Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo said on Thursday (April 13) that the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability (CPRA) will serve as compass for lawyers.
“Ethics, the guiding principle that shapes our actions, lies at the heart of our legal practice,” he said during the launch of the CPRA.
“CPRA serves as a compass, directing us towards moral and just conduct,” he declared.
Gesmundo pointed out that, as members of the legal profession, “our actions determine the trust reposed by the people on us.”
“By adhering to a legal conduct, we maintain the honor and dignity of our profession, establish a brotherhood among ourselves, and ensure our faithful compliance with our duties and obligations not only to the legal profession but to the courts as well, not only to our clients, but also to the public and nation in general,” he stated.
The CPRA updated the 34-year old Code of Conduct of Professional Responsibility (CPR).
Gesmundo said the explained “ the CPRA is no mere revision; it is an overhaul- an overhaul on the approach and attitude by lawyers of their ethical responsibility in the new era of law practice- an era of more attuned, more responsible, and more accountable legal practice.”
“True enough, far from delineating our responsibilities to society, the legal profession, the courts, and our clients, as embodied in the old CPR, CPRA distilled the core values underpinning the practice of our profession,” he pointed out.
“No longer a four-fold compartmentalization of our duties and obligations, CPRA hinged on these core values to provide us with an encompassing guide in the conduct of our professional lives,” he added.
