Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Non-Lawyers Who Are Authorized To Appear in Court
Non-Lawyers Who Are Authorized To Appear in Court
TO APPEAR IN COURT
• In case of law student practice as permitted by Rule 138-A of the Rules of Court.
• Under Section 7 of Rule 116 of the Rules of Court, in a criminal proceeding before a
municipal trial court in a locality where a duly licensed member of the bar is not
available, a municipal trial court may, in its discretion, admit or assign a person,
resident in the province and of good repute for probity and ability, to defend the
accused, although the person so assigned be not a duly authorized member of the
Bar. Again, it follows, therefore, that in a place where a duly licensed member of the
Bar is available, the municipal trial court may not admit or assign a layman to defend
the accused.
• Under the Labor Code, a union representative may appear for his organization or any
of its members before the NLRC, Labor Arbiter or Arbitrator; a non-lawyer may
appear for himself, if he represents himself as party to the case; a non lawyer who is
a duly-accredited member of any legal aid office duly recognized by the Department
of Justice or the Integrated Bar of the Philippines in cases referred thereto by the
latter.