SAMPLE COURT OBSERVATION PAPER

INTRODUCTION

Going to courts to view real life cases, and observe the matters of law and
how they are applied, can develop a deeper understanding and appreciation on
the importance of the law and how it protects the rights of every individual
regardless of his or her status or standing in the society. Also, court visit is one of
the most important things that a student, who aspires to become a lawyer can do.
For one reason, it can help students narrow down their career options. Lastly, it
makes law students improve their approach in their academic work and how they
think about the practical applications of the things they are studying, rather than
just knowledge of the different theories and principles.

In this written report, the group focused on the observation of proceedings

from two courts: one, from the Metropolitan Trial Court of Muntinlupa City
Branch 110 and another is from the Metropolitan Trial Court of Muntinlupa
City Branch 113. The purpose of the court visit was to make the members of
the group understand the way the court works, how court proceeding is done,
depending on the type of the case whether it is a criminal or a civil case and how
justice is achieved by the court in accordance with the rules and procedures
provided by the law.

CONCLUSION:

The November 14 MTC hearing proved to be beneficial not only for our
subject in practice court 1 but also for the Bar Examinations as well. Here, the
group was able to refresh their memory on the Criminal Law, Rules on Evidence
and Rules regarding the rights of the accused. MTC Judge Melody Restituto also
highlighted the importance of the “Teamwork” between the judge, the prosecutor
and the defense lawyer in the speedy disposition of cases. She mentioned that in
a year there were about 900 cases more or less filed in the MeTC of Muntinlupa
City and this “Teamwork” plays an important role in the speedy and effective
administration of justice.

A.M. No. 15-06-10-SC, or the Revised Guidelines for Continuous Trial of

Criminal Cases, proved to be of great help in the speedy disposition of cases and
efficient administration of justice. Effective since September 1, 2017, the system
resulted in declogging court dockets. For one, the Metropolitan Trial Courts of
Muntinlupa City has been applying the system for years now. Our court visit gave
us an in-depth view on how the system really works in actual practice. This, as
well as the statements of the people with whom we were able to interact,
supplemented our knowledge of the guidelines. School related discussions are
one thing, Practice court is another thing.
 The two-day court visit is indeed a step in mapping out the future of our
legal career. With its principal objective to enrich our knowledge on court
procedure, Practice Court acquaints us with the application of law, something we
can never fully learn on textbooks alone.