It is without a doubt that Civil Law is one of the Bar subjects which covers the most sub-topics included in one set of examinations. Taken on the second Sunday of the exam schedule, Civil Law banners a whopping 11 subjects covered for one exam alone. The substantive topics included in this part of the Bar examinations are Persons and Family Relations, Obligations and Contracts, Property, Wills and Succession, Sales, Lease, Partnership, Agency, Credit Transactions, Land Titles and Deeds, and Torts and Damages.
Considering that this part of the Bar comprises 15% of the entire exam, it is fitting to say that one needs to focus keenly on this. Also, the kilometric coverage of Civil Law serves as one of the many reasons why a candidate should focus on this subject as well.
While not all reading materials cover all these subjects in a compressed yet effective manner, there are some books or reviewers one could consider, nonetheless. There are some reading materials available to law students that cover most of the topics included in the Bar syllabus. Besides, these materials offer a simple yet effective approach in conveying legal concepts about Civil Law.
Among the materials you could use for Civil Law, in preparation for the Bar exam, are the following:
Civil Law Reviewer Volume I and Volume II by Elmer T. Rabuya
Civil Law Reviewer by Desidero P. Jurado
Civil Law Reviewer Volume I by Elmer T. Rabuya
Elmer T. Rabuya is one of the more prominent reviewers in civil law. Tagged as “The Civilist” by both friends and colleagues, Atty. Rabuya and his lectures have echoed both in the halls of law schools and review centers all over the country.
From Persons and Family Relations to Property and Obligations and Contracts, Atty. Rabuya has authored books that form part of a law student’s foundation in the said subjects. Also, two of his most prominent works come in the form of reviewers.
Atty Rabuya’s Civil Law Reviewer comes in two parts—Volume I and Volume II. Intended primarily for law students taking up Civil Law Review in the fourth year, the books offer a comprehensive overview of all the sub-topics on civil law. Volume I include the sub-topics of Persons and Family Relations, Property and Wills and Succession, among others. Volume II, on the other hand, includes the sub-topics of Obligations and Contracts, Sales and Lease, Partnership, Agency and Trust, and Torts and Damages.
The legal concepts are laid down straightforwardly. Explanations of codal provisions are made word for word, without skipping any relevant entry. Also, the application of these provisions is coupled with landmark cases that applied the relevant law and doctrine. Accordingly, the reviewers are up to date and include recently decided landmark cases by the Supreme Court.
While the reviewer may have two volumes, a bar candidate preparing for the Bar would not see the same as too long or too taxing. Atty. Rabuya’s reviewer dumbs down complex legal matters as simple and basic as possible to be understood by most. One would be able to correlate different subject matters because of Atty. Rabuya’s simple yet inclusive explanation of the same. The presentation of concepts and ideas per chapter is printed in a manner suitable for a candidate preparing for the Bar exams.
Civil Law Reviewer by Desidero P. Jurado
The lengthy coverage of Civil Law comes with it another dilemma—a multitude of cases which is expected to be known or read by one taking the exam. Civil Law posits different landmark cases in different sub-topics which may seem impossible to remember.
However, a bar candidate should not fear. While there are no reading materials that could cover every important case there is, there is a reviewer that gives an overview of the same. It is none other than the Civil Law Reviewer by Atty. Jurado.
Jurado’s reviewer has been available to the public for quite a long time now, and the same has been updated and revised to keep up with the revisions of time. However, amidst all the changes that have occurred in the profession, the reviewer remains a pillar not only to students and candidates preparing for the Bar but to law professors teaching the subject as well.
Prepared and printed in a question and answer format, Atty. Jurado’s reviewer gives its readers a lecture-recitation type of setting. The questions are asked in a simple and enumerated manner to simplify and specify the legal concepts important per provision or law asked.
More importantly, Atty. Jurado’s reviewer asks hypothetical questions that are all based on landmark cases. These questions summarize those which have already been asked in previous bar examinations and, in some examinations, prepared by law professors and bar reviewers all over the country. The reviewer also shows how to answer a bar question, stating first the legal basis before connecting it to the facts of the case at bar. Accordingly, the reviewer not only provides one answer for some of the questions therein. It analyzes several possibilities that it also offers two or more suggested answers for a question, depending on the facts or related instances.
While there may be a handful of reading materials out there for civil law, these two reviewers offer a more descriptive discussion of the same. Given their manner of preparation, length, and comprehensive discussion, these reviewers may be the best reading materials if one is to prepare for the Bar Exams for Civil Law.