The legal practice in the Philippines is limited to Filipino citizens who passed the Philippine Bar Examination conducted by the Supreme Court of the Philippines. Before one can take the bar exams, the candidate must be a graduate of Bachelor of Laws and a pre-law course from an accredited law school in the Philippines. The list of bar passers (legitimate lawyers) are published in the website of the Supreme Court.

The Bar Examination is conducted annually and consists of essay type examinations on Remedial Law, Constitutional Law, Civil Law, Taxation Law, Labor Law, Criminal Law, Legal Ethics, and Commercial Law. (subject to changes)

Who Are Notary Public in the Philippines?

Notary Public in the Philippines are lawyers who are given permission by the court to notarize documents. The Notarial Law of the Philippines is not available immediately to bar passers, they must file an application and attend a hearing to be admitted as a Notary Public. The notarized document is valid outside the country, provided that the documents have an apostille certification from the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Are Legal Documents from Foreign States valid in the Philippines?

Yes, the documents are considered valid in the Philippines, provided that they have an apostille certification from the Department of Foreign Affairs. Decisions from foreign courts need to be judicially recognized in the Philippines before they can be valid.

Foreign Divorce and Foreign ownership of land

There is no divorce in the Philippines. The marriage dissolution in the Philippines is not easy wherein infidelity, abandonment, and irreconcilable difference are not an excuse to dissolve a marriage. A foreigner married to a Filipino can get a divorce abroad, if they wish to separate. However, once divorced, a foreigner cannot own a land property in the Philippines. Land purchase during the marriage may be sold and the proceeds will be divided by the ex husband and wife.

If there is no prenuptial agreement, the marriage is governed by absolute community regime where all properties by the parties before and after the marriage shall belong to both of them equally (subject to exemptions).

Should you get Legal Advice from non-lawyers

Getting a legal advice from non-lawyers is okay but be aware that it might be different from the actual law. Many unsolicited advice can cause more problems for you so it is best to ask for lawyers for proper advice. Take note also that lawyers are not miracle workers, if the law is silent on a matter, a lawyer cannot do anything about it.