Legal management or paralegal studies is an academic, vocational, and professional discipline that is a hybrid between the study of law and management (i.e., business administration, public administration, etc.). Often, alumni of legal management programmes pursue a professional degree in law such as Juris Doctor (JD) or Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) while some profess as paralegals, law clerks, political analysts, politicians, public administrators, entrepreneurs, business executives, or pursue careers in the academe.

The degree was designed in the Philippines and was first introduced in Ateneo de Manila University in the 1980s by former Philippine Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona. A similar degree known as Legal Studies is offered at the University of California Berkeley, but without management courses.^[1]

Legal management student organisations across the Philippines are represented by the Alliance of Legal Management Associations of the Philippines (ALMAP) to the Securities and Exchange Commission, as a non-stock, non-profit, student-run corporation.

Curriculum

Legal management is currently offered in multiple degree formats depending on the offering college or university. Its variety and flexibility is a focal point among schools that have it in their roster of academic degrees. Some capitalise in the legal aspects, while others for the business aspects. Some schools may offer the degree either as a predominantly preparatory law programme, a liberal arts focused programme, or a business and management programme. Core subjects include: law, philosophy, literature and management (public and business). Depending on the school, the ratio of law courses to management courses vary between 40:60 to 90:10.

Variations of the discipline can be conferred either as the following undergraduate degrees:

• Bachelor of Science in Legal Management (BSc Legal Management)
• Bachelor of Arts in Legal Management (AB Legal Management)
• Bachelor of Arts in Legal Studies (AB Legal Studies)
• Bachelor of Arts in Paralegal Studies (AB Paralegal Studies)
• Bachelor of Science in business administration major in Legal Management (BSc BA Legal Management)
• Bachelor of Science in Management major in Legal Management (BSc Management – Legal Management)

Alliance of Legal Management Associations of the Philippines

Founded in 2000, the Alliance of Legal Management Associations of the Philippines (ALMAP, Inc.) is the home of all Legal Management Student Organisations in the Philippines. It is responsible for the promotion of all Legal Management Degree Programs in the country, and is the sole and exclusive representative of the Legal Management Student Body in the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and it is duly registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a Non-Stock, Non-Profit Student Organisation.

It fosters relationships between different schools offering the Legal Management, Legal Studies, Paralegal Studies, and the like degree programs through social engineering projects, forums, academic seminars, project partnerships and nation-building initiatives.

Notable alumni

• Diosdado Macapagal Arroyo (Ateneo de Naga University) '97 – Member of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, Son of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and grandson of Philippine President Diosdado Macapagal.
• Andres D. Bautista^[2][3] (Ateneo de Manila University) '90 – Former chairman of the Philippine Commission on Elections. President of the Harvard Law School Student Council and Harvard Club of the Philippines.
• Antonette C. Tionko^[4] (Ateneo de Manila University) – Partner, Sycip Gorres Velayo & Co. (Ernst & Young).
• Camille Maria L. Castolo^[5] (Ateneo de Manila University) '10 Class Valedictorian – The Legal 500 Lawyer, SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan Law.
• Enrique V. dela Cruz, Jr.^[6] (University of Santo Tomas) '96 – Provincial Board Member, Provincial Government of Bulacan. John F. Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University Alumni, University of London Alumni, Fulbright and British Council scholar.
• Gerardo Domenico Lanuza^[7] (De La Salle University) '06 – Director, Philippine Realty and Holdings Corporation & Vice President, Campos, Lanuza & Co., Inc.
• Jorge Alfonso C. Melo^[8] (Ateneo de Manila University) – Former editor-in-chief, Ateneo Law Journal.
• Dr Marcial Orlando A. Balgos^[9] (Ateneo de Manila University) – Professor, Ateneo Graduate School of Business.
• Nielson Pangan^[10] (New Era University) '10 – 2014 Philippine Bar Exam Topnotcher.
• Rasmon Tuazon^[11] (University of Santo Tomas) '03 – Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature Laureate and UST Rector's Literary Awardee.
• Sam Y.G. (a.k.a. Samir Gogna) (Ateneo De Manila University) '05 – Actor, Host, and Comedian.
• Teodoro Kalaw IV^[12] (Ateneo de Manila University) – Harvard Law School Ll.M. Alumni, University of Cambridge Master of Studies in Sustainability Leadership Alumni, Kellogg School of Management & Hong Kong University of Science and Technology MBA Alumni, University of the Philippines MPA Alumni, president of the Philippine Institute of Arbitrators, and professor of law and public administration at the University of the Philippines and at the Ateneo De Manila University.

References

See also

• Pre law
• Legal Education
• Bachelor of Laws
• Juris Doctor
• List of academic disciplines
• Political Science
• Paralegal