In one of my law subject classes, one of my classmates proposed to our professor that we conduct classroom debates. He was refused outright. My professor reasoned that debates are a waste of time. The course subject matters that need to be covered are vast and voluminous. Debates for the said subject are allegedly pointless since the law will not change regardless of how much we argue about it.

My professor does pose a valid point yet I strongly disagree with him. I stayed silent during that time but in my mind, I was brewing all sorts of justifications for conducting classroom debates in law subject classes.

I can still vividly remember my first law debate when I was in my first year of law school. It was during my Constitutional Law class under QC RTC Judge Maria Elisa Sempio Diy. She was, by the way, one of my favorite professors in the San Beda College of Law in Manila. Aside from being an industrious RTC Judge, she is also a very efficient and competent teacher. She is always present in class (unlike some professors I know) plus she is also a very good song writer/ composer. She was the one who composed “Tila,” (sung by Lani Misalucha), “Beginning Today” (sung by Agot Isidro) and “To Reach You” (sung by Regine Velasquez) among others.

The topic of that first debate is the propriety of delegating legislative power. I don’t want to go into the details of that for it might bore you to death. But one thing I learned that time is that in law practice, everything is subjective, everything is subject to someone’s discretion. Although laws are written, its interpretation is left to the judiciary. And such interpretations could vary. A present interpretation of a law may be totally reversed or altered in the future even if the subject law remains unchanged.

This brings to mind the value of the power of persuasion. In court practice, in writing pleadings, and in making motions, it is always important to be persuasive. Sometimes, even if the written law is clearly against you, you can still make it favorable for you by invoking circumstances that will make its application unjust or oppressive for you. After all, the purpose of the legal system is to dispense justice, in its righteous and poetic sense.

Classroom debates, therefore, cannot be considered a useless activity since it helps law students develop the art of persuasion. The said art is required of all lawyers and law practitioners. How to make someone understand and adopt your line of thinking is a craft that distinguishes good lawyers from the rest. Hence, I believe that classroom debates should be encouraged and conducted in Law Subject Classes.

Let me know what you all think.