Section 1. – Title. This shall be known as ‘The Rules on Unified Legal Aid Service (ULAS).’

Section 2. – Rationale. The practice of law is imbued with public interest and membership in the Bar is a special privilege burdened with conditions. Fundamentally, lawyers have the bounden duty to assist in fostering access to adequate legal assistance as guaranteed by the Constitution, by making their legal services readily accessible to the public in an efficient and convenient manner, compatible with the independence, integrity, and effectiveness of the profession. To carry out such constitutional guarantee, Covered Lawyers are obliged to render Pro Bono Legal Aid Services to those who would otherwise be denied access to adequate legal assistance.

Section 3. – Scope. This Rules shall govern the mandatory rendition of Pro Bono Legal Aid Services by Covered Lawyers to Qualified Beneficiaries, as defined herein.

Section 4. – Definition of Terms. For purposes of this Rules, the following terms shall be defined as follows:

(a) – ‘Accredited Legal Outreach Programs and Legal Missions’ refer to community-based outreach programs and legal missions which are accredited by the ULAS Board, provided that such programs and missions are geared towards providing legal education and/or assistance to Qualified Beneficiaries as defined in this Rules, including, but not limited to, legal seminars, legal consultations, and assistance in drafting legal forms.

(b) – ‘Covered Lawyers’ refer to the following members of the Philippine Bar: (i) whose membership status with the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) is not terminated, (ii) who are not retired in accordance with the IBP By-Laws, and (iii) who are not excluded under Section 5 of this Rules.

(c) – ‘IBP’ or ‘Integrated Bar of the Philippines’ refers to the official organization of all Philippine lawyers whose names appear in the Roll of Attorneys of the Supreme Court.

(d) – ‘Minimum Hours’ refers to the number of hours of Pro Bono Legal Aid Services required in a given Compliance Period to be rendered by Covered Lawyers, which, in the case of Covered Lawyers, is 60 hours, and, in the case of Covered Lawyers in Registered Organizations, is the aggregate number of hours under Section 9 of this Rules.

(e) – ‘Philippine Lawyer Based Abroad’ means a Covered Lawyer who establishes, to the satisfaction of the ULAS Board, based on the reportorial requirements under the ULAS Rules Manual, the fact that he or she, at any time during the relevant Compliance Period,

i. maintains physical presence abroad with a definite intention to reside therein;

ii. leaves the Philippines either as an immigrant or for employment on a permanent basis;

iii. works and derives income from abroad and whose employment there requires such lawyer to be physically present abroad for an aggregate period of more than 180 days in a calendar year; or

iv. has been previously considered a Philippine Lawyer Based Abroad by the ULAS Board, and who arrives in the Philippines to permanently reside and practice law therein, provided that he or she arrives in the Philippines after the first year of the Compliance Period. The status of being a ‘Philippine Lawyer Based Abroad’ shall only be for the Compliance Period/s affected.

(f) – ‘Pro Bono Legal Aid Service’ refers to the performance of acts or services that involve the application of law, legal procedure, or legal knowledge, training, and experience, which legal services are provided free of charge and rendered to Qualified Beneficiaries. These legal services include, but are not limited to, the following:

i. representation in the courts in civil and criminal cases and quasi-judicial bodies in administrative cases, including proceedings for mediation, voluntary or compulsory arbitration, and alternative dispute resolution.¹ The representation extends to the drafting and filing of all pleadings and written submissions in said cases;

ii. legal counseling, rendering assistance in contract negotiations and drafting of legal documents, including memoranda of law, affidavits, and contracts. Drafting may include policy work involving legal research and advocacy;²

iii. developmental legal assistance consisting of rights awareness, capacity-building, and training in basic human rights, documentation, and affidavit-making;³

iv. participation in Accredited Legal Outreach Programs and Legal Missions, including the supervision of students under Rule 138-A or the ‘Law Student Practice Rule‘; and v. such other legal services as may be defined by the Supreme Court.

(g) – ‘Qualified Beneficiary’ refers to:

i. a person to whom a counsel de officio was appointed by any court, tribunal, or other government agency, with respect to the counsel de officio so appointed and the case in which the appointment was made; or

ii. any person who is determined by the Covered Lawyer or Registered Organization to be as follows:

1. an indigent party or litigant as defined in Rule 3, Section 21 or Rule 141, Section 19 of the Rules of Court; or 

2. a person, including Overseas Filipino Workers or migrant workers, not covered by the preceding paragraph but nevertheless has no sufficient means to afford adequate legal services.

A person claiming to be a Qualified Beneficiary under Section 4(g)(ii) of this Rules shall execute an affidavit laying down the circumstances that make him or her a Qualified Beneficiary as defined in said Section.

If the Covered Lawyer, after interviewing the person and examining such affidavit and supporting documents, if any, is satisfied that there is reasonable cause to believe that the person is a Qualified Beneficiary, the Covered Lawyer shall issue a Certification under his or her Lawyer’s Oath to that effect. The Certification shall be in such form as may be prescribed by the ULAS Board.

The Covered Lawyer or Registered Organization shall exercise prudence in ascertaining the qualification of the applicant as a beneficiary under this Section.

(h) – ‘Registered Organization’ refers to a corporation, partnership, association, or any other group of persons duly registered with the appropriate government agency, and which, thus, has a legal personality of its own. The term includes Registered Private Law Firms. The term shall likewise include agencies of the government and chartered institutions as defined under the Administrative Code of 1987, excluding local governments and district units therein.

(i) – ‘Registered Private Law Firms’ refers to organizations of two or more Covered Lawyers, which are engaged in the business of delivering legal services.

(j) – ‘ULAS Board’ refers to the board created under Section 26 of this Rules.

Section 5. – Mandatory Pro Bono Legal Aid Service; Exclusions. It shall be mandatory for all Covered Lawyers to render Pro Bono Legal Aid Services in accordance with this Rules. The term ‘Covered Lawyers’ shall exclude the following:

(a) lawyers in government service and incumbent elective officials who are absolutely prohibited from practicing law outside their public employment, namely:

i. justices, judges, and other officials or employees of the judiciary;⁴

ii. officials and employees of the Office of the Solicitor General;⁵

iii. government prosecutors;⁶

iv. the president, the vice president, the members of the cabinet, their deputies and assistants;

v. chairpersons and members of the Constitutional Commissions;

vi. ombudsman, overall deputy ombudsman, deputy ombudsman, and special prosecutor of the Office of the Ombudsman;

vii. governors and mayors;⁷ and

viii. such other government employees who are absolutely prohibited by special law or rules from engaging in private practice.

(b) lawyers employed in the Public Attorney’s Office;

(c) lawyers who are also members of the Philippine Bar and serving as Shari’ah counselors-at-law under the Shari’ah Public Assistance Office;

(d) lawyers whose request for authority to render Pro Bono Legal Aid Services from their government agency under Section 13 of this Rules is denied by the duly authorized officer of the agency;

(e) lawyers who have been in the practice of law for at least 35 years or who are at least 60 years old, reckoned from the last year of the relevant Compliance Period;

(f) lawyers who suffer from physical disabilities or attributes, mental, or other circumstances that render compliance with this Rules unreasonably difficult or impossible; and

(g) new lawyers who are admitted to the Bar after the effectivity of this Rules, for the Compliance Period at the time of their admission.

Lawyers who are excluded under this provision shall obtain a Certificate of Exclusion with the ULAS Board before the end of the Compliance Period during which they are excluded, with proof of the circumstances applicable to them under this provision. Only those for whom a written Certificate of Exclusion was granted and issued by the ULAS Board shall be excused from complying with this Rules. Except for those issued under Section 5(e), a Certificate of Exclusion shall be effective only for the Compliance Period stated therein.

Section 6. – Compliance Period. Each Compliance Period shall be for a duration of 36 months and will continue uninterrupted following the same cycle until otherwise modified by the ULAS Board. The first Compliance Period shall begin on January 1, 2025.

Section 7. – Lawyers Who Already Render Pro Bono Legal Aid Services. Covered Lawyers who, by the nature of their profession, already render free legal aid services to Qualified Beneficiaries, may include such legal aid services as creditable hours for the relevant Compliance Period. Such lawyers include, but are not limited to the following:

(a) Covered Lawyers employed by nongovernmental organizations and nonprofit organizations,

(b) Covered Lawyers who render such legal services through the IBP legal aid office, and

(c) Covered Lawyers who are acting as Supervising Lawyers of duly-certified Law Student Practitioners under the ‘Revised Law Student Practice Rule.’

Section 8. – Effects of suspension from the practice of law. A Covered Lawyer whose privilege to practice law has been suspended shall continue to be required to comply with the Minimum Hours defined herein, subject to the following rules:

(a) The suspended lawyer shall render the required Pro Bono Legal Aid Service during that portion of the Compliance Period when the suspension is no longer effective, subject to the grace period provided in Section 24 of this Rules. Should he or she fail to complete the Minimum Hours within the time fixed herein, the penalties under Section 25 shall apply.

The ULAS Board, on a case-to-case basis, may waive or reduce the amount of fine imposable under Section 25(a) of this Rules, with due regard to the relevant circumstances attending such as the difficulty of completing the full Minimum Hours within the time remaining from the period fixed in the paragraph above.

(b) If the duration of the suspension prohibits the Covered Lawyer from practicing law during the entire Compliance Period/s, no penalties shall be imposed for his or her failure to serve the relevant Minimum Hours. However, the unserved hours shall be carried over to the succeeding Compliance Period.

Section 9. – Covered Lawyers in Registered Organizations. Subject to Section 10 of this Rules, a Registered Organization may opt to aggregate the creditable hours of Pro Bono Legal Aid Services rendered by its Covered Lawyers in a given Compliance Period. Covered Lawyers in Registered Organizations refer to those (a) employed by the Registered Organization under an employer-employee relationship or (b) who, even in the absence of an employer-employee relationship, serve as directors, trustees, partners (in a partnership), officers, or other persons reasonably and professionally connected to the Registered Organization. For this purpose, a Registered Private Law Firm, which is considered a Registered Organization, may aggregate the creditable hours of its partners, associates, of counsels, special counsels, or full-time consultants.

A Registered Organization intending to aggregate the creditable hours of its Covered Lawyers in accordance with this Section shall file a written declaration of such intent to aggregate with the ULAS Board before the start of the relevant Compliance Period.

For purposes of this Section, the Minimum Hours required of such Registered Organization shall be the Minimum Hours required of each Covered Lawyer under Section 4(d) multiplied by the total number of its Covered Lawyers it intends to aggregate at the end of the relevant Compliance Period. Should the aggregated creditable hours meet such aggregated Minimum Hours, all Covered Lawyers indicated by the Registered Organization in its Consolidated Compliance Report under Section 22 of this Rules shall be deemed to have complied with the required Minimum Hours, provided that, notwithstanding this Section, all Covered Lawyers must individually and personally render Pro Bono Legal Aid Services as defined under Section 4(f) covering at least 25% of his or her required Minimum Hours under Section 4(d).

Section 10. – Option to Give Financial Contribution. A Covered Lawyer or Registered Organization may, in lieu of rendering the mandatory Pro Bono Legal Aid Services, opt to give a financial contribution to the ULAS Fund, in accordance with the rates to be fixed under the ULAS Rules Manual, which may cover only up to a maximum of 50% of the Minimum Hours or aggregated Minimum Hours referred to in Section 4(d) and Section 9 of this Rules. Such financial contribution shall be remitted to the ULAS Board before the end of the relevant Compliance Period and the corresponding creditable hours shall be deemed fulfilled upon receipt thereof.

In no case shall such financial contribution exempt a Covered Lawyer from rendering mandatory Pro Bono Legal Aid Services in excess of the 50% cap under this Section.

The foregoing notwithstanding, a Covered Lawyer or a Registered Organization that completes 40% of the applicable Minimum Hours under Section 4(d) or Section 9 on or before the end of the first year of the Compliance Period may opt to give a financial contribution corresponding to the remaining 60% of such Minimum Hours, in lieu of rendering the required Pro Bono Legal Aid Services.

Section 11. – Philippine Lawyer Based Abroad. A Philippine Lawyer Based Abroad, as ascertained by the ULAS Board, may, in lieu of rendering mandatory Pro Bono Legal Aid Services, opt to make a financial contribution to the ULAS Fund, in accordance with the rates to be fixed under the ULAS Rules Manual, to cover 100% of the Minimum Hours.

Section 12. – Carryover of Excess Hours. If the total number of hours of Pro Bono Legal Aid Services rendered by a Covered Lawyer or Registered Organization exceeds the Minimum Hours under Section 4(d) and Section 9 of this Rules, the excess hours may, upon the approval of the ULAS Board, be carried over to the immediately succeeding Compliance Period. In no case shall such excess hours be carried over beyond such immediately succeeding single Compliance Period.

Section 13. – Required Authority for Covered Lawyers in the Government. Covered Lawyers in the government shall duly secure the appropriate authority to render Pro Bono Legal Aid Services from their agency. The IBP and the ULAS Board shall coordinate with the relevant government agencies to arrive at agreements which may enable Covered Lawyers in the government to render Pro Bono Legal Aid Services on official time, and the corresponding guidelines therefor.

Section 14. – Crediting of Pro Bono Legal Aid Services Rendered under the Rule on Community Legal Aid Service in A.M. No. 17-03-09-SC. Covered Lawyers who have rendered Pro Bono Legal Aid Services pursuant to the Rule on Community Legal Aid Service in A.M. No. 17-03-09-SC may file an application with the ULAS Board for the crediting of such services as creditable hours under this Rules.

Section 15. – Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) Credit. Each Covered Lawyer who is able to meet the Minimum Hours required for one Compliance Period in accordance with this Rules shall be credited with 15 units of specialized continuing legal education program under the Amended Rules on MCLE for the corresponding MCLE Compliance Period under such Rules.

For purposes of this Section, the compliance period for ULAS shall be synchronized with the compliance period for the MCLE.

Section 16. – Other Incentives. The grant of MCLE credits shall be without prejudice to any other benefits that the Covered Lawyer may already be legally entitled to, such as tax incentives under existing laws, tax exemptions granted by local government units, and other similar benefits.

The ULAS Board may subsidize, in full or partially, the expenses reasonably incurred by compliant Covered Lawyers or Registered Organizations in rendering Pro Bono Legal Aid Services pursuant to this Rules. The ULAS Board shall issue the necessary guidelines and rules to properly implement the grant of such subsidy.

The ULAS Board, in consultation with the IBP, and subject to the approval of the Supreme Court, shall endeavor to add incentives for Covered Lawyers who render Pro Bono Legal Aid Services in excess of the Minimum Hours required under this Rules.

Section 17. – Attorney’s Fees and Recoveries from the Cost of Successful Litigation. In the event of successful litigation, whatever attorney’s fees may have been awarded to the Qualified Beneficiary under this Rules shall accrue to the ULAS Fund.

Regardless of whether attorney’s fees have been awarded, the ULAS Board may require the Qualified Beneficiary, in whose favor the decision has been rendered, to turn over a nominal or reasonable portion of his or her actual recovery, except actual damages, not exceeding 10% thereof, to the ULAS Board as contribution to the ULAS Fund, provided that the Qualified Beneficiary agreed in writing to such arrangement prior to his or her engagement of the Covered Lawyer under this Rules. A portion of this amount may be given to the handling lawyer at the discretion of the ULAS Board.

Section 18. – Exemption from Payment of Docket and Other Lawful Fees, and of Copy of Transcript of Stenographic Notes. A Certification of Indigency issued by a Covered Lawyer in accordance with Section 4(g) of this Rules shall be sufficient for the court to issue the authority of exemption from payment of docket and other lawful fees and of transcripts of stenographic notes under Rule 3, Section 21 of the Rules of Court. The amount of the docket and other lawful fees which the indigent was exempted from paying shall be a lien on any judgment rendered that is favorable to the indigent, unless the court otherwise provides.

Any adverse party may contest the grant of such authority at any time before judgment is rendered by the trial court. If the court should determine after hearing that the party declared as an indigent is in fact a person with sufficient income or property, the proper docket and other lawful fees shall be assessed and collected by the clerk of court. If payment is not made within the time fixed by the court, execution shall issue for the payment without prejudice to such other sanctions as the court may impose.

Section 19. – Notarial Act or Notarization Performed for a Principal who is a Qualified Beneficiary. A notarial act or notarization as defined under the 2004 Rules on Notarial Practice, in which the principal is a Qualified Beneficiary under this Rules, shall be exempt from the prohibition under Rule IV, Section 4 of the 2004 Rules on Notarial Practice against performing notarial acts outside the regular place of work or business of the notary public, provided that in no case shall such notarial act be performed outside the territorial jurisdiction of the notary public.

Section 20. – Application of the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability to Covered Lawyers Rendering Pro Bono Legal Aid Services Under This Rules. The provisions of the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability relating to Confidentiality and Conflict of Interest, Equality and Standard of Service, as well as all the duties and responsibility of members of the Bar under the same Code, shall equally apply to Covered Lawyers in their rendition of the Pro Bono Legal Aid Services under this Rules.

Section 21. – Prohibition against Solicitation. Covered Lawyers shall not solicit or request any legal fee from Qualified Beneficiaries in consideration and in the course of rendering the Pro Bono Legal Aid Services under this Rules.

All legal services provided under this Rules shall be on a pro bono basis. Expenses which are reasonably necessary in the performance of such Pro Bono Legal Aid Services required under this Rules shall be charged against the ULAS Fund under Section 31 of this Rules.

Section 22. – Compliance Report. Not later than one month after the end of the Compliance Period, each Covered Lawyer shall individually report to the ULAS Board, in writing and in the form prescribed under the ULAS Rules Manual, his or her full or partial compliance with the Minimum Hours of Pro Bono Legal Aid Services required in this Rules, or that the Covered Lawyer is excluded from compliance for the relevant Compliance Period, specifying the nature of such exclusion.

For Covered Lawyers in Registered Organizations, the concerned Registered Organization that opts to aggregate the creditable hours of Pro Bono Legal Aid Services rendered by its Covered Lawyers under Section 9 of this Rules shall submit a Consolidated Compliance Report to the ULAS Board not later than one month after the end of the Compliance Period.

For purposes of determining the aggregated Minimum Hours and identifying the Covered Lawyers in Registered Organizations who shall be deemed compliant, the Registered Organization shall indicate the following:

(a) its prior written election to aggregate under Section 9;

(b) the total number of Covered Lawyers in the Registered Organization included in the aggregation at the time of such reporting;

(c) the names and roll numbers of all such Covered Lawyers in the Registered Organization as of the last day of the Compliance Period;

(d) the allowable aggregate Minimum Hours for the Registered Organization;

(e) the allowable aggregate creditable hours rendered under Section 9; and

(f) details of the individual or personal Pro Bono Legal Aid Service rendered by its Covered Lawyers who are included in the aggregation corresponding to at least 25% of his or her required Minimum Hours under Section 4(d).

Only Covered Lawyers in Registered Organizations who have not separated from the Registered Organization at the time of the reporting shall be included for purposes of computing the aggregate Minimum Hours.

The Compliance Report in this Section shall contain such other information and supporting documents as the ULAS Board may require, which must include the documents required under Section 4(g) of this Rules.

Section 23. – What Constitutes Noncompliance. The following shall constitute noncompliance:

(a) failure to meet the Minimum Hours of Pro Bono Legal Aid Services;

(b) failure to submit a Compliance Report under Section 22 of this Rules;

(c) failure to attach to the Compliance Report the satisfactory evidence of compliance, including the Certificate of Exclusion, within the prescribed period;

(d) failure to pay the noncompliance fine within the prescribed period;

(e) any other acts or omissions intended to evade compliance with the mandatory Pro Bono Legal Aid Services under this Rules.

Section 24. – Noncompliance Notice; Grace Period to Comply. Covered Lawyers who fail to comply fully with the required Minimum Hours under this Rules within the applicable Compliance Period shall be furnished a Noncompliance Notice, stating the number of deficient hours.

Such noncompliant Covered Lawyer shall have a grace period of 60 days from receipt of the Noncompliance Notice to either:

(a) attain the adequate number of credit hours for full compliance,

(b) make a financial contribution subject to the 50% cap under Section 10 of this Rules, or otherwise

(c) explain in detail why he or she is unable to fully comply with this Rules.

In all of these cases, the noncompliant Covered Lawyer shall file an Answer with the ULAS Board with attached Supplemental Compliance Report as may be provided in the ULAS Rules Manual, when appropriate, but in no case shall such filing exceed the grace period fixed herein.

Creditable hours earned during the grace period under this Section shall be counted toward compliance with the prior Compliance Period unless hours in excess of the requirement are earned, in which case the excess may be counted toward meeting the current Compliance Period.

Section 25. – Effects of Noncompliance. Covered Lawyers or Registered Organizations who fail to comply with this Rules even after the grace period shall incur the following penalties:

(a) Liability to pay a noncompliance fine in an amount to be determined by the ULAS Board, which shall not be less than twice the amount of financial contribution corresponding to the unserved portion of the Minimum Hours of the Covered Lawyer who failed to comply, and which fine shall in no case exceed thrice the amount of such financial contribution;

(b) Listing as a delinquent member of the IBP, upon the recommendation of the ULAS Board; and

(c) Marking as ineligible to obtain a Certificate of Good Standing from the Office of the Bar Confidant.

The penalties under paragraphs (b) and (c) of this Section shall be automatically lifted upon certification by the ULAS Board that the fine under paragraph (a) is fully paid, including legal interests and surcharges, if any.

Repeated noncompliance with this Rules may be met with graver penalties, including the imposition of other sanctions under the law, as may be determined by the ULAS Board, and within the parameters set forth in the ULAS Rules Manual.

IBP membership fees shall continue to be assessed against a noncompliant Covered Lawyer during the period of delinquency.

The payment of fines and the service of penalties herein shall be in addition to the requirement to render the Minimum Hours of Pro Bono Legal Aid Services during the relevant Compliance Period. The deficient hours shall be carried over to the immediately succeeding Compliance Period and will, thus, be added to the Minimum Hours for the latter Compliance Period.

Section 26. – Composition and Qualifications of the ULAS Board. There shall be an ULAS Board which shall be primarily responsible for the implementation of the ULAS Rules. It shall be composed of a Chairperson and six Members who shall be of proven probity and integrity.

The Chairperson shall be an incumbent Justice of the Supreme Court to be designated by the Court En Banc, in accordance with the Internal Rules of the Supreme Court. The National President of the IBP, the Chairperson of the MCLE Governing Board, and the President of the Philippine Association of Law Schools, in their ex officio capacities, shall also be Members of the ULAS Board.

The Court En Banc shall also appoint Members who are three active private law practitioners and who shall each represent Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. For this purpose, each representative must belong to the IBP Chapter that he or she represents.

The Chairperson and Members of the ULAS Board shall receive such allowances as may be determined by the Court.

Section 27. – Term of Office. The three active private law practitioners shall serve for a term of three years.

In case of vacancy in the position of the three active private law practitioners prior to expiration of the term of office, the successor shall serve only the remaining period of the original appointment.

Section 28. – Duties of the ULAS Board. The ULAS Board shall perform the following duties and responsibilities:

(a) administer and adopt such implementing rules as may be necessary for the implementation of this Rules, subject to the approval of the Supreme Court;

(b) accredit legal outreach programs and legal missions that fall within the scope of ULAS;

(c) monitor the compliance of Covered Lawyers and Covered Lawyers in Registered Organizations;

(d) identify and acknowledge Registered Organizations;

(e) issue the schedule of financial contributions with the corresponding hours of mandatory Pro Bono Legal Aid Services that each amount shall cover as may be approved by the Supreme Court;

(f) issue the schedule of fines as may be approved by the Supreme Court;

(g) manage the ULAS Fund;

(h) recommend to the IBP for listing as a delinquent member Covered Lawyers who fail to comply with this Rules;

(i) provide for adequate and appropriate remedies, including processes for resolving disputes or controversies, involving the implementation of the ULAS Rules, as approved by the Supreme Court;

(j) hold information, education, and communication programs to promote awareness of ULAS; and

(k) perform such other functions as may be needed to implement the objectives of this Rules.

Section 29. – Interim ULAS Board During the Transition Period. Within one month from the approval of this Rules, the Supreme Court En Banc shall appoint an ULAS Interim Board, composed of a Chairperson and six Members preferably coming from the same groups as the regular ULAS Board under Section 26 of this Rules but who shall serve only until December 31, 2025.

The ULAS Interim Board shall be responsible for the initial implementation of this Rules, including the issuance of the ULAS Rules Manual.

The Members of the ULAS Board who will serve for the remaining two years of the first Compliance Period shall be nominated by the ULAS Interim Board, subject to appointment by the Supreme Court En Banc. Thereafter, Members of the ULAS Board for the succeeding Compliance Periods shall be appointed in accordance with Sections 26 and 27 hereof.

Section 30. – ULAS Office and Staffing Pattern. Subject to approval by the Supreme Court En Banc, the ULAS Board shall set up an ULAS Office and employ such staff as may be necessary to perform the record-keeping, auditing, reporting, approval, and other necessary functions.

Section 31. – ULAS Fund. All funds sourced from contributions, penalties, monetary awards from successful litigations, and others as may be provided by the ULAS Board, shall accrue to the ULAS Fund to support the pro bono legal aid program under this Rules.

Section 32. – Annual Budget and Fiscal Management. The ULAS Board shall submit to the Supreme Court, for its approval, an annual budget for the continuous operation and maintenance of the ULAS Program.

Section 33. – ULAS Rules Manual. The ULAS Board, in coordination with the IBP, shall recommend to the Supreme Court En Banc for its approval, rules and regulations necessary for the implementation of this Rules, which shall be known as the ‘Manual on the ULAS Rules’ or the ‘ULAS Rules Manual.’ It shall coordinate with the relevant government agencies in the crafting of the ULAS Rules Manual.

Section 34. – Repealing clause. All resolutions, circulars, bar matter, including B.M. No. 2012 or the Rule on Mandatory Legal Aid Service for Practicing Lawyers and A.M. No. 17-03-09-SC otherwise known as the Community Legal Aid Service Rule, or administrative orders issued by the Supreme Court inconsistent with this Rules are hereby repealed accordingly.

Section 35. – Effectivity. This Rules shall take effect on February 3, 2025 following its complete publication in the Official Gazette or in two newspapers of general circulation in the Philippines. It shall also be uploaded to the websites of the IBP and of the Supreme Court, through its Communications Office.

FOOTNOTES:

¹ A.M. No. 17-03-09, RULE ON COMMUNITY LEGAL AID SERVICE, sec. 4(b)(2)(i).

² Id., sec. 4(b)(2)(ii).

³ Id., sec. 4(b)(2)(iii).

⁴ RULES OF COURT, Rule 138, sec. 35.

⁵ Id.

⁶ Lim-Santiago v. Atty. Sagucio, 520 Phil. 538 (2006) [Per J. Carpio, En Banc].

⁷ LOCAL GOV’T. CODE, sec. 90 provides:

SECTION 90. Practice of Profession. (a) All governors, city and municipal mayors are prohibited from practicing their profession or engaging in any occupation other than the exercise of their functions as local chief executives. (Emphasis supplied)