BAR examiners and personnel who will help conduct the 2022 Bar examinations in November will be exempt from the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) requirements for lawyers, the Supreme Court said yesterday.
Lawyers are required to complete at least 36 credit hours of continuing legal education activities every three years to enhance their knowledge and be updated on issues regarding the legal profession.
The High Court said the move was based on the recommendation of Associate Justice and 2022 Bar Exams Committee Chair Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa.
“Now, therefore the Court resolved that Bar Examiners and Bar Personnel engaged in the 2022 Bar examinations are granted MCLE exemption under Rule 7, Section 3 of Bar Matter No.850 as follows: Bar Examiners are exempted for one compliance period, members of the Office of the Bar Chairperson are exempted for one compliance period, and other Bar Personnel are exempted for one compliance period if they render actual service for four Bar examination days, or partial credits of nine units for each Bar examination day that they render actual service,” the en banc resolution said.
The SC earlier appointed three Bar examiners per subject to facilitate the formulation of questions and correcting answers.
Bar personnel will be deployed to 14 local testing sites across the country.
“The preparation and the actual conduct of the Bar Examinations are important Court functions which demand significant time and effort from all involved in the preparations,” the resolution said.
The Bar exams will be held on November 9, 13, 16 and 20.
Earlier, the en banc said all officials, employees and staff of all courts who will be deployed and render service during the Bar examinations and post-Bar examination activities “be considered on official time” for the duration of their deployment to enable them to focus on their Bar-exams related work unencumbered by other court-related tasks.
