Punzi's Corner Blog: Oral Arguments

Wednesday, April 05, 2006
This day in history from:

Oral Arguments

I was reading about the oral arguments on Calibrated Preemptive Response in the Supreme Court and Atty. Te's thoughts going into it.

Ten years into law practice, I open my mouth for a living. Be it in court or in a meeting, we do have to be talkative, really and dispense advise (and wit) at a drop of a hat. Of course, I also have to get my fingers busy in churning out pleadings and documents. It's part of the package. But let's not talk about that now.

I have a few cases in the appellate courts (that is, the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals), but all of them are fought (won or lost) on pleadings. Oral arguments in those places are optional, and rare.

I once came this close to my first oral argument. I was chief legal of a very large government corporation and we had this huge case for a preliminary injunction to halt another party from collecting a huge sum of money from up. I helped in the argumentation and research. But unfortunately, it was our lawyers, the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel, who would argue for us before a three-panel division of the Court of Appeals.

To tell you the truth, I was more impressed with the counsel of the opposing party. He was more articulate and more eloquent-- a seasoned veteran and a former constitutional convention member. Our side was tense and tentative (although we were actually represented by the son of a famous Supreme Court Chief Justice, his partner then was less than lackluster).

But I believed in our cause more. Because we were right and it was wrong for them to get that money. And we won.

With my mom and pop law practice, I may never see the day when I argue before the Supremes or even the Justices of the Court of Appeals. But who knows?

I hope I do come prepared. They say those things go on for hours without a meal or bathroom break.

But honestly, though, I'll be more interested when Proclamation No. 1017 goes up for oral arguments.

Disaster relief, sustainable development & community service

Side Prayers

PRAYER FOR GENEROSITY
Lord Jesus,
Teach me to be generous,
Teach me to serve You as You deserve
To give and not to count the cost,
To fight and not to heed the wounds,
To toil and not to seek for rest,
To labor and not to ask for reward,
except that of knowing
That I do Your Holy Will. Amen

THE LAWYER'S PRAYER
May every word I speak be from Your Truth...
I ask come from Your Wisdom...
May every case I handle receive Your Guidance...
May every heart, every life I touch, feel Your Love.

THE JABEZ PRAYER
And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying,
"Oh, that You would bless me indeed,
and enlarge my territory,
that Your Hand be with me,
that You would keep me from evil,
that I may not cause pain."

So God granted him what he requested.

Side Oath

The Lawyer's Oath
I do solemnly swear that
I will maintain allegiance to
the Republic of the Philippines,
I will support its Constitution
and obey the laws as well as
the legal orders of the
duly constituted authorities therein;
I will do no falsehood,
nor consent to the doing of any in court;
I will not wittingly or willingly
promote or sue any groundless,
false or unlawful suit,
nor give aid nor consent to the same;
I will delay no man for money or malice,
and will conduct myself as a lawyer
according to the best of my knowledge
and discretion with all good fidelity
as well to the courts as to my clients;
and I impose upon myself this voluntary obligation
without any mental reservation
or purpose of evasion.
So help me God.

Shameless Sideplugs