A Reaction to Senior Associate Justice Josue N. Bellosillo's

The Legal Profession in the 21st Century:
Survival or Extinction?

by: Marianne Audrey C. Mahusay

I once was told that there are two factors to attain success. One is the Rider and the other is the Horse. Both should compliment with each other. In this essay, Senior Associate Justice Josue N. Bellosillo is citing a dead horse. When you discover that you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount. But let us take a look at it this way: What if the horse runs so fast and the rider just can’t control the speed? Chances are, the rider will be dragged down or worst be left behind by the horse.

The 21st Century differs a lot from the previous era where cellular phones and lap tops were just dreams and visions of the inventor. Now, they are real. They exist and people are enjoying the convenience that these technologies bring.

Where do lawyers fit in?

Are the lawyers coping up with the fast changing times? Are they still the one in control of the horse? Or are they starting to be dragged down?

Continuous learning is important in this field. As Justice Belosillo pointed out, “We must learn the skills required of us. We must determine our personal and professional core values, which may include continuing lifelong legal education and learning, competence, integrity and industry and attunement with current social developments… We must be able to identify our core services – services that have real value to our clients and to ourselves, services that are performed not only for material profit but for their intrinsic value to the individual and the community.”

Coping up with the changes of the 21st Century is important, however, lawyers must not forget their core values. It is a must for them to once in awhile, look back on the Code of Professional Responsibility which is the heart of lawyering. It is the road map to success in the practice. It doesn’t matter how big the change in the society is, if lawyers just keep the code in their hearts and mind, there would be no problem facing the challenges in the 21st century.

The secret is, if the horse is dead – DISMOUNT! But if the horse is fast enough – COPE UP!