An engineer and now a lawyer too

MANILA, Philippines – Jhenroniel Rhey Sanchez intentionally tuned out to keep away from any Bar exams-related information. He mentioned he needed to take care of the information on whether or not he handed or failed at his personal tempo.

On the best way dwelling on January 7, one in every of his pals known as him with information he was prompted to take a look at. He turned on his Web connection and noticed for himself what his pal was speaking about: he had topped the 2025 Bar Examinations with a ranking of 92.70%.

“Truthfully I simply needed to go my topics earlier than and after I failed civil process, I simply needed to clear that. I simply needed to graduate from regulation college,” 31-year-old Sanchez mentioned in Rappler Speak interview.

“My complete intention was to go the Bar. So for this reason I maintain repeating that discovering out that apparently I used to be ranked 1 within the Bar examination got here utterly out of left area for me,” he added.

The topnotcher from the College of the Philippines (UP) School of Legislation leads the 5,594 passers out of 11,420 takers who hurdled the examinations chaired by Affiliate Justice Amy Lazaro Javier. Sanchez is the second consecutive examinee from UP to rank first after Kyle Christian Tutor’s feat within the 2024 Bar.

For him, following what he calls a “framework of legal guidelines” is essential if legal professionals are to stay devoted to their oath to guard individuals. This entails prioritizing the immediate supply of justice as a substitute of resorting to dilatory ways.

Being a lawyer, he mentioned, just isn’t solely in regards to the “particular person of the lawyer,” however is extra in regards to the “particular person of the lawyer in relation to society.” Incoming legal professionals like him, he added, shouldn’t overlook the ideas etched within the Code of Skilled Accountability and Accountability, or the code of conduct for legal professionals.

“As a result of, because the Supreme Court docket has talked about, it’s a privilege to turn out to be a lawyer. And it’s as much as the particular person given such privilege to train it responsibly and in accordance with the oath, that she or he, they, had sworn to after they [entered] the occupation,” he mentioned.

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From engineering to lawyering

Earlier than taking on regulation, Sanchez studied electrical engineering at UP Los Baños. A local of Laguna, he accomplished his secondary research in the identical province.

He turned a licensed engineer, however determined to pursue regulation research in 2019 on the UP School of Legislation.

Legislation college was not a breeze for Sanchez as a result of he additionally labored as an assistant researcher on the UP Legislation Middle. For a short second, he additionally labored underneath Taguig Metropolis’s security process power throughout the pandemic. In a while, he settled as a paralegal at a Makati-based agency, the place he labored till his regulation college commencement.

Sanchez mentioned it was his engineering ethics class in faculty that ignited his curiosity in regulation. He discovered lawyering to be fascinating as a result of it’s a occupation “principally regulated by regulation.”

“It was actually simply fascinating to me that you’ve a occupation, you outline a occupation by regulation and you then regulate it by regulation as a result of if you’re not likely conscious of this stuff, you simply take it as a reality,” he mentioned. “So it’s simply actually fascinating…[that] there’s an exterior construction that must be created first earlier than one thing is a occupation.”

After that realization, he appeared extra intently on the authorized occupation and determined to take the Philippine Legislation College Admission Check and the UP Legislation Aptitude Examination.

“And I used to be like, effectively, nasimulan na natin, tapusin natin (we already began it, would possibly as effectively end it). Basically, it’s sort of humorous to say, nevertheless it’s quite simple. I went by way of regulation college as a result of I needed to be a lawyer,” the topnotcher advised Rappler.

His engineering background got here in helpful for his regulation research, in keeping with Sanchez.

He defined that in engineering, college students are required to unravel an equation after which clarify their work. This apply gave them the power to hint issues — from the ideas given to them as much as the answer to the issue at hand.

Sanchez mentioned this coaching helped as a result of it allowed him to digest readings utilizing a step-by-step technique, enabling him to know instances higher.

“Additionally, I suppose engineering additionally taught me that issues could also be tough, however you will discover an answer for them, which helps, definitely, on the actually tough questions. You possibly can conjure up an answer you probably have a comparatively agency understanding of the fundamentals, and that’s price a shot in regulation college as a result of typically it’s not about having a proper reply, nevertheless it’s the way you arrived at your reply which might garner you extra factors,” the topnotcher shared.

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An ‘common’ student

Sanchez was a quiet pupil in regulation college who wasn’t actually a lot into extracurricular actions. At school, the topnotcher mentioned he was simply a mean pupil who did his finest to go all his topics.

He mentioned he by no means aimed for any honors or to be on the prime of the category. In his years of finding out, Sanchez discovered that intelligence actually does matter to outlive, “however there may be an outsized contribution [of] tenacity or grit.”

“A variety of finding out is admittedly simply an endurance recreation. So, you’ll simply need to maintain pushing…however to not the purpose that you just’re already self-destructing,” the topnotcher mentioned.

Like different regulation college students, Sanchez knew the way to handle his time effectively. Throughout work hours, his job was his solely focus. Since he was a working pupil, he attended night lessons till round 9 pm and would research as much as 11 pm or 12 am, then relaxation. For him, round 5 to 6 hours of sleep, though not enough to restart the physique, was already a luxurious.

Though Sanchez described himself as an “common” pupil, his regulation college run was not a easy one. He confronted a setback when he failed his civil process topic, usually thought-about one of many hardest topics in regulation college due to its rigidity and guidelines hooked up to it. He surmised that the explanation he failed it at first strive was as a result of he was not good at deciphering and making use of guidelines in civil process.

Sanchez discovered a factor or two from it, particularly the significance of not dwelling on errors. Him being in night lessons additionally helped, he mentioned, because the day’s fast finish helped take his thoughts off these missteps.

He mentioned, “You’ll have a foul end result. You’ll have a foul day. You’ll have a foul examination. And I believe it is a little little bit of a bonus [for those in the] night lessons. You’ll understand that each one of those unhealthy moments is just for that day” and there’s no level in dwelling on them the subsequent day.

Work the next day which required his focus compelled him to maneuver on. His takeaway? “Don’t dwell on [setbacks] an excessive amount of, however nonetheless acknowledge that you’ll have finished one thing incorrect.”

Legislation college students and professors alike agree that regulation college just isn’t straightforward. Sanchez’s recommendation to aspiring legal professionals is for them to simply accept that regulation college will probably be powerful and can current numerous challenges that they might want to hurdle.

“However for those who personally don’t assume that you are able to do it, then perhaps it’s time to rethink. Nonetheless, there isn’t a disgrace in that as a result of determining what you wish to do is a really sophisticated query,” he mentioned.

“However then for those who determine that, ‘Sure, that is for me. I need this.’ Effectively, congratulations as effectively. You additionally decided relating to your self and also you’ll simply need to grit your tooth and bear it,” the topnotcher added. – Rappler.com