'S TIPS
(1) For your first reading, start with the subject which you are least confident with, moving your
way up to your strongest subject. That way, if you run out of time, you have gained enough
mastery in all subjects to ensure that you will not be disqualifed in any one subject.
(2) Go for depth rather than speed. It is better for you to go slowly (for the first reading), but
understanding your subject matter very well, rather than to breeze through your materials but
only understanding the concepts superficially.
(3) Always focus on learning new things for the day. Your mental state is very important to the
quality of your review. If you approach your review with enthusiasm and interest, you will be
more productive and energetic. If, on the other hand, you view review as a bore or as a
chore that needs to be grappled with, you will find yourself doing just that.
(4) Do not rely on other people's notes. Make your own.
(5) Notice how it's easier for you to remember something which a lecturer said, or something
which you wrote down rather than something you merely highlighted? It is said that the more
senses involved in the learning process, the more likely you will retain the information. So go
for a multi-sensory approach as you review for the Bar.
HOW I STUDIED
The traditional way of studying for the Bar has been to focus on each subject, in isolation
from all the others. So 2 weeks of poli and nothing else; then labor, and so on and so forth.
However, while preparing for my Review, I noticed that certain topics overlap into
different areas of law: crim pro overlaps with crim and the bill of rights; spec pro requires
knowledge of succession; forms overlap with remedial. If you break down the different Bar
subjects, you will find the following component topics:
I.
Political Law
Structure of Government
-
Legislative
Executive
Judicial
Constitutional Commissions
Bill of Rights
Local Government
Public Officers
Election Law
II.
III.
Administrative Law
Public International Law
Labor Standards
Labor Relations
Social Legislation
Persons
Property
Oblicon
Labor Law
Civil Law
IV.
V.
Obligations
Contracts
Donations
Succession
Land Titles & Deeds
Private International Law
Sales
Torts & Damages
Credit Transactions
Agency & Partnership
Sales
General Principles
Income Taxation
Donor's Tax
Estate Tax
Local Taxation
Real Property Tax
Tariff & Customs Code
Tax Remedies
Court of Tax Appeals
Taxation
Commercial Law
Corpo
Nego
Insurance
Transpo
Special Laws
-
VI.
Criminal Law
VII.
Book I (Fundamentals)
Book II (Specific Crimes)
Remedial Law
Jurisdiction
Civ Pro
-
Basic Provisions
Modes of Discovery
Appeal
Provisional Remedies
Special Civil Actions
Crim Pro
Spec Pro
-
VIII.
Mortgage
Letters of Credit
Trust Receipts
Insolvency
Intellectual Property Code (but not included since 1998 Bar)
Estate Proceedings
Adoption
Others
Evidence
Motions
Initiatory Pleadings
Contracts
Others
Rather than study for the Bar according to the specified fields of law (i.e., poli, labor, etc.),
I decided to outline my study schedule according to topic. I figured that by doing so, I could be
more efficient because: (1) I would avoid double-studying caused by overlaps; (2) I would be
able to correlate the overlapping subjects with each other, thereby enhancing the learning
process; and (3) I would have a more comprehensive understanding of the subject matter
because the correlation would provide me an overview of the subject. I also figured that this
would be a prelude to actual law practice, where of course things are never as neatly
compartmentalized as they are in law books. So I came up with the following groupings:
A. Public Officers
Civil Service
Mortgage (Commercial)
Mortgage (Civ)
Foreclosure of Mortgage (Remedial: Civ Pro, Special Civil Actions)
J.
Banking (Commercial)
Bank Deposits (Commercial)
PDIC Law (Commercial)
Loan (Civ: Credit Transactions)
K. Insolvency (Commercial)
Concurrence & Preference of Credits (Civ: Credit Transactions)
Payment by Cession (Civ: Oblicon, Modes of Payment)
L. Property (Civ)
Forcible Entry (Remedial: Civ Pro, Special Civil Actions)
Foreclosure of Mortgage (Remedial: Civ Pro, Special Civil Actions)
Partition (Remedial: Civ Pro, Special Civil Actions)
Expropriation (Remedial: Civ Pro, Special Civil Actions)
Lease (Civ: Credit Transactions)
M. Judicial Department (Poli)
Code of Judicial Ethics (Ethics)
N. Remedial Law
Forms
Admittedly, certain subjects cannot be grouped with any other. Labor for example really
stands alone. So does most of Tax. But otherwise, it is possible to find overlaps in the other
subjects.