Former justices lawyering only for the rich

Former chief justice Artemio Panganiban’s Jan. 5 column provides interesting data on the careers of retired justices.

1. Many former justices are successfully pursuing second careers to supplement their retirement pay which, though indexed to the pay of current justices, may not be enough for the additional needs of aging.

2. Several justices have become “independent directors” of companies or their affiliates, some of which had cases in the Supreme Court, or in which they may even have been the ponente. A few have appeared before the Supreme Court for these companies.

3. None of them appear to be actively lawyering for the poor. What a difference it would make to the poor if former justices lent their knowledge and stature to their cause.

4. Very few teach. Future lawyers would benefit greatly from the teachings of former justices, particularly on the need for a new generation of jurisprudence to reflect the broader scope of social justice in the 1987 Constitution compared to the 1935 and 1973 Constitutions.

—CHRISTIAN S. MONSOD,

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