The lecture aims to give participants a concise overview of the New Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability promulgated by the Supreme Court in April 2023 together with updates on substantial and procedural matters in readmission to the bar and effects of non-compliance with MCLE requirements, among other recent jurisprudence. As an introduction, the lecture will provide a brief review of the basic duties of lawyers to the courts, to their clients, to the legal profession, and to society. The lecture also delves into the proper/improper behavior of lawyers in and out of court, during videoconference hearings, and especially in social media from the perspective of legal ethics. The lecture also covers Judicial Ethics with recent jurisprudence and circulars on pertinent areas for judges and court personnel.
He is currently the Presiding Judge of Quezon City’s Regional Trial Court Branch 217. He is also a faculty at the College of Law, Manuel L. Quezon University teaching Alternative Dispute Resolution, Legal Profession, Statutory Construction, and Human Rights. Judge Villarama took his Masters of Law from Cornell University in 2014 where he represented his class as the Convocation Speaker. He graduated from Ateneo de Manila Law School where he also took his Masters of Law in International Law, Major in International Arbitration.