THE DLSU JURIS DOCTOR PROGRAM
Program Overview
The De La Salle University Tañada-Diokno College of Law already offered the Juris Doctor (JD) program when it welcomed its first batch of students in 2010. The DLSU JD program is a non-thesis program with a focus on human rights and is aimed at preparing law students to pass the bar examinations and to engage in a competent, service-oriented, and ethical legal practice. The program is compliant with the prescribed curriculum of the Legal Education Board (LEB). Beginning Academic Year 2021-2022, the DLSU DLSU Tañada-Diokno College of Law will be offering the 153-unit law degree program, making it a pioneer and one of only five law schools in the country to adopt the revised model curriculum recently mandated by the LEB.
Since its establishment in 2009, the DLSU Tañada-Diokno College of Law has offered a unique brand of legal education with its JD program and is continually developing the program to be responsive to the needs of an aspiring legal practitioner in an evolving society.
Its maiden curriculum pioneered the law school tracking system which features three tracks in the program, namely: (a) Human Rights; (b) Environment, and (c) Business. The new JD program of the DLSU Tañada-Diokno College of Law features three major components specifically addressing the key aspects of legal education.
The JD curriculum features three tracks: a)Dispute Resolution, b)Transaction/Compliance Advisory, and c)Policy and Government.
Four-Year and Five-Year Program Duration
The DLSU Tañada-Diokno College of Law understands that those who are interested in pursuing a legal education may have varying circumstances that may impact in their completion of the program. Thus, options are made available for a four-year program and a five-year program for the completion of the DLSU Tañada-Diokno College of Law JD Program.
The four-year program is primarily designed for full-time students and carries a heavier load of units per semester, for a total of eight (8) semesters. Classes for the four-year program are usually held between 0800H to 2200H on weekdays and Saturdays. Considering the heavier load each semester, applicants who are working are not encouraged to avail of this option.
What is principally intended for the working students is the five-year program. Students who wish to have a lesser number of units per semester may also take this option. Those who choose this option are expected to complete the JD program in ten (10) semesters. However, those who select this program must stay within their prescribed number of units for each semester. Classes for the five-year program are held from 6 PM to 10 PM on weekdays and 8 AM to 6 PM on Saturday. An additional requirement for those who will opt for the five-year program is the submission of an undertaking to go on leave from work for a maximum of twenty (20) working days each for their 4th and 5th year of study. This requirement is to ensure that the student can attend court hearings, client meetings, case conferences, and other activities in the Clinical Education Program. If this will be impossible to do for the student, it is highly suggested for applicants not to choose this option
There are more slots available in the four-year program than in the five-year program. The five-year program is more selective in student acceptance. The process and ranking for admissions for the four-year and five-year programs are distinct and separate.
No shifting is allowed between programs during the admissions process and until after the completion of two semesters of the first year. Applicants are advised to seriously think about their choice of the program prior to filing the application.
Summer term
Students may enroll during the summer term to catch up if they are delayed due to failures or leaves of absences. But as a rule, in the first two years of law school, students are encouraged to take a much-deserved rest during the summer break. The summer break between the last two years of study may be devoted to legal missions under the Clinical Legal Education Program. It would be best if you did not plan on having a long break in the last two years. As a law student practitioner, you will be responsible to clients of the legal aid office.
CURRICULUM COMPONENTS
These three major components are: (a) the core courses; (b) the practice courses and (c) the formation courses. Each component addresses the needs of a student in his law school journey. The core courses refer to the mandated law subjects to help the students prepare for first years of practice and successfully hurdle the bar examinations. The practice-skills courses, following the Supreme Court-initiated clinical legal education program, are designed to give a student a foretaste of law practice. Finally, the formation courses enhance student academic success as well as nourish their mental health and spirituality.
CORE COURSES
The core courses consist of the subjects required by the Supreme Court under the Rule 138 of the Revised Rules of Court, and the Legal Education Board under LEB Memorandum Order No. 24 (s. 2022). These courses allow an individual to sit for the Philippine Bar Exam. These courses are categorized under one of the following Bar Exam subjects: (a) Political and International Law; (b) Labor Law; (c) Civil Law; (d) Taxation Law; (e) Mercantile Law; (f) Criminal Law; (g) Remedial Law; and (h) Legal Ethics.
Practice-Skill Courses
The practical courses featured in the Juris Doctor program adhere to the prescribed clinical education program of the Supreme Court (SC). In recent years, the SC encouraged experiential learning in law schools and initiated moves to institutionalize clinical legal education programs in law schools. The DLSU Tañada-Diokno College of Law is proud to say that its founders had long envisioned the integration of experiential learning into its law degree program and this approach has helped its graduates not only in the better understanding of legal concepts but also in transitioning seamlessly from student life to professional life. The Clinical Legal Education Program of the DLSU Tañada-Diokno College of Law is the concrete manifestation of the human rights focus of the DLSU College of Law. Academic courses that apply the theories of substantive and procedural law to legal practice are taught in tandem with the clinical legal education program. After completion of the Juris Doctor Program, students of DLSU Tañada-Diokno College of Law are expected to leave school ready and well-equipped for fulfilling and meaningful law practice.
Formation
Another distinct feature of the Juris Doctor Program of the DLSU Tañada-Diokno College of Law is its emphasis on formation. Apart from developing in the student’s mastery of legal principles that will make them competent legal professionals, and a working knowledge of the application of these principles through the practical courses, the program also provides law students avenues to develop themselves to face challenges in law school. The Juris Doctor Program includes courses and activities that will assist them in spiritual, social, and mental well-being. The formation aspect of the program is designed to hone the skills and strengthen the values of the students as they embark on a legal study and prepare for practice.
AFTER YOU GRADUATE
The DLSU Tañada-Diokno College of Law Juris Doctor program primarily aims to produce graduates who will become competent, ethical, and service-oriented legal professionals by developing and instilling in them the Expected Lasallian Graduate Attributes (ELGAs). Students are trained to become critical and creative thinkers, effective communicators, reflective life-long learners, service-driven citizens, innovators, and constant-seekers of improvement. These ELGAs will help the graduates in life and in the transfer of the knowledge acquired in school into the workplace.
ADMISSIONS
Committed to excellence. Impassioned to serve.
Begin your application to De La Salle University Tañada-Diokno College of Law.
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LOCATION
The DLSU Tañada-Diokno College of Law is strategically located at the heart of Bonifacio Global City in Fort Bonifacio, burgeoning commerce and tech district and a crossroad of business and governance. It will soon be home to the Philippine Senate and the Supreme Court of the Philippines. Lasallian law students will, therefore, learn the law at the same place where it is created, applied, and decided.
CONTACT INFORMATION
DLSU Tañada-Diokno College of Law, Rufino Campus 38th Street, University Parkway Bonifacio Global City, Taguig Philippines 1630
(632) 8877-9244
[email protected]
law.dlsu.edu.ph
Published by the DLSU Tañada-Diokno College of Law (2022)