WHY LAWYERS MATTER - MARVIC

LEONEN (TEDX)
Shakespeare wrote, "The first thing we do, let's kill all the
lawyers." Contrary to what many may think, this line was actually
intended to praise the lawyer's role.

One of his characters in ''Henry VI,'' - Dick the Butcher - was a

rebel who thought that by disrupting law and order, and sowing
chaos -- in this case, by killing all the lawyers - he could become
king. Shakespeare clearly then meant his statement as a
compliment to attorneys and judges -- recognizing their
important role in justice and in society.

We're not sure if Shakespeare was a lawyer. But Marvic Leonen is

most likely better versed on the question of why lawyers matter.
He has molded and helped to create lawyers for all of his
professional life, as a practitioner and advocate, as a teacher and
dean of the UP College of Law, and now as the youngest justice of
the Philippine Supreme Court.

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