LEAP to the future, together.
“Those who have less in life should have more in law.”
-President Ramon Magsaysay SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramon_Magsaysay
Overview
The Legal Education Advancement Program (LEAP) is a partnership and collaboration between the Legal Education Board (LEB) and the University of the Philippines Law Center (UPLC). The Program seeks to drive and sustain reform, and to democratize access to legal education in the Philippines.
In 2019, the LEB and UPLC embarked on an initial partnership, the Model Law Curriculum Project. From September 2019 to February 2020, the Research Team conducted focus group discussions in various parts of the country, consulting various sectors having a stake in legal education. This process of consultation and deep listening surfaced the concerns and aspirations of the various stakeholders, as well as the rich and diverse contexts in which the learning and teaching of law take place. Equipped with this newfound knowledge and deeper understanding of the systemic issues, LEAP is now poised to transform Philippine legal education by introducing innovative solutions to longstanding problems that have held us back.
Legal education that leads to justice, peace, and human flourishing.
Vision Kasayuran. Katarungan. Kapayapaan. Kaunlaran.
Mission
To transform the way we teach law and form lawyers.
To create new generations of lawyers who will be healers, peacemakers, and agents of societal transformation.
If we could reimagine law school, what would it be like?
Our Key Projects
Revised Model Law Curriculum
In 2021, the LEB adopted the Revised Model Law Curriculum (RMLC) which aims to modernize the curriculum by reducing the academic load, incorporating clinical legal education, and introducing innovations in course design and teaching methods. To make the transition to the RMLC as smooth as possible, LEAP will provide law schools with the training, guidance, and technical assistance that they need to implement the new curriculum starting Academic Year 2022-2023.
Knowledge (Research Studies)
The LEAP Knowledge Project aims to generate new research and data on current and emerging concerns in Philippine legal education. These studies will in turn contribute to evidencebased policy-making and the crafting of policies and programs that allow us to stay grounded amidst the constantly shifting sands of time.
Policy Reform (Regulation & Policy)
Law schools must continuously strive to improve the quality of their educational offerings. LEAP, through its Policy Reform Project, will engage stakeholders in the crafting of policies, standards, and guidelines (PSGs) for the deregulation of private law schools and the establishment of centers of excellence. The Project will also develop PSGs for government law schools, taking into account their unique contexts and challenges.
Access (Training)
The COVID19 pandemic has demonstrated that learning can transcend space and time. LEAP, through its Access (Training) Project, will leverage technology to break down barriers of geography and economics, and make teacher training and capacity-building accessible to all.
Stakeholder Conferences
LEAP, through its Stakeholder Conferences Project, aims to foster a stronger sense of community among the various sectors through dialogues and conferences. By holding the space for the important -- and sometimes difficult -- conversations that need to take place, LEAP aims to break down the walls and barriers that divide and separate us, and to break through into new insights and points of view that will make collaboration and innovation possible.
Digital Adaptation
LEAP’s Digital Adaptation Project aims to harness cutting edge digital and educational technology to advance the teaching and learning of law. Law schools all over the country will have equal access to innovative courses and training programs designed to cater to the needs and contexts of the various stakeholders.
The Prime Movers Behind LEAP
LEAP Steering Committee
Comm. Josefe C. Sorrera-Ty, Ll.M., Chairperson
Dean Edgardo Carlo C. Vistan II, Ll.M.
Dean Fides Cordero-Tan
Dean Nilo Divina
Atty. Carmelita Yadao-Sison, PhD
Atty. Glenda T. Litong, Ll.M. Atty. Justin DJ Sucgang, Ll.M.
LEAP Management Team
Atty. Ma. Tanya Karina A. Lat, Ll.M. Executive Director
Atty. Aaron Marc M. Dimaano Deputy Executive Director
Atty. Glenda T. Litong, Ll.M. Project Head for Training and Conferences
Prof. Emerson S. Bañez, Ll.M. Project Head for Digitalization
Atty. Renee A. Fopalan, M.A. Project Head for Research
Dean Fides Cordero-Tan Co-Project Head for Policy Reform
Dean Jose I. Dela Rama, Jr., DCL Co-Project Head for Policy Reform
Atty. Justin DJ Sucgang, Ll.M. Co-Project Head for Policy Reform
Atty. Carmelita Yadao-Sison, PhD Co-Project Head for Policy Reform
LEB Curriculum Revision Committee
Comm. Abelardo T. Domondon, Ll.M., Chairperson
Comm. Josefe C. Sorrera-Ty, Ll.M., Vice-Chairperson
Justice Maria Filomena Singh, Ll.M.
Dean Joan S. Largo, Ll.M.
Dean Virgilio de los Reyes, J.S.M.
Comm. Josefe C. Sorrera-Ty, Ll.M. Chairperson, LEAP Steering Committee Vice-Chairperson, LEB Curriculum Revision Committee
Comm. Jojo Sorrera-Ty is currently a commissioner of the Legal Education Board and the lead Commissioner in the implementation of the Clinical Legal Education Program (CLEP). She brings her many years of experience as Law Dean of the Father Saturnino Urios University in Butuan City and trustee of the Philippine Association of Law Schools (PALS).
Comm. Abelardo Domondon, Ll.M. Chairperson, LEB Curriculum Revision Committee
Comm. Abe Domondon is currently a commissioner of the Legal Education Board. He has been a member of the law faculty of the University of Santo Tomas, Centro Escolar University, Adamson University, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, San Sebastian College-Recoletos, and the University of the East. He was likewise a Pre-Bar Reviewer at the U.P. Law Center, various Metro Manila, and provincial schools as well. As a lawyer-CPA, he is privileged to be the only person so far who has served both as a Bar Examiner and as Chairman of the Board of Accountancy of the Professional Regulation Commission.
Prof. Emerson S. Bañez, Ll.M. Project Head for Digitalization
Prof. Emer Bañez is an Assistant Professor at the UP College of Law. A lawyer, teacher, and programmer, Prof. Bañez specializes in information technology and big data analytics. As Head of the UP Law Center Information and Publications Division (IPD), Prof. Bañez led the transition of the UP College of Law to online learning at the height of the COVID19 pandemic.
Dean Fides Cordero-Tan Member, LEAP Steering Committee Co-Project Head for Policy Reform
Prof. Deng Cordero-Tan is former Dean of the UP College of Law. She was a Member of the Legal Education Summit Committee and the LEB revised Model Curriculum Committee, and was the pioneering Chairperson of the UP LAW Center Paralegal Training Program. She currently sits in the MCLE Board and the Supreme Court Bar Reform Committee.
Dean Virgilio de los Reyes, JSM Member, LEB Curriculum Revision Committee
Virgilio de los Reyes is Dean of the De La Salle University College of Law, which he co-founded in 2009. He began his career as a high school teacher in 1983. Gil has taught intermittently since graduation from law school in 1990. He was the CEO of a pioneering business process outsourcing company engaged in the development of blended learning programs. To deepen his knowledge of e-learning programs, he took a graduate program in international relations using a blended learning approach. In 2010, in recognition of his expertise in agrarian and property law, he served as Secretary of Agrarian Reform during the administration of President Benigno Aquino III. He returned to the DLSU College of Law in 2018. He continues to contribute to the field of agriculture and property rights in several fora organized by multilateral organizations.
PHOTO CREDIT: dar.gov.ph
Dean Jose I. Dela Rama, Jr., DCL Co-Project Head for Policy Reform
Dean Peng Dela Rama is Professor and Dean at the Tarlac State University School of Law. He is also a member of the law faculty of the University of Sto. Tomas, San Sebastian College-Recoletos, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila Graduate School of Law, Bulacan State University, and St. Dominic Savio College of Law. He previously served as President of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) Gat. Marcelo H. del Pilar Bulacan Chapter, and as IBP Governor representing Central Luzon. He founded the Justice Jose C. dela Rama Sr. Law Foundation, Inc., in honor of his late father. Through the Foundation, he has opened doors for many law students to have access to legal education through scholarships and other initiatives.
Atty. Aaron Marc M. Dimaano Deputy Executive Director
Atty. Aaron Dimaano is the Chief Operating Officer of the Legal Education Board and Deputy Executive Director of LEAP. He was Head of Operations during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, shepherding the agency’s pandemic response and migration of its services online. He has provided invaluable technical support to the Curriculum Revision Committee, Model Law Curriculum Project, and the nationwide rollout of the Clinical Legal Education Program. He served as Secretary General of the Association of the Law Students of the Philippines, overseeing efforts to reinvigorate the organization.
PHOTO CREDIT: ph.linkedin.com
Dean Nilo T. Divina Member, LEAP Steering Committee
Dean Nilo Divina is Dean and Professor at the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law. He previously served as Chairman and President of the Philippine Association of Law Schools, and was instrumental to the success of the LEB-PALS legal education conferences held from 2013-2016. He also teaches at the UP College of Law.
Atty. Renee A. Fopalan, M.A. Project Head for Research
Atty. Renee Fopalan is a licensed professional teacher. She has a bachelor’s degree in education and has completed her masters in special education. As Program Coordinator for the UP Law Bar Review Institute, she spearheaded the transition to online bar review during the COVID19 pandemic and introduced innovations that resulted in an 146% increase in enrollment. She is working towards completing her Masters in Education major in measurement and evaluation at the University of the Philippines, with the hopes of improving testing in legal education.
Atty. Ma. Tanya Karina A. Lat, Ll.M. Executive Director
Atty. Tanya Lat is Graduate Program Coordinator of the University of the Philippines Master of Laws Program, Professorial Lecturer at the UP College of Law and the Philippine Judicial Academy, and a member of the faculty of the Ateneo Law School and the San Beda University Graduate School of Law. She previously served as consultant to the Legal Education Board, providing technical support to the Curriculum Revision Committee and the Model Law Curriculum project. She also served as Executive Director of the Philippine Association of Law Schools, facilitating the various PALS projects, most notably the 2013-2016 LEB-PALS legal education conferences.
Dean Joan S. Largo, Ll.M. Member, LEB Curriculum Revision Committee
Dean Joan Largo is currently Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs of the University of San Carlos (USC). She previously served as Dean and Associate Dean of USC’s School of Law and Governance and President of the Philippine Association of Law Schools. She has passionately championed outcomes-based education and experiential learning, and has been responsible for the innovations that have transformed USC into one of the top performing law schools in the country.
Atty. Glenda T. Litong, Ll.M. Member, LEAP Steering Committee Project Head for Training and Conferences
Atty. Glenda Litong is a Senior Lecturer at the UP College of Law and a Law Reform Specialist at the UP Institute of Human Rights. She heads the UP Law Center Training and Convention Division that provided Secretariat support to the 2019 Legal Education Summit, the Curriculum Revision Committee, and the Model Law Curriculum Project. She served on the Human Rights Victims Claims Board, the reparations body that adjudicated the claims of victims of human rights violations during Martial Law.
Justice Maria Filomena Singh, Ll.M. Member, LEB Curriculum Revision Committee
Justice Monette Singh is an Associate Justice of the Court of Appeals and sits on the Curriculum Revision Committee as expert resource person. She is the Chairperson of the Civil Law Department of the Philippine Judicial Academy (PHILJA) and is a member of the PHILJA Subcommittees for Curriculum Review and Selection of Members of the Corps of Professors. She teaches at the Ateneo Law School and the UP College of Law, and has also taught at De La Salle University, the University of Santo Tomas, Lyceum University of the Philippines, and Manuel L. Quezon University.
Atty. Justin DJ Sucgang, Ll.M. Member, LEAP Steering Committee Co-Project Head for Policy Reform
Atty. Justin Sucgang is an Associate Professor of Law at the De La Salle University College of Law, and Director and Chief Innovator at the Center for Legal Education Advancement and Reform which he founded. A passionate and committed legal education reform advocate, he previously served as LEB Commissioner representing the student sector, and brings his experience from his previous stint at the Office of the President of the Philippines.
Atty. Carmelita Yadao-Sison, PhD Member, LEAP Steering Committee Co-Project Head for Policy Reform
Atty. Mimee Yadao-Sison has served as Highly Technical Consultant to the LEB and as Ex-Officio Member representing the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). A Career Executive Service Eligible, she brings her extensive experience as the first female General Counsel of U.P. in the 1990’s, and former Director of the CHED’s Legal and Legislative Service and Office of Institutional Quality and Assurance and Governance, OIC Executive Director of UniFAST, and Chairperson of the CHED’s Gender and Development Committee from 2001 to 2020.
Dean Edgardo Carlo C. Vistan II, Ll.M. Member, LEAP Steering Committee
Dean Carlo Vistan is Dean and Professor of the University of the Philippines College of Law and head of the UP Law Center. He is also the Executive Director of UP Bonifacio Global City and Director of the UP Office of Legal Aid.
“Yet the truth remains true that never have our people had greater need than today for great lawyers, and for young men and women determined to be great lawyers.
“Great lawyers—not brilliant lawyers. A scoundrel may be, and often is, brilliant; and the greater the scoundrel, the more brilliant the lawyer. But only a good man can become a great lawyer …
“… For men and women of this kind, our country will always have need— and now more than ever.”
-Sen. Jose W. Diokno, in his letter to his eldest son Jose Ramon, written on 23 October 1972 while in detention Photo credit: https://twitter.com/tonyocruz/status/1025754752854839296
LEAP to the future, together.
For more information, contact us: LEAP Office, Room 203, Malcolm Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City 1101 Email add.: official.leap2022@gmail.com Tel. no.: (02) 8920.5514 loc. 102
LEAP SECRETARIAT
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