07/09/2023
SC Disbars Prosecutor for Maligning Justices, Bar Confidant |
The Supreme Court has disbarred a previously suspended prosecutor for making foul and offensive remarks to the Justices of the Supreme Court and for berating and insulting the Bar Confidant.
In a 16-page per curiam Decision, the Court disbarred from the practice of law Atty. Perla D. Ramirez for violating the Lawyer’s Oath and Rule 7.03 of Canon 7, Rule 8.01 of Canon 8, and Rule 11.03 of Canon 11 of the Code of Professional Responsibility (CPR). Her name was ordered stricken off the Roll of Attorneys, effective immediately.
In ruling on Ramirez’s case, the Court adopted the OBC’s recommendation, stressing that “the practice of law is not a right, but a mere privilege which is subject to the inherent regulatory power of this Court.”
The Court underscored the canons governing the lawyers’ conduct towards the legal profession, among which are Canon 7, which states that a lawyer shall at all times uphold the integrity and the dignity of the legal profession and support the activities of the Integrated Bar; Canon 8, which states that a lawyer shall conduct oneself with courtesy, fairness and candor towards one’s professional colleagues, and shall avoid harassing tactics against opposing counsel; and Canon 11, which states that a lawyer shall observe and maintain the respect due to the courts and to judicial officers and should insist on similar conduct by others.
The Court also stressed the purpose of disbarment as a penalty: “[it] is not to punish the individual Attorney himself or herself, but rather ‘to safeguard the administration of justice by protecting the Court and the public from the misconduct of officers of the Court.’”
The Court added that disbarment is intended to cleanse the ranks of the legal profession of its undesirable members, “especially those who have disregarded their oath and have proved to be unfit to continue discharging the trust reposed in them as members of the bar, just like Ramirez in this case.”
Read more at https://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/sc-disbars-prosecutor-for-maligning-justices-bar-confidant/. Read the Decision in full at https://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/10372-aurora-r-ladim-angelito-a-ardiente-and-danilo-s-dela-cruz-vs-atty-perla-d-ramirez/.