Filipino Lawyer Career Path: College to Bar to Senior Counsel

Filipino Lawyer Career Path: College to Bar to Senior Counsel

Becoming a Filipino lawyer takes about nine years from the start of college: a four-year undergraduate degree, four years of law school (JD), then Bar review and the Bar exam run by the Supreme Court.

The path in order

Pre-law degrees

Common choices:

• Political Science
• Philosophy
• Legal Management
• Communication
• Psychology
• History
• Economics, Accountancy and other fields

No specific degree is required for law school. Good grades and strong reading and writing skills matter most.

Law schools

Well-known law schools include the UP College of Law, the Ateneo Law School, San Beda's College of Law, the UST Faculty of Civil Law, the FEU Institute of Law and De La Salle's College of Law, plus many schools in the regions. Tuition varies a lot between state and private schools, and books and Bar review add to the cost. Ask each school for its full fee schedule.

Law school admission

Each law school sets its own admission requirements, which usually include:

• A bachelor's degree
• The school's own admission test and/or interview
• Your undergraduate grades
• Recommendation letters and an essay at some schools

The PhilSAT is no longer a mandatory requirement: the Supreme Court struck it down in Pimentel v. Legal Education Board, leaving admission to each school.

The Bar exam

Format (2026 Bar)

• Three exam days: September 6, 9 and 13, 2026
• Six subjects, taken electronically at testing centers around the country
• Run by the Supreme Court once a year

Subjects and weights (2026 Bar)

• Political and Public International Law (15%)
• Commercial and Taxation Laws (20%)
• Civil Law and Land Titles and Deeds (20%)
• Labor Law and Social Legislation (10%)
• Criminal Law (10%)
• Remedial Law, Legal and Judicial Ethics, with Practical Exercises (25%)

Passing rule

A weighted average of 75% across all subjects.

Recent results

In the 2025 Bar, 5,594 of the 11,420 examinees who completed all three days passed (48.98%). The 2026 Bar has been held; the Supreme Court hasn't released the results yet.

Bar review

Most graduates spend several months in full-time review, through a review center, their law school's program or self-study.

Career stages after the Bar

Stage 1: New lawyer (years 0-3)

• Associate at a law firm
• Solo or small practice
• Government lawyer (prosecutor, public attorney, agency legal officer)
• In-house counsel at a company

Stage 2: Mid-career (years 4-10)

• Senior associate, then junior partner at a firm
• Senior in-house counsel
• Senior government legal posts

Stage 3: Senior (years 10+)

• Law firm partner
• General counsel of a large company
• Senior government posts and the judiciary
• An established solo or boutique practice

Pay at every stage varies widely by firm, specialty, city and client base. Government lawyers are paid by salary grade, with government benefits. Talk to lawyers in the kind of practice you want rather than relying on salary lists.

Major law firms

Large Philippine firms include SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan, Romulo Mabanta, Quisumbing Torres (a member firm of Baker McKenzie), ACCRALAW, Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos, Castillo Laman Tan Pantaleon & San Jose and Puno & Puno.

Common specializations

• Corporate law (M&A, securities)
• Tax law
• Litigation
• Labor law
• Family law
• Criminal law
• Intellectual property
• Environmental law
• Immigration law
• Constitutional and administrative law

Where Super Tutor fits

Super Tutor doesn't have a reviewer for the Bar exam. For the first step, a strong pre-law degree, Super Tutor has reviewers for the main college entrance tests: UPCAT (with full mock exams), ACET, DLSU's DCAT, USTET, PUPCET, the FEU and CEU entrance exams, MSU-SASE, and the DOST-SEI scholarship exam. See every exam Super Tutor covers or start free — 5-day trial, no card needed.

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