Lawyers and judges disciplined: data as of 2004

The state of legal and judicial ethics in a country may be tested by the number of lawyers and judges that are disciplined therein.

Here is the record of the Philippine Bar and the Philippine Judiciary from 1999 to 2004, based on the records of the Philippine Supreme Court:

NUMBER OF LAWYERS DISCIPLINED BY THE SUPREME COURT

For the period 1999-2004

PENALTY IMPOSED	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	TOTAL
DISBARRED	3	2	-	2	6	10	23
SUSPENDED	14	15	12	15	42	40	138
SUSPENDED NOTARIAL COMMISSION	-	3	-	2	6	3	14
REPRIMANDED	6	6	7	17	11	10	57
ADMONISHED	16	3	7	8	10	6	50
CENSURED	1	-	-	-	3	-	4
WARNED	1	1	-	3	3	2	10
FINED	15	25	23	20	36	36	155
ORDERED ARRESTED	3	-	2	-	2	5	12
TOTAL	59	55	51	67	119	112	463

The number is broken down as follows:

12 ordered arrested,

155 fined,

10 warned,

4 censured,

50 admonished,

57 reprimanded,

14 notarial commissions suspended,

138 suspended, and 23 disbarred.

(Figures supplied by the Office of the Bar Confidant, Supreme Court of the Philippines).

Latest statistics from the Docket and Clearance Division, Office of the Court

Administrator (OCA), and the Program Management Office.

RTC JUDGES

PENALTY	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	TOTAL
Admonished	23	8	1	12	8	2	54
Benefits Forfeited	0	0	1	0	0	0	1
Censured	0	0	0	1	0	0	1
Dismissed from the service	1	3	4	5	4	4	21
Fined	22	43	30	23	37	41	196
Reprimanded	3	6	7	8	7	5	36
Suspended	2	5	4	1	1	4	17
TOTAL	51	65	47	50	57	56	326

METC, MTCC, MTC & MCTC JUDGES

PENALTY	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	TOTAL
Admonished	8	11	4	6	3	2	34
Benefits Forfeited	0	1	0	0	0	0	1
Censured	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Dismissed from the service	7	5	3	2	7	3	27
Fined	16	45	33	31	45	35	205
Reprimanded	7	10	10	9	5	6	47
Suspended	0	6	2	3	1	3	15
TOTAL	38	78	52	51	61	49	329

See:

Chief Justice ARTEMIO V. PANGANIBAN, “A TRANSFORMED JUDICIARY”, Chapter 1, JUDICIAL RENAISSANCE, Manila, Supreme Court, NOVEMBER 2005.

By:

Atty. MANUEL J. LASERNA JR.