Good morning everyone, I’m Aileen Cruz and I’m an Associate at the Angara Abello Concepcion Regala

and Cruz Law Office or ACCRALAW. I graduated in 2016 and passed the bar in 2017.

I’m here to talk about my apprenticeship experience, choosing where to apply and the application process.

I was part of the first batch where the tracks were first introduced in Ateneo. As I understand it, the program
consists of 240 hours and 120 hours of your apprenticeship program should be devoted to doing work for
the track that you will choose.

Hopefully, my talk might give you some insight in to choosing and applying to the firm or institution that
is the best fit for you.

Apprenticeship experience

- I apprenticed in two big law firms, Sycip and Accra, and here’s some of the things I learned. To
make it simple, there are five (5) main points I’d like to share:

Accomplish tasks assigned to you

- The research and tasks you will do for the lawyers are substantive. The tasks assigned will go
into their client’s pleadings, projects, cases, etc. So if a lawyer gives you a task, do it well.
- In my experience, the lawyers take into account that you are 2nd or 3rd year students, but that already
gives you working knowledge of crimpro and civpro, crim, corp and consti,
- The lawyer will expect you to have knowledge of these and assign work accordingly

Clarify instructions
- It is better to ask questions and clarify things you don’t understand, rather than spending time trying
to decipher what the lawyer is asking you to research or handing in work that doesn’t quite answer
the question.
- In my experience, the lawyer will prefer to sit down and explain things to you rather than risk
having to re-do the research

Come on time
- There is a rule in the office that if you come to the meeting and the partner is already there, you’re
already late.
- To put it less severely, everyone’s time is valuable, so don’t make others wait on you.

Respect everyone at the office

- Everyone is important and instrumental to making the office work go smoothly. For example, our
non-legal staff such as our secretaries and docket make the firm work like a clockwork. Trust also
that at this point in time, they know more about filing papers and pleadings more than you, among
other things.
- Always be polite and friendly. But you don’t have to be so formal. Some firms may require you
to address the lawyers as sir/ma’am, I don’t know, but if they ask you to drop the honorifics do so.
Personally, it makes me feel uncomfortable and old. Just talk like you normally do

Ask for work and take the initiative

 - You’re encouraged to ask for work or to express what work you’d like to do. Especially since
you need to complete 120 hours of your chosen track, you should ask for work that would complete
this. At Accra we’re aware of this requirement for Ateneo students so we encourage you to take the
initiative to ask.
- The lawyers are very busy, but in my experience they are accommodating. If you want to take on
work, you will have to assert yourself a little so that you can take on assignments that are interesting
for you or go to court/hearings that you want to see.

Apprenticeship at ACCRA
- NOTE: Practice departments: Litigation and Dispute Resolution Department (LDRD), Corporate
and Special Projects, Labor and Employment, Tax Department, Retainer, Intellectual Property
Department and Immigration Department.
- The rotation system is a good way to show the different practice areas of a full-service firm. It
allows you also to see what these lawyers in the firm do everyday, and if in the future you would
like to do something similar.

- Hands on work and great mentoring

o You will be assigned a mentor, last year in the litigation department the partners were
assigned two apprentices per partner

- Going to court and hearings

o For Accra’s apprenticeship program, you’re given a table of the cases and hearings during
the six-week period and an assignment to attend several of the hearings, which are usually
cases handled by your mentor.
o ACCRA was quite involved with its apprentices, and one of our oldest and top lawyers,
Atty. Rolly Vinluan took interns to see him argue before the Sandiganbayan

- Interesting quality and diversity of cases –

o Schedule of all hearings are drawn up and apprentices are assigned
o Last year apprentices were able to help out in a highly publicized case involving a
pharmaceutical company – went to preliminary investigation
o That is something admittedly to the advantage of a big law firm

- Friendly atmosphere
o This is the part I was most surprised about in my apprenticeship experience. I was kind of
nervous that Accra would be quite strict and rigid, but that’s not the case at all. Everyone
was very friendly.
- Also, laughter is encouraged. Maybe in the morning it might be a little quiet since a lot of lawyers
will be out of office attending hearings, but around the afternoon MAINGAY NA SA HALLWAY.
There is laughter ringing down the hallways and for me that it something not all firms have

o During that time, I helped out in the Accra Anniversary and during one of the games
involving a battle with water guns a senior partner took off with one of the super soakers I
think, and when the interns ran after him to get it back he shot us with water and ran away.
I couldn’t believe it. Definitely that is when I realized that the lawyers in Accra know how
to have fun. Also that they are super competitive.
-
Choosing where to apply
 - Find the firm that is a good fit for you, and not necessarily the firm that you think you should
apply to.
 Find out if you’re interested in private practice or government work.
 Some firms can be more serious or rigid than others, others can be more relaxed
and laid back
The size of the firm can also determine if the lawyers work on different cases and
projects
 In my case I was always thinking that as a young lawyer I’d like to start with
litigation, so I chose big firms with departments in litigation and dispute resolution
so I could specialize.
o .
- Do your research.
o Always good to ask around, your professors are key resource persons, your
upperclassmen, your brods and sisses.
o Many of the professors are working at firms and you can ask them about the character of
the firm . Professors like Atty. George Aquino or GSA work in ACCRA and a lot of
students were encouraged to apply because of him.
o Research the different firm websites and institutions where you’d like to apply.
o
Application Process

- Do it early. If you haven’t already applied, do it soon. If you are waiting on some of the replies of
the firms, don’t hesitate to politely follow up on your application.
- Tailor your apprenticeship program. Firms in the present have utilized the apprenticeship
program to know its future potential hires, since a student that applies for an apprenticeship shows
interest in their specific firm and they will have gotten to know the student. With expanded
programs and more flexibility, make a schedule that you can look forward to.
-

- Be professional.
o Be professional when you submit your application.
o INtERVIEW. (Not many firms do) Dress the part. Since this will be the firm’s first
impression of you. This applies also during the apprenticeship program.
o Do not confirm with the law firm and then later back out. Once you get in, you can still
decline if another offer to a firm you prefer comes up. You can even request for some time
to think about your choices. But once you confirm with a firm that you will be an
apprentice, it’s bad manners to go back on your word or worse, not to show up.

- Preparation for interview/ How to act during the apprenticeship program

- Actually, most firms don’t require interviews.
o I don’t know if the application process has changed, but I know of one law firm (QT) that
had an interview since they take few apprentices only (I was told three (3) during my time).
o ACCRA and Sycip didn’t require interviews. ACCRA still doesn’t require it.

The apprenticeship program is what you make it to be. You can see it as a mandatory requirement that the
law school requires of its students or an invaluable opportunity to see how the practice of law is conducted.
Notes:

Angara, Abello, Concepcion, Regala & Cruz (ACCRA Law) 2 May – 22 May 2014
- Drafted a presentation for a senior partner on Special Purpose Vehicles
- Attended hearings in different Regional Trial Courts and Municipal Trial Courts and the NLRC
- HEARINGS: RTC Pasig – criminal case; RTC Muntinlupa – family court case; NLRC – SENA
hearing (Single Entry Approach) – Conciliation Mediation prior to Compulsory Arbitration
- Performed various tasks requested by the assigned mentor partner and associates, such as making
digests and memoranda
-
SyCip, Salazar, Hernandez & Gatmaitan (SyCip Law) 1 April – 24 April 2014
- Performed various research for the assigned mentor associate for various pleadings
- RESEARCH – On CTA cases with respect to RR-18-2013 (amending RR12-99)– issuance of
deficiency tax assessment; Found a case to counter the opposing counsel on whether a terminating
a contract “for cause” precludes terminating the same “without case” – Avon v. Luna
- Assisted a lawyer on research for his law book publication on usurious interest rates