PAYING IT FORWARD
Lawyers are expected to uphold the law, to protect the rights of the people, to serve their clients when they need advice and assistance. The oath that they take binds them to a life pursuing justice, bound by a duty to defend their clients with competence and diligence.
But the most authentic practice of law goes beyond the walls of a fancy office or the inner sanctum of a courthouse. It is when lawyers who have sworn to uphold the Constitution step outside their offices, roll up their sleeves, and reach out their hands to those who need them most—the men and women who are afraid to speak up, are unable to ask for help, and are most vulnerable and oppressed.
“If you want to be a true professional, you will do something outside of yourself, something that makes life better for people less fortunate than you.” These words by Ruth Bader Ginsburg couldn’t have rung truer for GSE Law.
When Raul Gerodias decided to break away from his old firm, he was driven by a desire to put up his own law firm on his own terms—one that makes a difference in the lives of others beyond the legal services the firm offered. He was enjoying the fruits of his labor as a successful lawyer, but there was a fire inside him that yearned to do more. There was call from within to do more meaningful things.
Whether it was his Ignatian education that nurtured this determination to be a “person for others,” he knew he had found the right partners in Dimples Suchianco and Toby Estrella, who, like him, felt a strong commitment to put up a firm whose duties would extend further than their clientele. This awareness that they are called to do more as lawyers has guided them in their pursuit of social justice and change.
It is GSE Law’s commitment to promoting social consciousness that has led them to engage in corporate social responsibility initiatives that have helped underprivileged communities since 2009.The Firm’s various CSR activities have focused on addressing social issues that stem from poverty, illiteracy and lack of awareness of one’s rights. From legal aid missions to community lectures, the Firm has continuously participated and organized activities that aims to educate and empower individuals about their rights and duties, along with outreach activities such as educational field trips for children in indigent communities.
Motivated to do more for the community, the Firm created the GSE Community Legal Education (GCLE) in 2011. GCLE is a series of lectures on practical issues that local communities may be faced with. The lectures are tailor-made to the needs of community members on matters ranging from family law and labor law to entrepreneurship and human rights, specifically children and women’s rights.
The GCLE lectures expanded to include partnerships with some of GSE’s clients as well. In 2012, the Firm provided basic legal education to the “nanays” of social enterprise and fashion and design house, Rags2Riches. Reese Fernandez-Ruiz, R2R’s President and Founding Partner, looks back, “A few years ago, we did a legal clinic in Payatas. There were lawyers who were assigned different desks and [gave] free consultation for many of our artisans. It was very helpful and eye opening because a lot of our artisans don’t really understand their rights especially when it comes to violence against women, [and] the lawyers were really able to help us out with that.”
As the Firm provides pro bono legal services to R2R, Reese and her team are able to concentrate in running their social enterprise, allowing them to “create beautiful products that are high quality,” without ever feeling anything less than a priority client. “[We] never felt shortchanged because I knew they know our purpose, and they share that purpose with us. [We’re not treated] like charity, and [the Firm] also gives [us] 100 percent because they believe in our purpose,” she explains.
GSE allows them to concentrate fully on running the company while caring for their artisans as well. “They’re really part of the backbone of why we could do what we do. So it doesn’t even matter what kind of projects we are in right now, most likely GSE has some part of it [and] supports us in some way—[that] because of their support, it is made possible,” affirms Reese. “[This is] why I feel like we are in this purpose together. It really feels like a shared mission.”
Realistically, social change cannot be achieved alone. GSE Law has found organizations and socio-civic groups who share the same passion, vision and commitment to improving the lives of their fellowmen. Atty. Weena Mendoza, Executive Director of Wholistic Transformation Resource Center (WTRC) and WaterHope Foundation, narrates how their foundation began its partnership with GSE.
“[Raul] was always talking about paying it forward,” she recalls. While the partnership between WTRC and GSE Law didn’t happen quickly, she says, “one day it just occurred to him that they were ready.”
She took the cue from Raul and started the ball rolling. “What we do is we set the platform, we create the opportunity [to reach out to the community], and then it’s up to [the Firm] na to pour into it as much as [they] want,” she explains.
Through the leadership of Raul and the guidance of Atty. Weena and WTRC team, the Firm took to the project just like they did any of their cases—with a thorough evaluation of what the community needed, a comprehensive review of what they could do for them—and set out a game plan for a legal mission that covered all bases. They came up with training modules, PowerPoint presentations, and handouts, says Atty. Weena, but they did so much more.
“[M]ost legal missions, they really will just attend to the legal needs,” she explains, adding how, in most underprivileged communities, those attending the legal aid and medical missions usually bring the whole family. “You don’t realize that getting them to one place to listen to you is a big production,” she points out, “Hindi lang ’yan na siya lang ang mag-a-attend; dala nila ang kanilang mga anak kasi wala naman mga yaya ’yan. So if anim ang anak n’yan, it will be the mom, the dad, and the six children there!”
She asked Raul if GSE could have a children’s program side by side with the legal training. “Para habang nag-aaral ang mga parents, may nag-e-entertain sa mga anak n’ya,” she says, looking back. “Aba ang galing!” she exclaims, “Even the non-legal jumped on that idea along with some lawyers. They went overboard! They brought books, art materials, and food. One time they had a clown, [too]! It became legal mission plus children’s program.”
Each member of GSE Law was involved and shared the same level of enthusiasm for each CSR project the Firm took part in. Aside from the legal education lectures and one-on-one consultations with the lawyers, the non-legal staff made sure that everyone was included and taken care of.
“They had the manpower, the willingness, the funds, and the know- how,” she continues, “But the familiarity with the community, managing the expectations and the discipline of the community, finding the right logistics, our expertise on the ground matched their expertise in law and willingness to serve. The synergy was very good; it was a very good match. It was a perfect partnership.”
Any endeavor only becomes a success when each team member contributes their time, effort, and resources to the best of their ability. But a fruitful relationship lasts long when both parties have the same goals and objectives for their community.
“Raul’s team was perfect,” praises Atty. Lila Quirino, Vice- Chairperson of the Ateneo de Manila Law Alumni Association, Inc. (ALAAI). “They have the organization and the manpower. It impressed me so much that even the non-legal are also involved. It’s the only firm that I’ve seen [where] everyone in the Firm is involved,” she remarks.
“Even the children were attended to. There were games and storytelling—and these were all conducted by partners and lawyers, [alongside other] Ateneo alumni,” she says. “Their vision was so complete; it envisioned the entire family. It’s wonderful because it really shows sincerity and their dedication to the mission—to try to help our less fortunate brethren.”
She points out in particular how the Firm’s CSR activities not only addressed legal issues, but also practical concerns that, according to ALAAI President Atty. Nena Rosales, “brought out the little nuances [and] realities of our legal system.”
Through the one-on-one consultations with the communities, they uncovered the challenges faced by the less fortunate that most people would have taken for granted such as not having a birth certificate, not being able to get a valid government-issued ID because one didn’t have a permanent address, or having illegitimate children because they didn’t know whether their marriage was real or not. “It triggered a new kind of seeing reality from the legal point of view,” imparts Atty. Nena. It opened their eyes and exposed how and what the law that they were trying to uphold was really like for the less fortunate.
