S AINT L OUIS U NIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF LAW
Diego Silang Bldg., A. Bonifacio St., Baguio City 2600, Philippines
Tel No. +63 74 444 8246 to 48 local 203

REVISED GUIDELINES FOR LEGAL PRACTICUM

The Legal Practicum (Law Student Practicum) aims to familiarize law students
with the practical and operative aspects of substantive and procedural law, from basic
law office procedure, research, preparation, drafting of pleadings and service thereof,
client counseling, trial techniques, among others. Recognizing that not all skills may be
taught in school, the Legal Practicum would supplement those that could only be
learned in actual practice.

I. Academic Credits
The Legal Practicum is a requirement in and academic credits are earned for the
duly completed practicum in the following subjects:

YEAR LEVEL FIRST SEMESTER SECOND SEMESTER

First Year Legal Research Legal Technique & Logic
Second Year Land Titles and Deeds Alternative Dispute Resolution
Third Year Legal Medicine Legal Forms
Fourth year Practice Court 1 Practice Court 2

A student who fails to complete the Legal Practicum within the current semester
shall be given an incomplete mark (INC) in these subjects.

II. Mechanics
For First Year students, the Legal Practicum shall comprise only of Office practicum
for forty (40) hours in a duly accredited law office only. The faculty shall inform
them at the beginning of the semester of the law offices where they could
undertake legal practicum in. The student shall be responsible for coordinating
with the law office as to the schedule of his/her legal practicum.

For Second Year and Third Year students, the Legal Practicum shall have two (2)
parts:

a. Office practicum
Students are required to complete twenty (20) hours of practicum in the
following offices:

YEAR LEVEL OFFICE

Second Year City Prosecutors Office (Baguio) or Provincial
Prosecutors Office (La Trinidad, Benguet), or such
other government office, agency, or corporation
as may be authorized by the Dean upon execution
of the School of Law with said offices of an
agreement
Third Year Public Attorneys Office (Baguio or La Trinidad,
Benguet), or such other government office,
REVISED GUIDELINES FOR LEGAL PRACTICUM 2

agency, or corporation as may be authorized by

the Dean upon execution of the School of Law
with said offices of an agreement

In this regard, the faculty shall designate and inform the students at the
beginning of the semester as to which office they shall undergo office
practicum in. The student shall be responsible for coordinating with the office
concerned as to the schedule of his/her legal practicum.

b. Court Observation
Students are required to observe court proceedings in:

YEAR LEVEL COURT

Second Year Municipal Trial Courts of Baguio and La Trinidad,
Benguet
Third Year Regional Trial Courts of Baguio and La Trinidad,
Benguet

The proceedings they are required to observe are year level specific and are
indicated in their respective legal practicum forms.

For Fourth Year students enrolled in Practice Court 1 and 2, they are required to
undergo a minimum of forty (40) hours of legal practicum in the Chief Justice
Manuel Moran Community Legal Assistance Office. A certification shall be issued
by the Director/Officer-in-Charge of the CLAO as to compliance and completion of
the legal practicum. The CLAO Director shall likewise prepare and determine the
schedule of the fourth-year students in the CLAO and the activities they shall
undertake.

For irregular students (those enrolled in subjects of different year levels), their
year level for purposes of complying with the legal practicum depends on what
year level the subject requiring legal practicum is assigned to based on the school
curriculum and as above-indicated.

For students enrolled in two (2) or more subjects requiring legal practicum, they
shall undergo legal practicum only in one (1) subject. They are required, however,
to inform the instructors concerned in writing upon distribution of the legal
practicum forms as to what subject they will undergo legal practicum in. In case of
failure to give such notice, the student shall be required to comply with legal
practicum in all the said subjects he is enrolled in.

III. Compliance Procedure

In order to obtain the required academic credits for the subjects to which Legal
Practicum is integrated, the student must complete the required number of hours of
office practicum and the court proceedings observation as set forth above, and submit
the duly accomplished Legal Practicum Forms.

a. The instructor of the subject to which Legal Practicum is integrated shall

distribute the Legal Practicum Forms.
REVISED GUIDELINES FOR LEGAL PRACTICUM 3

For First Year students:

i. Legal Practicum Form No. 1 – for office practicum; three (3) copies: one
(1) to be submitted (School of Law copy), one (1) for the office where
practicum was undertaken (Office copy), and one (1) for the student

For Second Year and Third Year students, there are two forms:
i. Legal Practicum Form No. 1 – for office practicum; three (3) copies: one
(1) to be submitted (School of Law copy), one (1) for the office where
practicum was undertaken (Office copy), and one (1) for the student
ii. Legal Practicum Form No. 2 – for court observation; two (2) copies: one
(1) to be submitted (School of Law copy) and one (1) for the student

The students shall acknowledge receipt of the forms by signing in the student
list.

b. For the second and third years, the instructor shall likewise determine and
indicate in the student list the office to which the students are assigned to
undertake practicum.

c. The students shall report to the offices for the schedule of the practicum and
assignment of tasks to be undertaken. They shall also coordinate with the
Clerks of Court or, in their absence, the Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the courts
where they will observe court proceedings.

d. The students shall fill-up the required entries in the forms, which shall be
certified correct by the Head of Office or Supervising Lawyer/ Prosecutor/
Officer/Employee for office practicum, or by the Clerk of Court or, in his/her
absence, the Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the courts where observation was done.

e. The students shall submit the duly accomplished forms to the instructor of the
subject to which Legal Practicum is integrated. The instructor shall set the
deadline for submission of the same, which shall not be later than the first day
of the scheduled final examination.

f. The instructor of the subject to which Legal Practicum is integrated shall check
the forms as to whether they were duly accomplished and whether the
students completed the legal practicum. The instructor shall collate the forms
and submit the same to the Dean’s Office on or before the last day of the
scheduled final examinations.

g. For fourth year students enrolled in Practice Court 1 and 2, they are required to
coordinate with the CLAO as to the schedule of their legal practicum. A
Certification shall be issued by the Director/Officer-in-Charge of the CLAO as to
compliance and completion of the legal practicum. Thus, in lieu of the forms,
said students shall submit the Certification to the instructor in said subjects. The
instructor shall set the deadline for submission of the same, which shall not be
later than the first day of the scheduled final examination. The instructor shall
collate the Certifications and submit the same to the Dean’s Office on or before
the last day of the scheduled final examinations.

h. Students who fail to complete the practicum and/or submit the forms/
certifications, shall be deemed to have failed to submit a requirement in the
subject and shall be given an incomplete (INC) mark. The instructors are
directed to indicate the proper marks in both their class records and grading
REVISED GUIDELINES FOR LEGAL PRACTICUM 4

sheets. Students given an INC mark are given one (1) month from the release of
the grades to complete the requirement. Upon completion, the student shall
submit the forms/certifications to the instructor, who in turn shall submit to the
Dean’s Office together with the completion form.

IV. Working students

Students who are employed are required to comply with the following:

a. The legal practicum shall be undertaken in the Chief Justice Manuel Moran
Community Legal Assistance Office (CLAO).

b. Within five (5) days from receipt of the forms, they shall report to the CLAO
in order to obtain their schedule for legal practicum. They should also
present their certificates of employment for the CLAO Director to
determine the number of hours of legal practicum they need to complete.

c. They shall have their legal practicum with the CLAO for the following
required hours:

Required no. of hours of

Employment
practicum in the CLAO
a. Courts including the Office of the Clerk of Twenty (20)
Court
b. Public Attorneys Office
c. Prosecutors Office
d. Other government offices where work &
functions of the student is related to law,
provided that the certificate of
employment contains a certification as to
the nature of the job of the student
e. Law Offices
f. Other private offices or corporations
where work & functions of the student is
related to law, provided that the
certificate of employment contains a
certification as to the nature of the job of
the student
Any other employment Forty (40)

i. The Director of the CLAO shall issue a certification as to the number of hours of
practicum completed by the student. The student shall attach the certification
to the legal practicum forms indicating therein that he/she is employed and
shall submit the same to the instructor of the subject to which Legal Practicum
is integrated not later than the date fixed as the deadline for submission of the
same.

V. Exemptions
a. Considering the functions and activities that they are going to undertake,
the following students are exempt from twenty (20) hours of office
practicum:
REVISED GUIDELINES FOR LEGAL PRACTICUM 5

i. Officers of the Discipuli Legis Universitatis Sancti Aloysii (DLUSA)

including the officers and members of the Liturgical Committee and
officers and members of the Debate and Moot Society
ii. Officers and members of the Bar Operations Committee
iii. Volunteers in the Chief Justice Manuel Moran Community Legal
Assistance Office
iv. Members of the editorial committee of the Law Journal

Said students, however, must still comply with the court observation as set
forth above. If the subject requiring legal practicum to which the student is
enrolled in is a first-year subject then the student must comply with twenty
(20) more hours of office practicum.

In order to be entitled to such exemption, a certification shall be issued by

the head of the organization and the adviser/faculty-in-charge setting forth
the activities undertaken within the semester by the student. Mere
membership, without any corresponding activities, will not entitle the
student to such exemption.

b. Since the following students will undertake additional activities in

representation of the School of Law, they are credited five (5) hours of
office practicum:

i. Athletes taking part in the University intramurals.

ii. The Mister and Miss Law, who will be participating in the University
intramurals.
iii. Participants in the Lantern Parade.
iv. Participants in the University music/song, dance, and drama festival.

Said students must comply with fifteen (15) more hours of office
practicum and with the court observation. If the subject requiring legal
practicum to which the student is enrolled in is a first-year subject then
the student must comply with thirty-five (35) more hours of office
practicum.

c. Students, including those who are employed, who take part in two (2) or
more of the above-stated organizations, committees, or activities shall be
entitled only to one (1) exemption.

These guidelines shall be effective starting this First Semester, Academic Year
2018-2019, and shall be applied prospectively.

30 July 2018

LILYBETH T. SINDAYEN-LIBIRAN
Dean