Gadon should rethink his conduct in public – lawyer

MANILA, Philippines — Suspended lawyer Lorenzo “Larry” Gadon should reconsider how he behaves in public, lawyer Barry Gutierrez, spokesperson of Vice President Leni Robredo, said Sunday.

Gutierrez made the remark on Sunday after a day after news came out that the Supreme Court had suspended Gadon from practicing law for three months for using “abusive” and “offensive” language.

“Maybe while he’s in Russia [as part of the entourage of President Rodrigo Duterte], he should think if he should continue with this kind of dealing with people,” Gutierrez, speaking in Filipino, said during “BISErbisyong LENI,” Robredo’s weekly radio show aired over AM station DZXL.

“If he repeats it again, maybe he would be disbarred,” Gutierrez, who is Robredo’s spokesperson, added.

“While suspended, Gadon could not get clients, could not face the court, and could not provide legal advice since it’s all part of the legal practice,” he noted.

According to the 10-page decision by the Supreme Court, the case stemmed from a 2009 complaint filed by a dermatologist against Gadon.

The complainant said that Gadon’s words in a letter back then were “thoroughly unbecoming of a member of the bar to write.”

READ: SC suspends lawyer Gadon for ‘abusive, offensive’ language

“It’s clear that, as a lawyer, part of your duty is to follow the Code of Professional Responsibility. That policy does not only guide lawyers on in their dealings with clients and their conduct in courts but also how they live their lives,” Gutierrez said.

“Being a lawyer is a profession. And based on this Code of Professional Responsibility, we would want lawyers, even in their personal relations, especially in public, to behave properly as this would reflect on the entire profession,” he went on.

As for the part of Gadon’s failure to attend mandatory seminars for lawyers for 10 years, Gutierrez said that he should think of his plan regarding the issue.

According to Gutierrez, lawyers are required to attend the seminars as part of their continuing legal education every three years.

/atm