Atty. John Matley M.

Caampued Law Office

Wow, from the title alone it already sounds nice. To tell the truth I never really
gave much thought about what I would do when I pass the bar. And yes I said when, not
if. For me confidence plays part when we reach our dreams. It is not arrogance per se,
rather a belief in my own abilities.
From a young age, it has been my dream of standing in court and defending the
innocents, saying things like Objection, Your Honor with a firm voice was a scene in
many of my earlier dreams. I once read that being a lawyer is like fighting with words.
Not like a debate, but like a duel of two persons standing for their beliefs. I think that a
lawyer is the knights new profession. Knights uphold a firm stance in society as a
gentleman and an officer. He conducts himself on a daily basis followed by his code of
chivalry.
Lawyers uphold ourselves in a conduct similar to them. We uphold the law as is
required. And proceed to defend others in legal battles.
Now, do I start off on my own? Do I join a law firm? Do I join the government or
work for a big corporation?
I never entertained the thought of me working for a big corporation, because I
dont want to be just doing corporate work. Maybe just as a consultant it would be
possible. I think I would be bored mainly because I want to be right at the heart of the
action.
As a government employee, maybe it is better not to enter the government. I am
not saying that joining the government is wrong it is just that I have a lot of things that I
want to do on my own terms. I want to be the boss of myself and not a subordinate of
others. For other branches of the government I think that someone else is better suited
for that role other than me.
As for joining a law firm, I am not opposed to joining one however I really like the
freedom of choosing my own cases. Staring up my own firm with friends is also a
possibility which I am looking forward to.
Going into solo practice as a new lawyer seems daunting at first, especially since
I have no reputation yet. But that is not necessarily a bad thing considering that it simply

means that I will have the opportunity to build up my reputation how I want it. No
comparison to someone whom I am related to, simply because I am their son.
I am not opposed to a child following his fathers or mothers footsteps, what I do
not like is the fact that this sometimes mean that clients expect to be able to deal with
you the same way they deal with your parents. Its not like that, it is never right to see
them as their father version 2.0.
So yeah I am more inclined to go solo in my early days of practice, and maybe
just maybe, start my own firm as I get more established. It may be scary yes, but I think
that it will be worth it.
Sadly I never included my office in my childish aspirations back then. Well more
like all I dreamed back then was to be in court partaking in legal battles. Exchanging
dialogue with another lawyer, taking apart a witness statements and expose whether or
not they are lying were all that I dreamt back then. Now may be a nice time to imagine
what the office will look like.
My initial thoughts on what a law office should be is based from what I remember
a solicitors office was like in a show that I watched. A Solicitor is a another term for a
lawyer. His office was decorated with good furniture, a fancy rug in the middle,
bookcases around three walls, and then there was the table. Situated facing the door, it
was a sturdy, carefully detailed piece of furniture. Behind it was a high backed chair
upon which the lawyer sits and it was against an alcove with the sunlight illuminating the
room. That makes a very powerful image in my mind. The bookcases lined full of books,
the sophisticated table and chair make it seem that the solicitor was very well educated.
In front of the table were two comfortable chairs with a small glass table.
So do I copy this set up for my own and add my own little spin to things? Maybe
but I do feels that going for the classical approach is a bit too much. I do not want to
intimidate my clients especially those seeking legal help for the first time.
A more modern set up of the office may be more preferable. Although mixing
modern and traditional styles is also an option. Sleeker furniture rather than those
ornamental ones are better in my opinion. The desk however may stay as a sturdy
piece. And a laptop instead of a computer, just because I can easily close it to show my
client that he is important.

As for the office itself I want three rooms, or a big room I can divide. The first
room will be the reception room. This is where my secretary can take the initial
information of the client and the basic facts of the case. It also has to be appealing and
a place where they can relax. Because I believe that when a client is relaxed he can
relay more information to me and he can recall much better. I can also place a water
dispenser for my clients who are thirsty or are nervous. Also rather than a plain wall I
want the front of my office to have glass panels, but also tinted. Yes I want clients to
enter freely but not for other people to talk about my clients.
The second room is the office itself where I place my desk, the books and the
high backed chair. No really I want that chair in my office, call it my ego or something
but I do want my own high backed chair. A book case with cabinets below also seems
better than a ceiling high book case. I doubt that I can fill it with books though. The book
case would also serve as a great spot to place a closed circuit television from. It may be
too much but I think it is necessary to protect myself as much as I want to protect my
client. Maybe I can throw in a poorly hidden dummy to throw them off. I might as well
place cameras outside.
The last room will be the records room. This is where I will store all case files,
documents and forms. It will have to be accessible from the reception so that when I
close the door for confidential talks with my clients my secretary can still access the files
within.
I want to open my office in my hometown, Tarlac City. There is actually an open
parcel of land near the center of the City which is very close to all government offices. It
is also along the road which means that advertising my services is easily accomplished
and that clients can simply get to my office.
I have already talked about the office but I have not talked of how I would build
up my reputation first. I think that shouldering a few cases from the public attorneys
office may be a good start since the reason that I wanted to be a lawyer in the first place
is to help those who are less fortunate in life get legal representation.
I am not saying that the Public Attorneys office is not doing their jobs, what I
want to say is that I want to help them reach out to more people. If that means taking
some of their load I would do so pro bono. Aside from that I think that the bulk of my
clients would be for the victims of various crimes, especially those who were exploited.
Cases like estafa and other instances where the hope of our countrymen have been

played with. Not a good point for me. What I want to offer my client is justice. If that
means settling the case out of court, so be it.
Justice comes in many ways and may even cause rifts in the family is not taken
care of immediately. But what is justice in the eyes of the victims? I do not think that
justice means judgement alone. What if there are still scars of the pain with my client? Is
it justice for them just to see the criminal behind bars? Is it justice the amount of money
the criminal has to pay their victims? For me justice is the reformation of the criminal
from his old ways to that of a reformed man. Justice for me is the sight of peace on my
clients face as the criminal who wronged them pay for his mistake. It is when they let go
of the anger, the resentment that they hold within. And maybe then they will find peace.
Will I also defend those accused of crimes? It all depends on the circumstances
that they were in. Are they doing it just because they can? Or were they just forced to do
so? Did they do it deliberately or accidentally? Do they repent or not? It all boils down to
whether they can be reformed or not. Even if I cannot completely acquit them I shall still
strive to make sure that they get the least amount of jail time possible.
As for my fees I shall collect based on their financial capacity to pay. I will not
turn down clients just because they cannot pay me. What I shall do is to charge those
less fortunate the least amount and a part of the awards if we win. And to charge more
to those who are wealthier. All things considered at the end of the day I still need to pay
my bills, my food and other expenses. I cannot just provide legal services for free.
That is not to say that I will not help others. Far from it I want to be part of
something which helps a lot of people not just the select few. I just need to make sure
that I myself wont need help soon.
Another point of why I want my clients as calm and relaxed as possible is for
them to be more receptive of the questions as I build our rapport, along with
establishing a trusting relationship with me. I want them to know that so long as they
have not lied to me about the circumstances of their situation I can promise that I will
help to the best of my abilities.
As for my time with my clients I want them to know from the beginning that I want
them to hold nothing back, for them to tell me what really happened as well as what the
circumstances after wards. This is like a case of being fooled by my clients that is not
good. Especially since all I want is to help them, and that can be hard if they do not help
themselves. I can only do so much on my own. I remember the 2014 movie of John

Lloyd, The Trial, where he played the role of a mentally slow person accused of rape.
The sad part is that all he maintains is that it was not rape, but he does not offer any
other explanation other than the victim loving him.
So how can I help someone who does not want to help himself? What I can do is
limited in that situation. There is a limit as to how involved I can be with a client. I have
to be impartial to an extent and sympathetic as well. I do not to be in too deep with a
client.
As for when I should end my relationship I think that when I am already against
the actions he wishes to take is the time when I should reconsider my representation of
him. I do not want to represent a client in whom I no longer believe in an if despite my
protests he insists on an action that would be of no purpose or even actually detrimental
to our case it is better to withdraw.
As for the time spent on cases I believe in working efficiently and promptly. I do
not want to drag on a case for a long time and continue to milk my clients money until
he loses everything. No my purpose is to help them. And besides if I close a case it
means that I am open to more cases. Handling multiple cases at once seem like
impractical but I think that with proper scheduling I may be able to manage two cases,
or even three at once.
As for protection I believe lawyers are allowed to carry a firearm which is logical I
surmise. Not everyone can be level headed at the counsel of the opposing party. I
would prefer not to carry a gun around but I would rather have it and not need it than
need it and not have one.
As for partnering up I want to be in partnership with a person whom I know I can
trust and also share some similar views. I dont want him to agree with me on everything
just agree on some general issues and then we can debate on other things as well. I
want him to be also good at the areas that I am weak at so that we can help one
another grow better.
Now if I am lucky and am able to form a law firm I would like to make it so that
each of the partners has our own offices and that there are separate rooms for
conferences and such, and a big resource library which can store all our books. Ill also
include a kitchenette which can help especially if we have occasions in the office and
late night works. Modern would be how I can simply describe the office then. I also

would like to offer work for law students then so that they can experience for themselves
what profession they are entering.
Gaining a masteral in law is also something which I would like to pursue, and
maybe a doctorate even. I do not believe that one can study way too much. I would
want to teach law to those who are interested in the profession. So being a teacher is
not out of the list of possibilities that I am considering. To mold and shape the future
generations is something that appeals to me greatly.

John Matley M. Caampued