How to Read Cases Effectively in the Philippines: A Law Student’s Guide

How to read a legal case effectively is a hidden weapon any Philippine law student should have in their artillery since at least 50% of law school is all about reading. This 50% however feels like a 100% when your professor decides to assign 30-50 cases for the week and you’d be surprised that that’s only for one subject. This is why efficiently finishing the case list while understanding each core concept is a powerful skill each law student must learn and reading this article is your first step towards achieving the goal of reading legal cases effectively.

Introduction to Effective Case Reading

Before delving into the various tried-and-tested tips, let’s first define some of the key terms you will encounter while reading cases.

Ponente

The ponente as defined in A.M. No. 10-4-20-SC, is the Supreme Court Justice “to whom the Court, after its deliberation on the merits of a case, assigns the writing of its decision or resolution in the case”.

G.R. Number (G.R. No.)

As you go through law school, you would notice that many cases share the same name. The G.R. No. is a unique docket number assigned by the Supreme Court for identification and distinction.

Date of Decision

Take note of the date of a Decision, since it may be an old one — the rules embodied therein may have already been superseded by newer case law.

Parties

In a case, there are two main parties: the petitioner/s (those seeking relief from the Court) and the respondent/s (those required by the Court to respond to the allegations set forth by the petitioner/s.

If you’re curious about other terms you might encounter while reading, do check out the philippine legal dictionary

How to Read a Philippine Legal Case Effectively: Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: The First Read

Your first read of a case should just be a quick run through.

Cases will be piling up & before you know it, you have 20 cases to read in full text in one night. With cases piling up, this step helps you filter the most relevant portions quickly. For instance, you can opt to either check out the digests made available by Digest.ph or you can take note of keywords relevant to the topic the particular case falls under.

Step 2: Read Through the Facts, Issues, and Ruling

Your subsequent readings of a case should now focus on the details — filtering out its relevant parts from those which are not.

As a general rule of thumb, only skim through the procedural antecedents (i.e. lower court rulings) and non-syllabus related doctrines. Do note however that some professors do ask about the procedural antecedents so it is an important skill to get to know your professor’s recitation style first. On the other hand, focus on the facts, issues, and syllabus-related doctrines.

The following are parts that you should take note of:

1. Facts, Arguments, and Procedural History

A case is differentiated from another by its factual antecedents. And when it comes to fact-dependent subjects such as Criminal Law, it is important to pay extra attention to the facts. The arguments of each party gives you an idea as to the cause of action and defenses of the parties involved. A case’s procedural history, i.e. the rulings of the lower courts, is also beneficial to take note of for you to have an idea as to how the case reached the Supreme Court. This is especially important for cases on Remedial Law.

2. Issue and Ruling of the Supreme Court

Most recitation questions would revolve around what the subject law is and how its principle is applied to the case thus it is important to read this part thoroughly. Make sure to pay attention to the following:

Issues

Issue/s generally pertain to the central issue the Supreme Court is attempting to resolve at the end of every case. It usually involves a legal grey area yet to be understood or a provision of law yet to be interpreted. While at first it may be difficult to do, issue-spotting gets easier over time as you get familiar with the patterns of the cases.

Ratio Decidendi

Knowledge of the law is key to being able to spot issues quickly and accurately, even while under stressful conditions (such as recitations or perhaps in a final exam [2]). Make sure to understand the ratio decidendi or the “rationale for the decision”. Be mindful of obiter dictum, as well or those comments, suggestions, or observations of a judge in an opinion which are not necessary for the resolution of a case. Since these are mere opinions of the ponente, these do not have any binding authority and thus, cannot be cited as precedent.

How the Supreme Court Applied the Legal Rules Involved

Be sure to understand how the Supreme Court applied relevant legal rule/s to the particular set of facts presented. Doing so will enable you to fully understand the essence of the rule of law involved — its qualifications, requisites for applicability, cases of non-applicability, among others. Professors may ask you situational, hypothetical questions to test your knowledge of the law.

3. Legal doctrine

The legal doctrine is the heart of the case because this portion usually establishes norms & principles to be cited in future cases to be decided by the Supreme Court. Since the doctrine summarizes the lesson the case is trying to impart to its readers, this is usually encased in 1-3 sentences only and may be found at the beginning or at the end of the text.

Step 3: Make a Case Digest

Making a case digest is highly recommended, as it is an excellent way to retain and review the aforementioned relevant parts of a case. To know how to create a comprehensive case digest, read How to Digest a Case: A Step-by-Step Guide!

Where to Find Full-Text Cases in the Philippines?

You can access full-text supreme court and other philippine court decisions through several official and reputable online sources. These platforms ensure accuracy, reliability, and up-to-date case law information for your research.

CDAsia

One of the reliable sources for full-text cases is definitely CDAsia. While this website requires one to avail a subscription from them, its huge database of Philippine jurisprudence in reader-friendly format is extremely helpful in your daily lives as law students. Do check with your campus’ library if your school is subscribed to CDAsia as they might be able to provide students with limited access to a few paid accounts.

Supreme Court

The Supreme Court (SC) E-Library on the other hand provides us with their own free database of full-text cases. Although their website is not as complete nor user-friendly as that of CDAsia’s, it is reliable and free to use which is perfect for law students.

Digest PH

Last but definitely not the least, if you are sifting through various volumes of information, it helps to find a companion that has all your full-text case needs. Working with DigestPH gives you access to over 83,000 full-text cases with easy-to-read text and built-in note-taking features.

Key takeaways

Check out online sources such as CDAsia, SC E-library, and Digest.ph to help you in collecting necessary full-text cases for class.
In your first reading of the case, a bulk of the cases will be done by skimming the full text & picking important portions.
Focusing on the following important portions helps one get rid of unnecessary information: Legal Doctrine, Facts, Arguments, Issue/s, and Ruling of the Supreme Court.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to read and summarize a case?

Read the case twice, highlight facts, and rulings, and create a digest summarizing key doctrines.

What is an ideal way to read a judgment?

The Supreme Court’s judgement is usually near the end of the case. Relate it to the legal concept you are studying, e.g., for dacion en pago, focus on “debtors” or payment.” This approach helps you to quickly identify relevant facts, rulings, and doctrines in Philippine jurisprudence.

What makes a strong case?

Strong cases cite legal provisions directly addressing the issue, supported by relevant jurisprudence. Pleadings combining precise laws with case rulings involving similar facts (“on all fours”) give courts clear, persuasive grounds to decide in your favor.

Conclusion

While every law student reads differently, the basic steps laid down in this article consists of a surefire way to read cases efficiently & effectively.