Transforming Legal Education: Educating for Justice in a Digital World
December 7-9, 2022
Wednesday, December 7, 2022: DIGITALIZATION
Malcolm Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City
8:00 to 9:00 AM Registration
9:00 to 9:45 AM Opening Ceremonies
Welcome Messages: Prof. Edgardo Carlo II Vistan Dean, UP Law Center
Prof. Melanie B. Trinidad Chair, Legal Education Board Prof. Danilo L. Concepcion President, University of the Philippines
9:45 to 10:00 AM The LEAP Year-End Conference: An Overview Prof. Tanya Lat Executive Director, Legal Education Advancement Program
10:00 to 10:15 AM Morning merienda & wellness break
10:15 to 10:45 AM Keynote: Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Legal Education: A Close Look at the Data LEAP Research Team
In this session, the LEAP Research Team will present its findings on the various ways the COVID-19 pandemic changed the landscape of Philippine legal education.
10:45 to 11:00 AM Open forum
11:00 AM to 12:00 NN Panel Discussion: The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Legal Education: Stories from the Field
12:00 NN to 2:00 PM
(1) Ms. Samantha Morales, University of the Philippines (2) Prof. Prima Jesusa B. Quinsayas, Mindanao State University (3) Dean Ferdinand Negre, Manuel L. Quezon University
In this session, stakeholders will share their perspectives and experiences on how the COVID-19 pandemic affected them as law students, professors, and school administrators.
Networking Lunch
Venue: 2nd floor, Bocobo Hall, UP Law Complex
Working Lunch: LEAP Oral History Project: The CHED/LEB Experience (Moderator: Atty. Carmelita Yadao-Sison) Venue: Faculty Dining Room, 1st floor, Malcolm Hall
This 3-day series of working lunches shall gather key informants to share their personal experiences and provide important insights about the factual and program antecedents of Philippine legal education from 1992-2022.
Working Lunch: Deans Brown Bag Session on Quality Assurance and Deregulation (PALS-LEAP Task Force) Venue: Faculty Lounge, 2nd floor, Malcolm Hall
This working lunch session will provide members of the PALS-LEAP task force on QA with an opportunity to exchange notes and comments on establishing quality assurance in law schools nationwide as the basis for granting autonomous status from LEB regulation.
2:00 to 2:30 PM
Keynote: Adapting to the Pandemic: Necessity as the Mother of Innovation Prof. Emerson Bañez Assistant Professor and Director, Information and Communications Technology Office UP College of Law
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 disrupted education worldwide and forced everyone to shift to online learning practically overnight. In this session, Prof. Bañez shares his experiences and reflections on how the UP College of Law weathered the storm and successfully managed the transition.
2:30 to 2:45 PM Open Forum
2:45 to 3:45 PM Panel Discussion: Adapting to the New Normal: Stories from the Field
(1) Mr. Alessandro Perez, University of the Philippines (2) Dean Christine Elveña, Saint Louis University (3) Dean Domnina Rances, Ateneo de Naga University
In this session, stakeholders will share their experiences on what they did to cope with the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and what their lives now look like under the “new normal.”
3:45 to 4:00 PM Afternoon merienda and wellness break
4:00 to 4:30 PM
Keynote: Peopleware and Future-Proofing Law Schools: Ensuring That Legal Education Remains Stable Without Standing Still
Atty. Justin Ian Manjares Associate Director, Legal Education Advancement Program
Venture into the future as Atty. Manjares explores the realm of possibilities that await us by examining rapidly emerging technologies and imagining the various ways that legal education can adapt to stay relevant.
4:30 to 5:00 PM Keynote: How well are we preparing our students for practice? Implications of the Legal Practice Analysis Study for teaching and curriculum design
Prof. Jason R. Barlis, Saint Louis University Project Head, LEAP Legal Practice Analysis Study
Is the law curriculum responsive to the current needs of legal practice? LEAP embarked on the Legal Practice Analysis Research Study to find out. In this session, Prof. Barlis presents the initial findings of the study and discusses its implications for course development, curriculum design, teaching, and assessment.
5:00 to 5:30 PM Open forum
5:30 to 5:45 PM Synthesis and Recap of Day 1
5:45 to 6:00 PM Transition Break
6:00 to 7:00 PM Wellness Hour: Activities for Body and Soul
After a full day of heavy mental work, let’s end the day by moving out of our heads and into our bodies. Join any of our scheduled health and wellness activities designed to rest your mind, rejuvenate your body, and refresh your soul.
(1) Walk around the UP Academic Oval
The UP Academic Oval has long been a haven for joggers, bikers, and nature lovers. Let wellness instructor Bien Morales tour you around the University Academic Oval, where he will show you not only the beauty of the UP campus, but also encourage you to look for beauty within and to be one with nature. He will also lead you in exercises to help you wind down and prepare for the next day.
(2) Calm your mind with meditation
Millions of people around the world are starting to discover the life-changing benefits of meditation. Companies such as Google, Nike, and Sony, as well as law schools like Georgetown and Berkeley are adopting mindfulness practices into their curriculum. Join Prof. Mai Guipo as she introduces you to the calming effects of breathwork and meditation.
(3) Receive reiki energy healing
Reiki is a Japanese spiritual practice and energy healing technique that works to bring a person’s system into balance on physical, emotional, and spiritual levels. Allow Reiki Master Teacher Lilian Jarales-Hewlett and the healers of the Reiki Manila Community to share the gift of reiki healing with you.
Thursday, December 8, 2022:
INNOVATION
UP BGC Campus, Taguig City
8:00 to 8:30 AM Registration
8:30 to 9:00 AM
9:00 to 10:15 AM
Announcements
Recap of Day 1 and overview of Day 2
Panel Discussion: Is Digital Learning Here to Stay? Insights from EduTech Asia 2022
(1) Dean Al-Shwaid Ismael, University of Cebu
(2) Assoc. Dean Vergenee Marree A. Abrenica-Orillosa, Ateneo de Naga University
(3) Dean Arlene Cosape, University of SouthEastern Philippines
In this session, the members of the LEAP delegation to the EduTech Asia 2022 conference share their insights and ideas on how Philippine legal education might adapt to new and emerging digital technologies and what the new normal might look like.
10:15 to 10:30 AM Morning merienda and wellness break
10:30 to 10:50 AM Keynote: The RMLC and Model Syllabus Projects as Frameworks for Transformation
10:50 to 11:10 AM
Commissioner Josefe Sorrera-Ty Legal Education Board Chair, LEAP Steering Committee
In this session, Commissioner Josefe Sorrera-Ty discusses the goals of the Revised Model Law Curriculum, the story of its evolution, and how it is serving as a catalyst for the transformation of Philippine legal education.
Keynote: The CRDT Framework: Integrating positive law, practice, and policy in the way we teach law
Dr. Benedict Sheehy, University of Canberra
In this session, Dr. Sheehy discusses the challenges of having to prepare students not just for the bar examinations but also for legal practice, and our duty as educators to not only teach them what the law is but what it should be. He offers the Categories-Rights-DutiesTests framework as a way of integrating positive law, policy, and practice in the way we design our syllabus and teach our classes.
11:10 to 11:30 AM
Keynote: Teaching Innovation: The LECP Experience
(1) Prof. Glenda T. Litong, Project Head, LEAP Training (Access) Project
(2) Atty. Jelorie F. Gallego, LEAP Associate Director for Training and Conferences
One of LEAP’s flagship projects was the Law Educators Certification Program (LECP), which was conceptualized, designed, and implemented by an inter-disciplinary team of educators from the UP Law Center and the UP College of Education. In this presentation, Prof. Litong and Atty. Gallego shares their experiences and insights from this groundbreaking partnership and collaboration.
11:30 AM to 12:00 NN Open forum
12:00 NN to 2:00 PM
Working Lunch: LEAP Model Syllabus Project
● Political Law cluster
● Labor Law cluster
● Civil Law cluster
● Commercial Law & Tax cluster
● Criminal Law cluster
● Remedial Law cluster
● Legal Ethics cluster
● Legal Research & Writing cluster
The LEAP Model Syllabus Project aims to facilitate the transition to the RMLC by providing law faculty with guidance in the crafting of their course syllabi as well as practical recommendations with regard to course coverage, teaching methods, and assessment. This
working lunch will gather the various faculty clusters for dialogue and consultation, towards the ultimate objective of drafting model syllabi for priority RMLC subjects.
Working Lunch: LEAP Oral History Project: The CHED/LEB Experience (moderated by Atty. Carmelita Yadao-Sison)
This 3-day series of working lunches shall gather key informants to share their personal experiences and provide important insights about the factual and program antecedents of Philippine legal education from 1992-2022.
Working Lunch: SUCs/LUCs Deans Brown Bag Session (Policy Reform Team)
The PALS-LEAP SUC/LUC will continue their conversation on the common challenges facing SUCs/LUCs that affect the development of their academic and institutional standards, and consider approaches for adoption of permanent solutions.
2:00 to 3:00 PM Panel Discussion: Integrity, Honesty and Truth-Telling: It Starts in the Law School
(1) Comm. Lorenz Reyes, Legal Education Board (2) Dean Gerard Mosquera, Notre Dame of Marbel University (3) Dean Anna Abad, Adamson University (4) Atty. Burt Estrada, Integrated Bar of the Philippines
In this day and age of fake news and misinformation, it becomes vitally important for law students to internalize the value of honesty in their law studies and future work as vanguards of justice and the rule of law. Join Comm. Reyes, Dean Abad, Dean Mosquera, and Atty. Estrada as they share their thoughts on how law schools and professors can instill a culture of integrity and truth-telling among lawyers-in-training, and re-create the legal profession into one where honesty, truth-telling, and fairness are a way of life.
3:00 to 3:45 PM Panel Discussion: Collaborating Across the Curriculum: Creating Communities of Practice
(1) Dr. Benedict Sheehy, University of Canberra (2) Prof. Glenda Litong, University of the Philippines (3) Prof. Anthony Raymond A. Goquingco, Far Eastern University Institute of Law (4) Prof. Mia Gentugaya, University of the Philippines
In this session, Dr. Sheehy, Prof. Litong, Prof. Goquingco, and Prof. Gentugaya will discuss their experiences and insights from the LEAP faculty fellowship program, and explore the role that communities of practice play in fostering collaboration and legal scholarship.
3:45 to 4:00 PM Afternoon merienda and wellness break
4:00 to 4:30 PM Panel Discussion: Legal Research & Learning in the Digital Age: Challenges and Opportunities
(1) Mr. Justin Bionat, University of San Agustin (2) Ms. Louise Yanto, University of Sto. Tomas-Legazpi (3) Ms. Willian Frias, De La Salle University, PGLL-NALL
New emerging technologies and the shift to online learning have created new challenges as well as new opportunities for legal research and learning. In this session, law students and law librarians tackle the need for increased access to technology and digital learning resources vis-a-vis the state of Philippine academic law libraries.
4:30 to 4:50 PM Keynote: Moving Forward: Integrating Quality Assurance into our Law Schools
Dean Sherrymae Velos-Decang Bukidnon State University
This session will discuss how quality assurance can contribute to a culture of excellence and potentially widen the space for academic freedom within and among law schools.
4:50 to 5:10 PM Keynote: Leveling Up: Establishing Guidelines for SUCs/LUCs
Dean Jose I. Dela Rama Tarlac State University
Public law schools have perennially struggled with greater challenges than their counterparts in the private sector. This session will tackle the various issues plaguing SUCs and LUCs and propose guidelines to address these concerns.
5:10 to 5:30 PM Open Forum
5:30 to 5:45 PM Synthesis and Recap of Day 2
5:45 to 6:00 PM Transition Break
6:00 to 7:00 PM Wellness Hour: Activities for Body and Soul
6:00 to 8:15 PM
After a full day of heavy mental work, let’s end the day by moving out of our heads and into our bodies. Join any of our scheduled health and wellness activities designed to rest your mind, rejuvenate your body, and refresh your soul.
(1) The Art of Music
In this session, wellness instructor Bien Carlo Morales will help you connect into the art of music and help you become one with the rhythm of the many songs that will be played. He hopes that through this session, you will recognize that you have your own rhythm in your life and that you will be able to tap into it.
(2) Food as Medicine: A conversation on health and nutrition
Join Dr. Dale Flores, Ph.D. and Dr. Jennifer dela Rosa, M.D. for a lively conversation on food, diet, nutrition, health, and everything else in between.
(3) Receive reiki energy healing
Reiki is a Japanese spiritual practice and energy healing technique that works to bring a person’s system into balance on physical, emotional, and spiritual levels. Allow Reiki Master Teacher Lilian Jarales-Hewlett and the healers of the Reiki Manila Community to share the gift of reiki healing with you.
“Obiter Dictum: Passing Through Life and Law” Literary Anthology contest Awarding Ceremony and LEAP Student Fellows Thanksgiving Program
This special program of the LEAP Student Fellows will celebrate the law students from all over the Philippines whose works have been chosen as part of the “Obiter Dictum: Passing Through Life and Law” Literary Anthology. This awarding ceremony will also serve as the official opening of the Obiter Dictum Exhibit where delegates may peruse the winning entries. This program will also celebrate the LEAP Student Fellows who have contributed to, and at the same time learned much from their experience with LEAP.
Friday, December 9, 2022 - HUMANIZATION
Malcolm Hall, UP Diliman
8:00 to 8:30 AM Registration
8:30 to 9:00 AM
Announcements
Recap of Day 2 and overview of Day 3
9:00 to 9:30 AM
Keynote: Grit and Resilience: The Mental Health Challenges Posed by Law School
LEAP Research Team
In this session, the LEAP Research Team will present its findings on its research study on mental health and its implications for legal education.
9:30 to 10:00 AM Panel Discussion: Surviving Law School: Stories from the Field
(1) Ms. Noreenesse Santos, University of the East Manila (2) Ms. Tiffany Somes, University of San Agustin (3) Mr. Robert Sanders, Jr., University of the Philippines
In this session, law students discuss their mental health struggles in law school, how they cope, and their ideas on what measures can be taken to improve the quality of life in law school.
10:00 to 10:30 AM Open forum
10:30 to 10:45 AM Morning merienda and wellness break
10:45 to 11:30 AM Panel Discussion: Ensuring Health & Well-Being in our Law Schools
(1) Dr. Marie Grace Gomez, UP College of Education (2) Prof. Maria Primarisa Guipo, Rizal Memorial Colleges (3) Prof. Joan S. Largo, University of San Carlos
Join Dr. Gomez, Prof. Guipo, and Prof. Largo as they share their experiences and reflections on how to address the mental health concerns of our students and improve their emotional and psychological well-being.
11:30 AM to 12:00 NN Open forum
12:00 NN to 1:30 PM Networking lunch
Working lunch: Art Imitating Life: Teaching Social Justice Through Immersive Films
Social justice cases involve understanding the situation of the marginalized sector. An essential factor in teaching social justice issues and decisions is an immersion by the student (also the teacher) in the community, and getting to know the history, the actors, the location and the situation of the community members. In this session, we bring the immersion experience into the classroom and feel the community’s struggle and sentiments through film. And bring the discussion of
1:30 to 2:00 PM
law grounded into the issues of the community and let the students develop empathy for the marginalized and deeper appreciation of social justice through the rule of law with the hope to awaken their passion to pursue it.
Working Lunch: Legal Education Oral History Project: The PALS Journey (Moderated by Comm. Josefe Sorrera-Ty)
The Legal Education Oral History Project aims to comprehensively record the evolution of Legal Education in the country from its inception to the present. The Philippine Association of Law Schools’ (PALS) has played a fundamental role in Philippine legal education, and its narrative is essential to this history. This session is dedicated to gathering the PALS officers and members to share the PALS’ projects and accomplishments that have shaped the legal education system. The participants of the session will also share the challenges faced by PALS and the law schools, as well as the PALS’ contribution in resolving such difficulties.
Working Lunch: Legal Education Oral History Project: The CHED-PALS Experience (Moderated by Atty. Carmelita Yadao-Sison)
This 3-day series of working lunches shall gather key informants to share their personal experiences and provide important insights about the factual and program antecedents of Philippine legal education from 1992-2022.
Keynote: Educating for Justice with Justice: Why We Must Practice What We Preach
Prof. Richard Roe Georgetown University Law Center
All educators know about the written curriculum, also known as the overt or explicit curriculum. However, not many of us are familiar with the hidden curriculum, which consists of unwritten rules, unspoken expectations, and unofficial norms, behaviors, and values which are communicated through the way we teach and interact with our students. In this session, Prof. Richard Roe shares his reflections accumulated over a lifetime of teaching Street Law and legal literacy. He reminds us that when it comes to justice education, how we teach is just as important as what we teach, and that as law professors, we must walk the talk and practice what we preach.
2:00 to 2:45 PM
Panel Discussion: Conversations on Educating for Justice: Stories from the Field
(1) Atty. Aison Garcia, Project Oicer, LEAP Faculty Fellowship Program
(2) Atty. Ana Lisa Mones, Alternative Law Groups
(3) Dean Jo Sabio, Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan (4) Dean Rosanne Gonzaga, University of St. La SalleBacolod
In this session, Atty. Garcia, Atty. Mones, Dean Sabio, and Dean Gonzaga will explore various experiences and perspectives on justice education, including experiential learning, clinical legal education, externships, and law and literacy programs.
2:45 to 3:00 PM Open forum
3:00 to 3:30 PM
Keynote: Humanizing the Law and the Future of Legal Education
Presenter: Ms. Amanda Lamond, Awakening Lawyers
Humanity is at a crossroads, and there are two possible paths or timelines ahead of us. One is a path of spiritual awakening in which humanity collectively awakens to a mysterious truth: that we are incredibly powerful Creator Beings who are creating our reality through our consciousness. The other path is the inorganic path in which humans blend themselves with computers in a bid to become superhuman or god-like. The future of all our systems, including the legal system, depends on which path humanity chooses. In this session, Ms. Lamond will help us think through that choice. She has been preparing many lifetimes to carry this message.
3:30 to 3:45 PM Open forum
3:45 to 4:00 PM Afternoon merienda and wellness break
4:00 to 5:30 PM
Closing ceremonies
Recap of the Year That Was Prof. Tanya Lat Executive Director, Legal Education Advancement Program
Messages from Stakeholders:
Ms. Coleen Yalung, Tarlac State University LEAP Student Fellow
Ms. Altifahny Faridah Laguindab LEAP EJJP Fellow
Mr. Jonas Sahagun President, Network of Academic Law Librarians
Dean Gemy Lito Festin President, Philippine Association of Law Schools
Atty. Burt Estrada President, Integrated Bar of the Philippines
Responses:
Prof. Edgardo Carlo L. Vistan Dean, UP Law Center
Prof. Melanie Trinidad Chair, Legal Education Board
Hon. Alexander Gesmundo Chief Justice Supreme Court of the Philippines
5:30 to 6:30 PM Travel to Sampaguita Gardens
6:30 to 10:00 PM Closing Reception at Sampaguita Gardens