Every time I recollect the following words of former Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. on the special status lawyers occupy in society, I feel more grounded in my roots as a legal professional. Thus:
“The need to excel, though, should be tempered with our covenant to assume and practice our profession with dignity and integrity. The Bench and the Bar must possess unassailable, unblemished, and unimpeachable integrity. The lawyer must hold his profession and office with quiet dignity, without pompous pretense of moral or intellectual ascendancy. For we are but the guardians of justice and not its master.
As repeatedly enunciated in many cases, the law is a profession, not a trade or craft. Those enrolled in its ranks are called upon to aid in achieving one of the most fundamental purposes of the State, and that is the administration of justice without fear or favor. The practice of law is not a vested right but a privilege; a privilege, moreover, clothed with public interest because a lawyer owes substantial duties not only to his client, but also to his brethren in the profession, to the courts and to the nation.”
CJ H. Davide Jr., “The Tie That Binds”, Court Systems Journal, March 2001 issue)
