Results of the 2009 Bar Exams to be revealed Friday

Justices of the Supreme Court will hold a special en banc session Friday morning where Associate Justice Eduardo Nachura, chairperson of the 2009 Committee on Bar Examination, will present exam results to the magistrates, who will set the passing percentage. A total of 5,903 law graduates from 109 law schools nationwide finished the exams held on September 6, 13, 20 and October 4, according to the Office of the Bar Confidant.

Justices of the Supreme Court will hold a special en banc session Friday morning where Associate Justice Eduardo Nachura, chairperson of the 2009 Committee on Bar Examination, will present exam results to the magistrates, who will set the passing percentage.

Justice Antonio Eduardo B. Nachura, Chairperson of the 2009 Committee on Bar Examinations, said the list of the names will be displayed in LCD projectors to be strategically displayed at the Supreme Court front yard near its Padre Faura entrance. The results can be viewed simultaneously at the High Court’s official website.

Figures from the Office of the Bar Confidant headed by Deputy Clerk of Court and Bar Confidant Atty. Ma. Cristina B. Layusa showed a total of 5,903 law graduates from 109 law schools nationwide finished the exams held on September 6, 13, and 20, and October 4, 2009 at the De La Salle University in Taft Avenue, Manila. The Bar exams are traditionally held in four consecutive Sundays of September but the High Court had to reset to October 4, 2009 the last exam week due to the widespread flooding brought about by Typhoon Ondoy.

The names of the 2009 Bar examiners will also be revealed this Friday. The 2009 Bar exams marked the first time that not one but two examiners were designated as examiners in each of the eight Bar examination subjects. Thus, every Bar subject would be divided into two parts, with each designated examiner assigned a specific scope.

In February last year, the SC, upon the recommendation of the Committee on Legal Education and Bar Matters, approved the proposal of Deputy Clerk of Court and Bar Confidant Atty. Ma. Cristina B. Layusa to designate two examiners per Bar subject.

The Rules of Court provide that “a candidate may be deemed to have passed his examination successfully if he has obtained a general average of 75% in all subjects without falling below 50% in any subject.” In determining the average, subjects in the examinations are given the following relative weights: Political and International Law, 15%; Labor and Social Legislation, 10%; Civil Law, 15%; Taxation, 10%; Mercantile Law, 15%; Criminal Law, 10%; Remedial Law, 20%; and Legal Ethics and Practical Exercises, 5%, for a total of 100%.

The Corpus Juris news team will be on site at the Supreme Court tomorrow in order to receive a copy of the official list of bar passers and will post the list on the site as within the hour of its release. Stay tuned for more details.

The following are the statistics on the Bar exams results for the past eight years: