Do You Think Lawyers should be Politicians?

Canon I of the Code of Professional Responsibility of Lawyers provides:

“A Lawyer shall uphold the Constitution, obey the laws of the land and promote
respect for laws and legal processes.”1
Lawyers have a good idea of the lay of the land in terms of knowledge of the law
and the government structure of our country. They have persevered and sacrificed a
lot of sleepless nights in pursuit of studying the law. This perseverance is still
prevalent in their careers as full-fledged lawyers, as part of being in the legal
profession entail continuous learning.
A politician is a person experienced in the art or science of government and
actively engaged in conducting the business of a government. 2 In this definition,
politics is perceived as an art, a business, and even a science. Politics, like any other
activity has a drive behind it, and it is public service.
Philip Ruddock, the second longest serving parliamentarian in Australia, who
is also a lawyer said, “My view about public life is that you need to have one
objective, and that is to service the people who elect you. I went into public life and
immediately suffered a 50 per cent pay cut. It’s not the most profitable field, but if
you have a personal desire to serve, you can contribute significantly.”3 Lawyers and
Politicians both have a primordial goal, and that is public service. To have the
competencies, knowledge and most importantly, the desire to help the people in the
community.
It is undeniable that the law profession may be linked into the idea of politics,
since most our nation builders are lawyers. Furthermore, out of the 16 Presidents
that the Philippines have had, including the current President, 9 are lawyers, which
means majority of our country’s head of state are lawyers.4
Being a lawyer is however, not an assurance that one could be a good
politician. Lawyers are more comfortable in navigating within the technical know-
how of our government structure and have the ability to make decisions quickly.
They are guided by logical reasoning and foresight, as part of training in law school

1
Chapter I- The Lawyer and Society, Code of Professional Responsibility, June 21, 1988
2
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
3
Do lawyers make good politicians? By Kirrily Schwarz - July 8, 2019
4
Past PHL presidents: Many were lawyers, one a housewife, another a mechanic by Veronica Pulumbarit,
December 17, 2015
and the legal profession. However, they must also equip themselves of “political
competence”. It is, in the organizational sense, understanding what can and cannot
be controlled, assessing the timing of taking action, identifying allies (and resistors),
and determining exactly who or what resources are needed push an agenda forward.
Political competence is about mapping the political terrain, gaining support, and
leading a coalition. It is critical to successful leadership.5
Now, what if lawyers have this political competency and a proficiency in our
laws and the government system? Should all our leaders be lawyers?
I must disagree, if this occurs, we end up having a homogenous government.
The Philippines is known for its diverse culture and its archipelago, which requires
a diversified representation in the government as well. Ideally, the people must be
represented by leaders who are knowledgeable of their plight and their needs as a
community. As explained by Ruddock, “The normative idea is that our
representatives are representative of society as a whole. If anyone profession
dominates, that’s not a good thing. A concern about parliament over recent decades
is the ‘professionalization’ – the diversity of backgrounds has actually narrowed
over time.” 5
Lawyers, can be good politicians. But they must not solely rely on their
knowledge of the government structure and the laws. They must also be adept of the
political climate and the current situation of the people. Of course, the most
important attribute to look into, is the sincerity of a politician to serve the public.

5
To Lead, You Need Political Competence, Take political competence out of the closet by Samuel Bacharach