Sorry for the lack of posts recently. I've been finishing up Round One in preparation for the exams on October. Truth is I've been trolling tumblr, I just don't post anything because I haven't written anything. And since it's only two more months until D-day, I've decided to write about all the materials I've used so far. This will, hopefully, gauge me if my preparations are enough (will it ever?).
The first two subjects I read were Labor and Political Laws. I used Professor Antonio Abad's Compendium on Labor Law because it was class-assigned and he was my review prof last year. I heard it isn't as comprehensive as the Azucena book so I will try to peep into it this month as well. The good thing about the Abad book is that it covers jurisdiction pretty well. He dwells more on Labor Relations than Labor Standards too.
For Political Law, I read Justice Antonio Nachura's Outline/Reviewer on Political Law. It was either that or Fr. Bernas', and many of my friends recommended the former. The Constitutional Law part in the Nachura book is quite comprehensive. It pretty much sums up Criminal Procedure too. But I think I have to read it again because it took me so long to read it before. One thing though, I still need additional material for the International Law part.
Next on my list was Remedial Law. I tried to read Dean Riano's Bar Lecture Series, but it was too long (and a bit repetitive). So I attended his lectures and read the codal instead. I don't know if this will help me much, but having Rem under Professors Avena, Sanidad, and Vinluan - doesn't get any better than that.
Since Rem was hard core at 20%, I decided to read something light in between: Ethics. I used the San Beda Red Notes and codal. When in doubt, go codal. After all, last year's topnotchers from UP all said that it is imperative that we go back to our codals. That's exactly what I did! My codal spree went as far as Criminal Law and half of Commercial Law. For Criminal Law, I read Justice Sandoval's Pointers and attended the lectures.
One of my weak subjects was Commercial Law, so I decided to work on that next. It was difficult finding that perfect material to cover the entire subject visavis the bar outline. I ended up reading three materials: Sundiang, Catindig and Villanueva. I also attended Dean Sundiang's lectures on the Negotiable Instruments Law and Insurance Code, plus Professor Catindig's discussion on the Banking Laws. Corporation Law is very important so I made sure to read Prof. Villanueva's notes for that.
I realised that having many materials would only work on the first reading. This is the time when you refresh yourself of the past courses, and integrate them as one field of law. Somehow, I managed to take notes on some of the lectures I attended. This helped me a lot on the morning of the mock bar exam.
My last two subjects were the heaviest - for me. I wanted to make sure I had time for them; that I wasn't rushing to finish everything. For Civil Law, I read Justice Sempio-Dy's Succession in a Nutshell and Handbook on the Family Code. But for the big three - Obligations, Contracts, and Property - and everything else, I referred to Justice Jurado. It took me about three and a half weeks to read, but it was worth it. I tried to keep notes, but stopped mid-Sales because everything was in the codal already. So I made sure to read the book along with the codal.
Last, but definitely not the least, was Taxation Law. My main reference was Atty. Co-untiang's Tax Digest. It was short, straight to the point, and easy to read. He focuses on concepts that are usually asked in the exams. And then I supplemented it with Atty. Mamalateo's Reviewer on Taxation for those parts which I'm still not confident about (eg. VAT).
To sum it up, here's what I read for Round One:
Labor Law: Compendium on Labor Law, Prof. Antonio Abad
Political Law: codal; Outline/Reviewer on Political Law, Justice Antonio Nachura
Remedial Law: codal and San Sebastian handouts
Legal Ethics: codal and San Beda Red Notes 2013
Criminal Law: codal and Pointers in Criminal Law, Justice Edilberto Sandoval
Commercial Law: codal; San Sebastian handouts; Notes on Selected Commercial Laws, Prof. Tristan Catindig; Reviewer on Commercial Law, Dean Jose Sundiang; Commercial Law Review, Prof. Villanueva
Civil Law: codal; Succession in a Nutshell, Justice Alicia Sempio-Dy; Handbook on the Family Code of the Philippines, Justice Alicia Sempio-Dy; Civil Code Reviewer, Justice Desiderio Jurado
Taxation Law: San Sebastian handouts; Tax Digest, Professor Crescencio Co Untian; Reviewer on Taxation, Atty. Victorino Mamalateo
It is also important to note that every time I finish a subject, I "test" myself by reading the UP Law Center's Bar Q&As. Having a free set has been one of my cherished treasures since April. I do it for light reading too, as when I am too tired to study. It helps to prep up my psyche for when the real deal begins.
Please include me in your prayers as I join the ranks of the bar takers this October. It's a pretty big deal, but I'm already claiming God's promise! Aja! :D
