Editing UP College of Law (section)

== ''' Purpose and Functions of the Law School''' ==


The University of the Philippines College of Law is an institution acknowledged for its continuing commitment to academic excellence and service to the public.  This recognition is the product of an ongoing effort to transform itself so that it can be a catalyst for change in our legal institutions.

The transformation of the College has been from a professional school to a law complex with a triad of functions:  1) instruction, 2) research, and 3) extension service.  The change has its bases in that the College is an institution maintained by the people, and it must serve the people by being responsive to the growing legal and other law-related needs of all Filipinos.

Thus, the legal mandate for the Law Complex spells out its role as a resource for the legal development of the nation:

“The U.P. Law Complex as an integrated system of national legal institutions within the University of the Philippines shall be dedicated to teaching, research, training, information, and legal extension service to ensure a just society.  It shall always be responsive to the challenges of social change, and shall be relevant to the growing legal and other law-related needs of the Filipino people.”  (1021st Meeting of U.P. Board of Regents, May 29, 1989).
The Law Center was integrated into the College in the reorganization approved by the Board of Regents in 1989.

The objectives of the College (including the Law Center) have been restated thus:

1.    To discover and transmit knowledge of the law so as to achieve distributive justice for all.

2.    To train students for the practice of law, instilling in them the ethical responsibilities of the legal profession and the social responsibility to work for the attainment of a just and humane society.

3.    To contribute to the improvement of the legal system and the quality administration of the system of justice in our society for the full protection of human rights.

4.    To train lawyers for leadership that is innovative and responsive to the needs and aspirations of the Filipino people.

5.    To develop a new level of legal education with a view to enhancing knowledge of the law on the part of the citizenry, and as part of general education.

The purpose is to produce lawyers who are not only superior legal craftsmen but also socially conscious leaders who will promote the public interest above that of individual clients and pressure groups.  This can be achieved only by viewing the law as part of the social process and by studying it in relation to related social services and disciplines.

The Law Center is composed of 4 institutes created in 1989, namely:

1. [[Institute of Government and Law Reform]] (IGLR)<br />
2. [[Institute of Human Rights]] (IHR)<br />
3. [[Institute of International Legal Studies]] (IILS)<br />
4. [[Institute for Administration of Justice]] (IAJ)