The city government expressed gratitude to Saint Louis University School of Law (SLU-SOL) for its invaluable service to Baguio.
In a resolution, city officials said it is only fitting to congratulate and commend SLU-SOL for having established an accessible legal aid clinic that caters to many Baguio residents and individuals from other neighboring areas.
The Chief Justice Manuel V. Moran Community Legal Assistance Office (CJ Moran CLAO) is the official legal aid office of SLU-SOL. It was the first legal aid office established north of Manila.
The resolution mentioned that CJ Moran CLAO has actively championed the cause of the poor, the marginalized, and the indigent sector of the community of Baguio City and Northern Luzon by conducting informational seminars in hopes of empowering alternative dispute resolution mechanisms among communities and by providing legal aid and free notarization services.
The law clinic has received a number of awards for their active involvement in the promotion of Access to Justice for all.
Among the awards are Pioneer Law School Clinic Award, Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo Virtual Legal Advocate Award, CLEP Community Advocate Award, and Pioneer Law Student Practitioner Award.
With the competence it has exhibited, it was invited to conduct a workshop on clinic specializations during the Legal Education Summit to mentor other law schools in the development of their respective legal aid clinics.
“CJ Moran CLAO has indeed raised the bar in the conduct of legal aid across all sectors of the community to ensure access to justice for everyone regardless of economic or social positions, and has given the constituents of the City of Baguio adequate, competent, and cost-free space for the redress of the community members’ grievances,” the resolution read.
SLU-SOL was also lauded for being one of the 14 local testing centers for the Philippine Bar Examinations in Luzon.
It served not only the Bar takers who are Baguio residents but also those from other places in Northern Luzon, making the bar examinations “more accessible and equitable.”
According to the resolution, the university’s role as a testing center has been instrumental in the implementation of reforms in the bar examinations and has paved the way for an opportunity for Baguio City to contribute in the growth of future lawyers and legal officers in the country.
“Indeed, Saint Louis University School of Law (and CJ Moran CLAO) have brought immense pride and contributed invaluable help to the citizens of Baguio City,” the resolution stated.
In April 2022, the City Government of Baguio, through a council resolution, also commended SLU-SOL for having ranked first in the Bar examinations (Category 2) held on Feb. 4 to 6 with a passing rate of 98.66 percent. – Jordan G. Habbiling
April 26, 2024
