About the School of Law

The University of San Jose-Recoletos as part of its graduate school program offers the course Bachelor of Laws. The Bachelor of Laws degree is a course offered to those who desire to be part of the Philippine Bar pursuant to Rule 138 of the Rules of Court and Bar Matter 1161 issued by the Supreme Court.

Partners

The School of Law has continuously aimed to partner with various organizations and offices in the country and abroad to broaden opportunities for its faculty and students alike. Established linkages included the following:

Legal Education Board (LEB)
CD Asia
Cebu Law Books Publishing Companies
Philippine Association of Law Schools
Association of Law Students in the Philippines (ALSP)
Supreme Court of the Philippines
Recoletos Schools in the Country
Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP)
Cebu and Cebu City Government
Other Non-Government Offices

Operational Objectives

The primary goal of the School of Law is to develop and produce good Christian and socially-oriented lawyers.

Specifically, in line with the goal of promoting quality, Christian education which is community-oriented, the School of Law expects its graduates to:

a. Imbibe and practice high ethical principles as proper guidelines in their professional and private life;

b. Be proficient in advocacy, counseling, and decision-making and able to intelligently deal with the recognized legal problems of the present as well as the anticipated problems of the future;

c. Possess the desire and capacity for continuing study and self-improvement;

d. Help promote the general objectives of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, which are:

1.) Elevation of the standards of the legal profession;

2.) Improvement of the administration of justice, and

3.) Encouragement of the Bar to discharge its public responsibility more effectively, and

e. Be involved with community projects by providing legal assistance to indigent families, non-formal education programs in matters relating to law and order, and conduct other activities which call for legal expertise.

History

The University of San Jose-Recoletos opened its College of Law during the academic year of 1952 – 1953 with Atty. Juan Yap, as the first dean who later became Judge of the Court of First Instance of Sorsogon,. The College started with Freshmen and Sophomore classes. In the year 1955 – 1956, Junior and Senior classes were offered. The first graduates took the Bar

Examination in 1956. Dean Yap was followed by Atty. Eddy Deen in 1959 who was in turn succeeded in 1965 by Marcelo B. Fernan who later on occupied the two highest positions in government namely, the Legislative Department, as Senate President and the Judiciary as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. He was succeeded in 1987 by the Dean, Atty. Alicia E. Bathan. Thereafter, in 2005, the deanship was passed on to Atty. Jonathan P. Capanas who heads the office to this day.

Under the leadership of Dean Jonathan P. Capanas and as approved by the School Board of the University of San Jose Recoletos, the department changed its name to School of Law to accommodate the various programs in line with its academic objectives and legal advocacy.

In 2006, the School of Law of USJ-R merged and established ties with other Recoletos Law Schools in the country particularly San Sebastian College-Recoletos in Manila and opened the Recoletos Law Center. The center houses the Pre-Bar Review, Advanced Pre-Bar Review and Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Program among others. To date, the Recoletos Law Center Bar Review in Cebu remains to be the biggest law review center outside Metro Manila while the Recoletos Law Review Center in Manila is biggest law review center in country.