31/05/2026
REASONS WHY STUDENTS TAKE UP LAW.
By Atty. Florante A. Zagada.
If you are a law student, you must have a reason why you enrolled in the law school. For me, it was not my dream to become a lawyer because of my poor ability to communicate as young student and being average in the class. I wanted to become an engineer instead because of my dream to work overseas but my mother, who wanted me to become a lawyer and who was willing to give me scholarship to the law school, prevailed upon me to take up law because there was no yet lawyer in the family.
While lawyers often are the punchline of many jokes, being a lawyer has many benefits. It takes years of hard work and intensive study to become a lawyer; therefore, very few people would choose this career if there were not several excellent benefits of being a lawyer. For those who work hard, the rewards of being an attorney outweigh the cost of achieving your law degree and license to practice law.
We may have different reasons why we are in law school and want to become a lawyer but beyond our noble ambition to help the oppressed and to give justice to the poor which my first year law students used to say when I asked them why did they take up law, the following are the common and undeniable reasons why people want to become lawyers.
1. INTELLECTUAL STIMULATION.
The legal study and law practice may challenge your abilities to reason, analyze, and communicate as they may never
have been challenged before.
Stimulating and challenging your intellect is one of the many benefits of being a lawyer. As an attorney, I always experience working through complex legal theories, statutes, and case law to find a solution to a legal question of my cases.
Most lawyers possess exceptional analytical skills including reading and writing skills. Practicing law allows you to use your mental skills each day in effective ways to solve problems for your clients. Because each case is unique, you must use your full mental capabilities to research, speculate, hypothesize, and formulate legal strategies to effectively solve problems for your clients. Lawyers are problem solvers and we are being paid for that job.
Additionally, you’ll be able to further your legal education and refine your skills through the camaraderie of your colleagues and through the various publications and associations with which you'll be involved. You may even work on a case that sets a legal precedent. At the same time, you should know that a good portion of legal work is often tedious, repetitive, and downright boring.
For example, it’s not uncommon for a lawyer to spend hours poring over thousands of pages of background material to research a case, or filling out the same kinds of forms day after day. However, to be a lawyer, be prepared for both the excitement and the monotony.
2. FINANCIAL REWARD.
Many students choose law because of its reputation for offering a financially rewarding career. There’s no doubt about it: you may make a lot of money as an attorney. Most lawyers live decent and comfortable lives because of their earnings.
Being a lawyer has financial rewards and emotional rewards. Lawyers have the opportunity to earn a lucrative income. Lawyer salaries in the Philippines vary widely based on experience, specialization, and the compensation structure of their firm or organization.
On average, a new lawyer may earn around ₱48,047 per month. However, entry-level lawyers may start at around ₱40,000, while more experienced or highly successful lawyers can earn upwards of ₱100,000 to P300,000 0r more especially when factoring in bonuses, profit-sharing, or high-profile cases.
How about lawyers inthe government? The Salary Standardization Law of 2019 significantly improved the compensation and benefits of government workers, including lawyers.
For instance, a Public Attorney I, an entry-level position with Salary Grade 25, receives the following monthly remuneration:
Basic Salary: ₱102,690
Representation and Transportation Allowance (RATA): ₱10,000
Personnel Economic Relief Allowance (PERA): ₱2,000
Clothing Allowance (Annually): ₱5,000
Performance-Based Bonus (PBB) (Annually): Salary-Based
13th Month Pay (Annually): Equivalent to 1 month’s salary
14th Month Pay (Annually): Equivalent to 1 month’s salary
Lawyers working in high-ranking government positions, such as judges, prosecutors, and solicitors, earn even more due to the nature and importance of their roles.
Salaries of experienced, specialized attorneys can be much, much higher depending on the field, geographical location, employer, and level of experience.
Of course, money is not the only reason why people choose the legal field as their career. The emotional rewards of being an attorney can be even more satisfying than the financial rewards. If you are passionate about your chosen field of law and you believe your top priority is your client, assisting people to achieve a positive outcome for their problems is extremely satisfying. An attorney usually sees a person during one of the worst moments of their life; therefore, it can be extremely rewarding to help this person find a successful resolution to their problem.
3. EFFECTING SOCIAL CHANGE.
Joining the legal profession is one of the most effective ways to bring about social change. It can be especially valuable to those who seek the opportunity to work within the legal system to reform social injustice. At the same time, the legal system can be a source of great frustration, because real change takes years to accomplish. If you intend to study and practice law with the goal of changing the status quo in any area, you will have to supplement your expert legal skill with all the patience, determination, persistence, and political savvy you can summon.
The field of law provides a unique opportunity to make a positive impact on society by upholding justice and advocating for those in need. Lawyers have the power to shape laws, defend the innocent, and ensure the fair resolution of disputes.
4. PRESTIGE.
As a lawyer, you may work for a prominent law firm, defend or prosecute a notorious person, serve as judge, and get
elected to public office. Being a lawyer often comes with a sense of prestige and respect in the community, as people look to legal professionals for guidance and representation.
Even so, our society regards the legal. profession with ambivalence. On the one hand, lawyers are esteemed for their esoteric knowledge and expertise. On the other hand, they are often mistrusted and sometimes seen as cold, calculating scoundrels who are motivated only by greed and power. It pays to be aware that not everyone will appreciate or
respect the skills you worked so long and hard to achieve.
5. GENERAL BENEFITS OF LEGAL EDUCATION.
The study of law is the most generic of all professional postgraduate disciplines. A legal education teaches you to read for a clear grasp of content and relationships, to
analyze and solve problems creatively in concrete situations, and to advocate and persuade orally and in writing.
The legal education is clearly excellent training for almost any professional position. A person with legal education may find themselves in many professional organizations for lawyering jobs, many more general professions such as banking, insurance, real estate, securities, government, education, and international trade—to name just a few—are significant areas of employment for law
school graduates.
CONCLUSION.
Lawyers have diverse career paths, allowing them to specialize in areas that align with their interests and passions, such as criminal law, corporate law, environmental law, or intellectual property law, etc.
Overall, lawyering is a calling from God. But our decision to become a lawyer can be driven by a desire for justice, intellectual engagement, career variety, and the opportunity to make a meaningful impact to the society and for the glory of God who is our Supreme LAWGIVER and DEFENDER OF JUSTICE.
To my law students, do not give up. Study harder. Take the bar exam. Be a lawyer next year or in the near future!
