University of the Philippines College of Law

University of the Philippines College of Law
Name	College of Law
Established	1911
Type	Public
City	Quezon City
Country	Philippines
Parent	University of the Philippines

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University of the Philippines College of Law is the law school of the University of the Philippines Diliman located in Quezon City, Philippines. Founded during the administration of William Howard Taft-era legal reforms and the colonial period, the college has produced jurists who served on the Supreme Court of the Philippines, the House of Representatives of the Philippines, and the Senate of the Philippines. The college is known for its role in constitutional debates during the eras of Commonwealth of the Philippines, Japanese occupation of the Philippines, and the People Power Revolution.

History

The college originated in the early 20th century amid reforms influenced by the Philippine–American War, the Jones Law (Philippine Autonomy Act), and legal structures established by the United States Congress. Early faculty included alumni of Harvard Law School, University of Michigan Law School, and Oxford University who contributed to curriculum formation paralleling developments in the Civil Code of the Philippines, the Revised Penal Code, and the evolution of the Constitution of the Philippines (1935). During World War II in the Philippines the college sustained operations amid the Battle of Manila and postwar reconstruction tied to policies from the United Nations and the International Military Tribunal for the Far East. In the Marcos era, faculty and students engaged with litigation before the Supreme Court of the Philippines and activism linked to the Martial Law under Ferdinand Marcos, culminating in alumni participation in the People Power Revolution (1986). Subsequent legal reforms and constitutional conventions, including debates surrounding the Constitution of the Philippines (1987), shaped postgraduate offerings and clinics associated with institutions such as the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines and the Asian Development Bank.

The college occupies facilities within the University of the Philippines Diliman campus near landmarks like the National Science Complex, the Quezon Hall, and the UP Sunken Garden. Facilities include moot courtrooms modeled after venues used by the International Court of Justice, the Asian Development Bank Tribunal practice rooms, and law libraries housing collections on the Civil Code of the Philippines, decisions of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, and international instruments such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Geneva Conventions. The college maintains partnerships with centers like the Institute of Legal Research and Publications, collaborations with foreign law schools including Yale Law School, University of Cambridge Faculty of Law, and exchange programs linked to the ASEAN University Network.

Programs emphasize instruction in subjects including Constitutional law of the Philippines, Administrative law, Criminal law (Philippines), Commercial law, Taxation law, and international legal fields such as Public International Law, International Humanitarian Law, and International Investment Law. The curriculum supports clinics addressing issues before bodies like the International Criminal Court and national agencies such as the Office of the Solicitor General (Philippines), alongside moot teams competing in competitions modeled on the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, the Vis East Moot, and the Red Cross International Humanitarian Law Moot. Graduate options include programs preparing for roles in institutions like the Supreme Court of the Philippines, the Department of Justice (Philippines), and international organizations such as the United Nations and the World Bank.

Admissions processes align with standards comparable to law schools including Ateneo de Manila University School of Law, San Beda University College of Law, and select international programs such as National University of Singapore Faculty of Law; applicants present credentials reflecting undergraduate programs at universities like the University of the Philippines Diliman, Ateneo de Manila University, and De La Salle University. Bar performance is often measured against the Bar Examination (Philippines) results, and graduates have achieved top placings comparable to alumni from Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila and Silliman University College of Law, influencing appointments to positions in the Office of the President of the Philippines, the Supreme Court of the Philippines, and diplomatic postings to missions such as the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C..

Student governance and organizations include councils engaging with advocacy similar to groups active during the First Quarter Storm and the EDSA II protests; student publications and legal journals publish analyses on rulings from the Supreme Court of the Philippines, commentaries on laws like the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, and scholarship related to treaties such as the Mutual Defense Treaty (United States–Philippines). Extracurriculars host moot court teams competing in events like the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, the Asian Law Students’ Association conferences, and clinical practice collaborating with NGOs including Amnesty International and the International Commission of Jurists.

Alumni have included Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, senators of the Senate of the Philippines, and cabinet members from administrations such as those of Corazon Aquino, Fidel V. Ramos, and Benigno Aquino III. Faculty and graduates have served in international roles at the International Criminal Court, as counsel in cases before the International Court of Justice, and as legal advisors to institutions like the World Trade Organization and the Asian Development Bank. Prominent figures associated with the college have been linked to landmark cases in the Supreme Court of the Philippines and to national commissions such as the Commission on Elections (Philippines) and the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines.

Category:Law schools in the Philippines