The UP Law Center’s Institute for the Administration of Justice (IAJ) held a Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) program titled “Effective and Responsible Lawyering in the Age of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Justice,” from April 27 to 30 in Cagayan de Oro City, in partnership with the Integrated Bar of the Philippines Misamis Oriental Chapter.
The theme came at a critical juncture when the rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies into legal practice continues to reshape how lawyers serve their clients, engage with the courts, and fulfill their duties to society. The program featured distinguished speakers from the judiciary, academe, and private practice, delivering a total of 36 MCLE credit hours across four days of interdisciplinary learning.
The program started by setting the legal landscape of digital transformation within the Executive and the Judiciary branches of government, harking from the E-Governance Act and the Supreme Court’s Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027, and touched upon frameworks for data privacy, cybercrime, and emerging technology laws. Focused discussions on AI touched on revisiting legal education in view of new technologies; use of AI in trial preparation, case management, and legal research; ethical use and development of AI envisioned in the Supreme Court’s Guidelines for the Use of Human-Centered Augmented Intelligence in the Judiciary; as well as how AI challenges currently established laws and procedural rules. For a broader context, the program featured discussions on the Fifth Industrial Revolution and important skills of the future, such as critical thinking and negotiation. The final day sought to navigate the foundational duties of the legal profession in a technology-driven landscape through topics lawyering for development and social change and revisiting the lawyer’s duties to society, justice, and the environment.
The program featured the following speakers:
- Ms. Julia Montesa, User Experience Designer of eCourt PH, Supreme Court of the Philippines
- Ms. Maria Ruby Castillo, Judicial Staff Officer VI, Management Information Systems Office, Supreme Court of the Philippines
- Atty. Senando Angelo Santiago, UP Law Center-Institute for the Administration of Justice and UP Law Lecturer
- Atty. Justin Sucgang, Associate Professor, De La Salle University Tañada-Diokno School of Law
- Atty. Jose Angelo C. Tiglao, Intellectual Property, Data and Technology Practice Group Associate, Quisumbing Torres
- Atty. Jocel Isidro S. Dilag, UP Law Lecturer
- Atty. Aliakhbar Jumrani, Law Professor, MCLE, and Bar Review Lecturer
- Atty. Oliver Xavier A. Reyes, UP Law Lecturer
- Atty. Ali Loraine V. Manrique, House of Representatives
- Atty. Edward P. Chico, Partner, Esguerra, De Jesus, Dy, and Chico Law Offices
- Atty. Mario E. Maderazo, Managing Partner, Maderazo, Valerio, and Partners
Through the MCLE program, the IAJ reaffirmed the UP Law Center’s commitment to providing responsive, relevant, and interdisciplinary continuing legal education for the legal profession. For more information on the AI and Digital Justice-focused MCLE, please visit https://mcle.law.upd.edu.ph/. (By Atty. Senando Angelo Santiago with Pia Leido and Beatriz Bertuldo)
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