RULES GOVERNING THE UC SCHOOL OF LAW APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM

Effective A.Y. 2012-2013

Rule 1. STUDENT’S ELIGIBILITY

1. Only law students who have completed, or are expected to complete in the relevant semester, at least the first two years of the Juris Doctor Thesis Curriculum are qualified to enrol in the Apprenticeship Program.

Rule 2. PROCEDURE FOR APPLICATION

1. Law students who are eligible for enrolment in the Apprenticeship Program should secure the following forms from the UC Legal Aid and Law Center (UCLALC):

• Student’s Application Form (UCA Form 1)
• Supervising Attorney’s Acceptance Form (UCA Form 2)
• Supervising Attorney’s Evaluation Form (UCA Form 3)

2. The qualified applicant must select his or her Supervising Attorney based on the guidelines and standards set by UCLALC and the law school for the Apprenticeship Program.

3. Once the applicant has secured the preliminary approval of his/her chosen Supervising Attorney, the applicant must accomplish and fill out two copies of the UCA Form 1. The application must also indicate the name, office, and address of the Supervising Attorney chosen by the applicant.

4. The accomplished UCA Form 1 must be submitted at the School of Law Dean’s Office for approval prior to the commencement of the apprenticeship. Once approved, the original copy of duly accomplished UCA Form 1 must be submitted to the Supervising Attorney, while the duplicate should be submitted at the Dean’s office.

5. The Supervising Attorney must indicate his or her formal acceptance of the applicant by accomplishing the UCA Form 2, and returning the same to the Dean’s Office within ten (10) days from the date of his or her acceptance.

6. Upon completion of Apprenticeship Program by the apprentice, the Supervising Attorney must execute the UCA Form 3, which must be returned, enclosed in a sealed envelope, addressed to the Dean’s Office within thirty (30) days following completion of the Apprenticeship Program.

Rule 3. THE SUPERVISING ATTORNEY

1. The Supervising Attorney shall be limited to:

1. Any professional law firm or partnership with an established office and actually engaged in the practice of law in the Philippines;

Note: Said firm or partnership must have been accredited by the University of Cebu School of Law as a participating firm in the Apprenticeship Program

1. Any court of Law (Municipal or Metropolitan Trial Court, Regional Trial Court, Sandiganbayan, Court of Tax Appeals, and the Supreme Court) in the Philippines;

1. Any Philippine government agency exercising quasi-judicial powers;

1. Public or private legal assistance agencies in the Philippines, such as the Public Attorney’s Office, Free Legal Assistance Group, Alternative Legal Assistance Center, Structural Legal Assistance for Grassroots, the UC Legal Aid and Law Center;

1. The Legal Department of the following Philippine government agencies, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Board of Investments, the Intellectual Property Office, the Bureau of Internal Revenue, and the Department of Labor and Employment;

1. Other Philippine government agencies which shall be limited to: the Office of the Solicitor General, the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel, the Office of the Solicitor Prosecutor, and the Office of the Ombudsman;

3. A corporation with an established Legal Department headed or managed by in-house lawyers which has been previously accredited by the University of Cebu School of Law to be a participating firm in the Apprenticeship Program, but not disqualified under Rule 3.2 below, with prior clearance from the Dean of School of Law; and

1. Non-profit entity organized and existing under the laws of the Republic of the Philippines.

2. The following shall be disqualified from acting as the Supervising Attorney:

1. A professional partnership where any of the partners is related within the 4^thcivil degree of consanguinity or affinity with the apprentice-applicant;

1. Offices or agencies where the head of the office or agency is related within 4^th civil degree of consanguinity or affinity with the apprentice-applicant;

For clarity, the “head of office” shall mean the presiding judge of a lower court or the Justice of the Sandiganbayan or an appellate court under Rule 3.1.(b) above; any of the Commissioners, the Department Secretary or any of the Assistant Secretaries or Undersecretaries, or any member of the Board, or anyone exercising similar functions in the agencies under Rule 3.1.(c) above; the Director and Assistant Directors or anyone exercising similar functions in agencies under Rules 3.1.(d) and (e) above; the Solicitor General or any Assistant Solicitor General, the Government Corporate Counsel or any Assistant Government Corporate Counsel, the Special Prosecutor, the Ombudsman or any Deputy Ombudsman in agencies under Rule 3.1 (f) above; and anyone exercising similar functions as the foregoing in offices and agencies under Rule 3.3 above.

Rule 4. PERIOD OF APPRENTICESHIP

1. Unless with the prior approval of the Dean of School of Law, apprenticeship-training should be undertaken only during the summer breaks (i.e., between regular semesters of the relevant school year) to enable students to concentrate on classroom subjects during the regular semesters.

2. The required minimum number hours actually devoted during the apprenticeship period shall be 240 hours. Subject to Rule 5.2 below, a student has the option, but with prior notice to UCLALC, to accumulate a total of240 hours in one summer. A student may opt to have a minimum of at least one hundred twenty (120) hours for each summer break.

Rule 5. ACADEMIC CREDIT

1. A student shall earn an academic credit of two (2) units for every 120-hour apprenticeship training successfully completed.

2. In view of the limited nature of training which can be obtained from Supervising Attorneys described in Rules 3[1] (e) and (f) above, and those covered under Rule 3[3]above, only two (2) units of academic credit can be earned for apprenticeship training under such Supervising Attorneys, regardless of the number of hours.

3. Four (4) units of academic credit for apprenticeship training shall be required for purposes of graduation under the Juris Doctor Thesis Curriculum.

Rule 6. SANCTIONS

1. Any untruthful statement in, or falsification of, any of the Apprenticeship Forms, shall be a ground for denial or non-credit of the academic units required for the apprenticeship training undertaken. Such acts shall also be grounds for disciplinary sanctions, including dismissal, under the relevant policies and rules and regulations of the University and the School of Law.

2. Any firm, agency or institution that participates in any of such falsity, or allows any undermining of the objectives of the apprenticeship program, shall be de-listed from the accredited list of participants in the Apprenticeship Program of the University of Cebu School of Law.

Rule 7. EFFECTIVITY

The foregoing Rules took effect beginning A.Y. 2012-2013, and shall continue to remain effective until revoked, revised or amended.