by Shenellyn Pineda and Jaime Luna
MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court (SC) has amended Rule 138 of the Rules of Court and changed the “one-time use” policy on bar refresher courses under AM No. 24-10-05 SC, now giving aspiring lawyers who failed the bar examination a wider window to qualify for retakes.
Under the new rule in Section 15, examinees who have completed their fourth-year review course shall be given a maximum of three (3) bar years within which to take the bar examinations. This marks a departure from the previous rule, which required examinees to retake and pass a full fourth-year refresher course and pre-bar review after each failed attempt.
The change forms part of the High Court’s Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations (SPJI) 2022–2027, which seeks to make bar admissions more inclusive and less prohibitive for long-term examinees.
Supreme Court spokesperson Atty. Camille Ting said that the amendment aims to reduce the financial and academic strain of repeatedly enrolling in the same curriculum after a single unsuccessful try. Allowing candidates to complete the refresher requirement once and use it across three bar cycles, provided they submit the necessary school certification as proof of compliance.
THE BARRISTER 