THE SUPREME Court has exempted Bar examiners and personnel from the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education for this year.

The Court En Banc granted the MCLE exemption under Rule 7, Section 3 of Bar Matter No. 850 to the Bar takers and personnel who will render services for the upcoming Bar exams.

MCLE is required of members of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines to ensure that throughout their career, they keep abreast with law and jurisprudence, maintain the ethics of the profession and enhance the standards of the practice of law.

In a Resolution dated August 2, 2022, the high court said Bar examiners and members of the Office of the Bar Examinations Chairperson are exempted for one compliance period.

Other Bar personnel are also exempted for one compliance period if they render actual service for four Bar Examination days or partial credit of nine units for each Bar examination day that they render actual service.

“The above exemptions are subject to the proviso that they have complied with all the prescribed protocols and instructions issued by the Bar Examinations Chairperson,” the SC said.

“The MCLE exemption granted under the Resolution may be applied to any compliance period and is subject to the administrative filing of the attestation of exemption under the MCLE procedures,” it added.

Further, the high court said the IBP has waived rendition of 120 hours of legal aid service and attendance to one regional or national convention of the IBP for compliance with its Lifetime Membership for lawyers who render volunteer service as Bar personnel during the 2022 Bar exams.

Instead of these requirements, a certification of such service attested to by the 2022 Bar Examinations Chairperson must be submitted to the IBP as part of the documents in support of the lawyer’s application for Lifetime Membership.

The 2022 Bar exams will be held in November in 14 testing centers nationwide.