ASSIGNMENT ON LEGAL ENGLISH

By: Edsel Ian S. Fuentes

JD-NT 1

Legal English 1L-FR

Schedule: 8:00-10:00 PM Thursday

Submitted to: Atty. Kara Noveda

Submitted on: April 22,2021

 SUMMARY
May the IBP "Standard Minimum Attorney's Fees
Schedule" be deemed as anti-competitive?

The practice of law is not a business and money-making trade, but rather it is a noble,
sacred, and respectable profession which its primary task is to render public service. However,
lawyer as individuals are entitled to earn a living to support himself and his growing family and
to afford a decent quality of life.

The prescribed Standard minimum Attorney’s Fees by the IBP ensures the free
competition between law firms and lawyers alike as this would prevent Monopoly. When
unethical low rates is committed by a law firm or a lawyer, this would result the majority of the
prospective clients to avail to such services. Hence, it will result to a monopoly of legal services
and the only way to compete with such is to also charge low rates or even lower to gain market
advantages. This is degrading to the legal profession and would result to a substandard quality
of legal services as lawyers would want earn a livelihood by having many clients to charge a low
rates to sustain a decent life.

The Objective of “the minimum Standard Attorney’s fee” is to establish a standard rates
of legal service that is reasonable, affordable, and would promote free-competition among
lawyers. This would ensure a livelihood to lawyers to support his family and afford a decent life.
Furthermore, The Quality of legal service would improve as it would be the only way to gain more
clients. The latter will most likely avail services from law firm or lawyers with good track records
and quality of service since all rates of service are uniform, thus promoting free competition and
improving the quality of Legal services.

This Market characteristic is analogous to any other profession and industry like medical
services, engineering services, and other commerce of product and services. Establishing
standard rates does not prevent or prohibit other competitors from entering the market, rather
it encourages innovation, improvement of quality of services, and higher standard of profession
as this would be the appropriate way in being successful in such commerce or industry. Such
standards of pricing in any industry prevents the decrease of pricing in order to increase sales
volume, thus sacrificing the quality of product or service. Professionals and businessman alike in
this scenario will not focus on quality of service but more on mass production and increasing
transaction size to gain profit. Therefore, the IBP standard minimum attorney’s fees promotes
free competition amongst lawyer and upholds the integrity and sanctity of the legal profession.