Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen urged new law graduates to move beyond social media and directly engage with Filipino communities, stressing the importance of humility, culture, and real-life experience in practicing law.

Speaking at the Notre Dame of Marbel University College of Law commencement exercises, Leonen reminded graduates that being a lawyer is more than a profession—it is a responsibility to understand society’s problems and work toward positive change.

“It is a means for advocacy shared with various groups, communities, and identities. It is a means for social change. It is a way to achieve social justice,” he said. “Lawyering requires that we imagine more with such imagination being informed by the true experience of others.”

The senior justice of the high bench underscored the importance of humility in empowering communities, encouraging graduates to immerse themselves in the lives of those they serve, rather than assuming superiority.

He said the law graduates should continue to engage communities in their own context, not through social media, but directly, face to face, with the people in their culture and language. “In doing so, we can direct our own actions more actively and become more effective in our efforts to sustain development in these areas we serve.”

Leonen reminded the graduates that the legal profession is not just about handling cases or making money, as it is about fighting for justice, speaking up for the marginalized, and working towards real change.

“[W]e must read the law not just as text, but alongside the realities that we face today. There remain epistemic injustices, the plundering of wealth, and deep-seated systemic corruption. And all while our people continue to suffer because of our silent acceptance of these status quo,” he said.

While acknowledging the challenges ahead, SAJ Leonen affirmed the law’s potential to be a force for good. “Applying what you have learned in law will be difficult and imperfect, but the law was not made to exist only in books and in theory. In the right hands it is a force to do good, a catalyst for change, to improve the lot of our people in the course of our careers.”

Leonen also shared updates on the SC’s digital transformation under the Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022–2027 (SPJI), including the rollout of eCourt PH 2.0 and the development of an AI Governance Framework.

eCourt PH 2.0 aims to modernize the Judiciary through a fully digital court system, streamlining processes and improving transparency. Key features include digital filing and service of court documents, court management applications, and digital appeals and proceedings in civil and criminal cases.

The AI Governance Framework, which is being developed by the SC’s Committee on Computerization and Library under the leadership of SAJ Leonen, will guide the responsible use of artificial intelligence to enhance judicial efficiency and integrity.