Bar exam permits now available

MANILA, Philippines – This year’s bar examinees with numbers 1 up to 5,000 may now pick up their 2011 Bar examination permits, the Office of the Bar Confidant (OBC) has announced.

The permits may be picked up at the OBC office at the Supreme Court-Court of Appeals Multi-Purpose Building on Padre Faura, Manila, the OBC said in a statement Friday.

Those with examinee numbers above 5,000 are advised to call the OBC at telephone numbers 5268122 and 5257929 to confirm if their permits are also available for pickup, according to Deputy Clerk of Court and Bar Confidant Ma. Cristina Layusa.

Justice Roberto Abad is the Chairperson of the 2011 Committee on Bar Examinations.

Traditionally held in September, the bar exam has been moved to November this year.

The exam will also introduce for the first time the multiple-choice format.

The examinees, however, will still have to answer essay-type questions, which will require the preparation of a trial memorandum or decision based on a documented legal dispute.

“This essay will account for 60 percent of the exam’s essay portion. The remaining 40 percent will be covered by an essay which will require the Bar candidate to prepare a written opinion sought by a client concerning a potential legal dispute facing him or her,” the OBC statement said.

The following are the topics for each day of the exam, as advised by the OBC: Political and International Law, Labor and Social Legislation and Taxation (first day); Civil Law and Mercantile Law (second day); Remedial Law and Legal Ethics and Forms and Criminal Law (third day); and Trial Memorandum and Legal Opinion (fourth day).