Legal education reforms, Board creation

General objectives include preparing students for law practice, promoting social awareness, leadership training, and improving justice administration.
Specific aims: broad knowledge of law, enhanced research abilities, preparation for advocacy and problem-solving, specialization competence, continuing education, ethical responsibility, and loyal profession adherence.

Creation of the Legal Education Board (the Board) attached to the Department of Education, Culture and Sports for budget and administrative support.
Composition: Chairman (preferably a former Supreme Court or Court of Appeals justice), representatives from the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, Philippine Association of Law Schools, Philippine Association of Law Professors, active law practitioners, and law students.
Secretary of the Department of Education as ex officio member.
Qualifications: Except student representative, members must be natural-born Filipinos, Philippine Bar members with at least ten years of law practice and teaching experience.

Board members appointed by the President for five-year terms without reappointment.
Initial staggered terms to ensure member rotation.
Appointments from a Judicial and Bar Council-prepared list with Supreme Court authorization.
No confirmation needed by the Commission on Appointments.
Compensation equivalent to Constitutional Commission members, with salary protection during tenure.

Administer the legal education system.
Supervise law schools and set accreditation standards emphasizing enrollment, faculty qualifications, and facilities without infringing academic freedom.
Accredit law schools meeting standards.
Prescribe minimum law admission standards, faculty qualifications, and compensation.
Establish basic curricula aligned with Bar admission and law practice needs.
Require a law practice internship up to 12 months with accredited offices or legal assistance groups, with prescribed guidelines.
Implement continuing legal education, possibly mandatory for practicing lawyers.
Formulate rules to further Act objectives.

The Board may withdraw or downgrade accreditation if standards are not maintained.
Effectivity delayed until after the following semester or trimester to allow compliance or corrections by the school.

Created as a special endowment fund controlled by the Board, administered by the Social Security System.
Fund sourced from appropriations, 60% of privilege tax from lawyers starting FY 1994, and donations/grants.
Only interest earned used for law education purposes: faculty development, professorial chairs, library improvements, Board operations.
Up to 10% of interest may be used for Board operational expenses.
Board, with SSS, to issue rules on fund administration.

Applies to all current and future law schools under Department of Education supervision, now transferred to the Board.

Initial P1,000,000 from Contingent Fund for Board startup expenses.
Annual appropriation of P10,000,000 for ten years starting FY 1994 for the Legal Education Fund under the Department of Education budget.

Unconstitutional provisions or applications do not invalidate other parts or applications of the Act.

Laws and regulations inconsistent with this Act are repealed or amended accordingly.

The Act takes effect 15 days after publication in the Official Gazette or two newspapers of general circulation.