9 MMSU law students earn certification for limited practice

By Ian Paul Villanueva
Nine MMSU College of Law (COL) students received their certificates to become Law Student Practitioners (LSPs) upon taking their oaths on Tuesday, March 3, at the Regional Trial Court Branch 17 in Batac City. Six (6) of the students were given Level 1 Certification, while three (3) were given Level 2 Certification.
Among those that received a Level 1 Certification are second-year students Krixzen Ann Butay, Fiona Mae Laeno, Rhea Angeline Mangoba, Maria Franchesca Rapada, Chiara Reyes, and Jeriko August Saguiguit. They will be allowed limited practice of law under the direction of a supervising lawyer.
Meanwhile, the third-year students who received Level 2 Certification are Meeka Delos Santos, Fernando Fernandez, and Ma. Genivieve Luna. Unlike those certified for Level 1, they are allowed a broader scope of activities in their limited practice.
The oath-taking was administered by RTC Branch 17 Presiding Judge Felix Salvador. The new law student practitioners were accompanied by COL Dean Brian Jay Corpuz and faculty members Atty. Lorma Quibilan-Cuadro, and Atty. Jenrietta Camille Rivera.
For second-year student Ms. Krixzen Ann Butay, the certification is more than a mere academic milestone. She shared, “For me, this certification is a quiet affirmation that the hard work, sacrifice, and discipline of law school are shaping me into someone capable of responsibility. It is a chance to begin serving others through the law.”
According to the Supreme Court’s Rules of Court, Level 1 LSPs may interview prospective clients, give legal advice, negotiate on their behalf, draft legal documents, represent eligible parties in administrative bodies, provide public legal orientation, and assist in public interest advocacies. For Level 2 LSPs, they are allowed to assist in taking depositions and preparing affidavits of witnesses, prepare pleadings in appealed cases, appear on behalf of a client in any court, and represent a government body in criminal prosecution, on top of those of Level 1 LSPs.