Delegates from the Philippines Visit CUNY Law for a Closer Look inside Classrooms

CUNY Law’s renown for its top clinical program officially extends far beyond the United States. On September 28, a delegation from the Philippines arrived in New York City to observe and study the work of the CUNY School of Law up close. “CUNY Law has an unparalleled reputation,” said Judge Rigor Pascual, who led the group of eight. “We’ve learned so much and thank the CUNY Law community for spending the day with us.”

From our hands-on training in both our lawyering seminars and clinics, they plan to take best practices and human need-centered approaches into the national requirement by revision of the Philippine Supreme Court Rule 138-A, mandating all 125 law schools in the country offer and train students in clinical legal education. The group participated in class observations in the Human Rights & Gender Justice and Equality & Justice Practice Clinics and had a conversation with the faculty of the Lawyering Program. Beyond the classroom, the delegation connected with students, staff, and faculty during coffee and reception hours hosted by Dean Sudha Setty’s office.

The delegation grew out of collaborations between Filipino academics and jurists and CUNY Law Professor Eduardo R.C. Capulong ’91, Director of the Lawyering Program, who spent fall 2022 in residence at the University of the Philippines College of Law in Quezon City. “The visit is an excellent opportunity for our community to not just share our rich experience in this field, but also to learn from our Filipino counterparts,” said Prof. Capulong. “We very much are looking forward to continuing this partnership.”