The Day I Officially Became a Lawyer

After the results of the bar exams were released a month ago and having learned that I passed the same, I still had to undergo two acts before I could officially become a lawyer. The first was our Oath taking which I attended last week. The second was the signing of the Roll of Attorneys which I did yesterday morning. Thus, i can proudly say that I am already a full-fledged member of the Philippine Bar! :)

It actually feels a bit weird, you know. And it feels particularly peculiar on two points.

First. My group of friends and I agreed to meet up a few minutes before our roll signing. We did such so that we could do our signing consecutively and thus have consecutive roll numbers as well (which, i think, we will use for the rest of our lives). I brought along with me my parents and my sister. L brought her aunt. P was with his mother and Z brought his parents as well. M was missing in action because she was abroad (in J). It felt a bit strange: here we were, a group of soon-to-be lawyers friends doing our normal crazy routines, with our parents and/or relatives on the other corner mingling with each other. It felt like we were in kindergarten. Which I believe we still are. Z brought hangers with him which L had to carry. One of the hangers eventually became part of history as it became part of our pictures. P was in his normal quiet self but every sentence he said had to have a curse which L berated. I was just there laughing my way through when my pen suddenly didn't work as I was about to sign my roll (I still believe it was Z's fault!) and smiling at every picture being taken. It certainly feels good. Moving on and yet staying the same.

Second. Everything that's been happening in my life just seems so surreal. I still can't fully take in the fact that I'm already a lawyer, albeit my health issues and my usual laziness towards studying. I can name so many people who are more deserving to become a lawyer than I. Who would have thought that this spur-of-the-moment decision I made right after college of entering law school would ultimately become my career? And the responsibility and maturity that lawyering entails! I honestly don't think I'm ready for that. What if I'm simply not cut out for it? But despite all these questions and uncertainties in my head, it does feel good to actually achieve something. It's time to move on and change for the better.


On the day I officially became I lawyer, I learned how to move on and resolve which part of me stays the same and which part of me grows.