LEGALED ATION BOARD Ground lor, Red Cross Building Carls P. Garcia Avenue, UP Diliman (Quezon ity Tele (632)929-6929, (632)929-6021/929.6934 ‘worrlebgow pi omailegaledcationboard@ymalleom. RESOLUTION No. 2019-406 ARESOLUTION SETTING THE GRADUATE-LEVEL DEGREE EQUIVALENCY OF THE BASIC LAW COURSE Whereas, starting in 1994, the powers to administer the legal education system of the country and to supervise law schools were lodged with the Legal Education Board (LEB) by virtue of Republic Act No. 7662, entitled the “Legal Education Reform Act of 1993”; Whereas, on August 22, 2002, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) issued CHED Memorandum Order (CMO) No. 18, Series of 2002, declaring that holders of the Bachelor of Laws (LLB, Degree with bar eligibility may be considered as having the equivalent of a Master's Degree {for purposes of evaluating their qualification for a position and in determining their compensation; Whereas, on July 03, 2013, the Civil Service Commission (CSC) issued Memorandum Circular No. 14, Series of 2013 recognizing that the completion of the LIB. Degree shall be considered appropriate education to division chief and executive/managerial positions or other positions requiring a master’s degree; Whereas, pursuant to LEB Memorandum Order (LEBMO) No. 1, Series of 2011, the LEB considered both the LI.B. and the Juris Doctor (J.D.) degrees as basic law degrees; Whereas, Section 16 of LEBMO No. 1, Series of 2011, in relation to Section 6 of Rule 138 of the Rules of Court, requires that a bachelor’s degree be first completed by anyone seeking to be admitted to the LLB. or J.D. program of studies; Whereas, on December 1, 2018, the LEB issued LEBMO No. 19, Series of 2018, adopting the .D. Degree as the universal academic degree for all graduates of the basic law course in the Philippines, discontinuing the use of the LLB. Degree, and considering past LL.B. Degrees conferred as equivalent to the J.D. Degree; Whereas, even as the J.D. Degree is declared as a “professional doctorate” degree in LEBMO No. 1, Series of 2011, the LEB, however, did not specify as to what academic graduate degree it is equivalent to; Whereas, the LEB, being the government agency that administers the legal education system in the country pursuant to law, is the appropriate government authority that should determine the academic degree equivalency of the basic law degree; Whereas, there is confusion as to what academic graduate degree level is the basic law degree equivalent to because of the following reasons: + Thereis yet no LEB issuance that fixes the academic graduate degree to which the basic law degree is equivalent to;+ CMO No. 18, Series of 2002 is not aligned with CSC Memorandum Circular No. 14, Series of 2013, as the former requires admission to the practice of law before the basic law degree may be considered as equivalent to a master's degree, while the latter does hot require it; + The requirement of admission to the practice of law before a basic law degree holder is considered to be equivalent to a master’s degree holder is misplaced since the degree is earned upon graduation or conferment by a higher education institution, not when the professional license is issued by the Professional Regulation Commission, Moreover, many academic disciplines are not covered by licensure requirement; and * The basic law degrees (whether LLB. or J.D.) are graduate degrees, and cannot be considered as bachelor’s degrees because the LLB. or |.D. program of studies require, for purposes of admission, the prior completion of a bachelor’s degree; Whereas, it is unreasonable and unfair to consider the basic law degrees as merely equivalent to a master’s degree due to the following distinctions: + The total coursework to acquire a master’s degree is approximately 36 to 40 units only, while for the basic law degrees the minimum coursework requirement is 152 to 168 units; and + The curricular duration of a master’s degree course is only 2 years, while it is 4 years for the basic law course; Whereas, it is equitable and fair to consider the basic law degrees, now consolidated to J.D. Degree, equivalent to an academic doctoral degree in other disciplines for the following reason: + The total aggregate graduate-level curricular requirement to finish a doctoral degree is approximately 100 units (combined for master’s and doctoral studies), with a dissertation, while the curricular requirement to finish the J.D. Degree Non-Thesis (previously LLB. Degree) and the |.D. Degree with Thesis are 152 units and 168 units, respectively; + While the basic law degrees do not require a dissertation, its curricular requirement is, however, significantly more than that for doctoral studies; and + The curricular duration to complete the combined master’s and doctoral studies is substantially the same as that for the basic law course; Whereas, during the consultation meeting conducted by the LEB on December 11, 2018 attended by representatives from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Civil Service Commission (CSC), Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC), the Polytechnic University of the Philippines and the University of Makati, no objection was interposed towards considering holders of the basic law degrees (LLB. or J.D.) as equivalent or appropriate education for purposes of appointment/employment, ranking and compensation to that of doctoral degree holders in other academic disciplines; Wherefore, be it resolved, as it is hereby resolved, that the basic law degrees (whether LLB. or J.D.) earned from law schools recognized or supervised by the LEB and its predecessor regulatory agencies shall be considered as equivalent to doctoral degrees in other non-law academic disciplines for purposes of appointment/employment, ranking, and compensation;Resolved, further, that graduate law degrees, such as Master of Laws (LLM.), Doctor of Civil Law, or Doctor of Juridical Science, earned from graduate schools of law recognized or supervised by the LEB and its predecessor regulatory agencies shall be considered as additional degrees for purposes of promotion, ranking and compensation in accordance with the rules and regulations of the agency or institution; Resolved, also, that this Resolution does not in any way amend or modify Section 51 of LEBMO No. 1, Series of 2011, which sets the minimum academic qualification of law school deans to LLM, and Resolution No. 2014-02, adopted by the LEB on December 10, 2014, as supplemented by LEBMO No. 17, Series of 2018, which required that a percentage of faculty members of law schools to be holders of LLM. degrees or are exempted therefrom; Resolved, additionally, that copies of this Resolution be furnished to the Supreme Court, DBM, CSC, CHED, IBP, PASUG, and the Philippine Association of Law Schools; Resolved, moreover, that if any provision hereof is declared unconstitutional, the ns shall remain valid and effective. All orders, circulars, resolutions, or regulations, or parts thereof, that are contrary to, or inconsistent with this Resolution, are hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly; Resolved, finally, that this Resolution shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its public: a newspaper of general circulation, and deposit of a copy with the National Administrative Register of the University of the Philippines Law Center. Adopted and approved unanimously this January 9, 2019 in Quezon City, Philippines. Chairman FEB. ANONUEVO Member ABELARDO T. DOMONDON CATHE! . VEDROSA Member MM@nber MICHELLE DIANA|P. MANIWANG-BASA Member/CHED Chair Representative