The Ateneo Center for International Economic Law (ACIEL) specializes in laws regulating the influx of both goods and services in and outside of the Philippines, such as Competition Law and International Economic Laws.
The organization aims to create a center that has as its primary function and jurisdiction the understanding of economic laws and how they apply to the Philippines on an international scale and to make the International Economic Law practice as a viable, interesting, and challenging career path for future Atenean Lawyers.
ACIEL has established a working relationship with the Philippine Competition Commission to raise public awareness of competition laws and related issues.
ACIEL has facilitated several talks and lectures covering highly relevant topics and issues such as anti-trust policies among others and forums on law and economics.
At the same time, the organization believes and recognizes the need for the students’ holistic development which has paved the way for its participation in activities such as the law school’s Alternative Class Program where it sponsored one of the classes held for the students.
ATENEO HUMAN RIGHTS CENTER COUNCIL OF INTERNS
“To give a damn; to swim against the culture of materialism and self-absorption; to make a stand and to fight for it; to discover your passion and use it for the common good; to follow your heart beyond yourself; to not be blind to the reality of the world – this is to be an AHRC Intern.
An AHRC intern is an advocate, a student of the law, who appreciates the value of the legal profession and the nobility of its great capacity; but one who also does not shy away from staring into the brokenness and inequality of a twisted system and draw from its very injustice the inspiration and courage to be a voice in the deafening noise of societal apathy and oppression. He/she is able to work through both the good and the challenging of circumstances, drawing strength and comfort from the energy of those who have served before and the promise of those who shall serve in the years to come. Simply put, the AHRC intern sees the world in all its aspects and acts, wherever he/she is, taking to heart the calling of the profession to give more in law to those who have less in life.” (Fr. IJ Chan-Gonzaga)
ATENEO LAW BUSINESS ASSOCIATION (ALBA)
ALBA is the pioneer organization devoted to fueling the passion for entrepreneurship of future lawyers; disseminating knowledge regarding business principles within the community of aspiring lawyers; promoting the significance of law in the field of business in Philippine society; helping students discover the symbiotic relationship between law and business within the ambit of nation building; creating and strengthening the ties that bind the network of lawyers - and businessmen-to-be; and preparing the students of today for the globalized business world of tomorrow.
ATENEO LAW DEBATE AND ADVOCACY SOCIETY (ALDAS)
The Ateneo Law Debate and Advocacy Society (ALDAS) is a student organization that provides a platform for Ateneo Law students to develop and strengthen their communication and analytical skills. It was established in 1990, and is guided by its vision of a society of Atenean lawyers who are not only competent and well-versed in public speaking and trial technique, but are likewise true advocates of justice and the law who use their mastery of the Organization’s core competencies to affect social change and progressive nation-building. In doing so, they will live out the ideals of the School and the Organization’s patron saint, Saint Thomas More - the King’s good servant, but God’s first.
ALDAS is driven by its passion to render service to the Ateneo Law community as well as to society. ALDAS aims to prepare its members for a legal career through strengthening their skills in debate, oral and written advocacy, and trial practice.
From its inception, ALDAS has won numerous debate competitions. The Organization emerged as the Overall-Champion in the inaugural Association of Law Schools of the Philippines – National Debate in 2014. In addition to joining debate tournaments, ALDAS consistently hosts debating events, from inter-Ateneo Law Debates to national competitions.
ATENEO LAW SCHOOL CHOIR
The Ateneo Law School Choir is a family of law students with a passion for service and with hearts set on God. It aims to provide, through the gift of music, an inclusive space for individuals who seek sanctuary from the daily rigors of law school life. The ALS Choir primarily provides the Ateneo Professional School's St. Thomas More Chapel with liturgical music during designated Eucharistic celebrations, as well as during other special mass celebrations. It also aims to serve as a channel for musical and artistic recreation and development for law students.
ATENEO SOCIETY OF INTERNATIONAL LAW (ASIL)
The object of the Ateneo Society of International Law (ASIL) is to contribute to the advancement of legal education by the continuing pursuit of international law. Gathering law students, members of the faculty, law practitioners, and other persons interested in international law together, the Society endeavors to continually provide a forum for the discussion of legal issues through seminars, symposia, conferences, research, publications, and exchanges.
The Society aims to promote the establishment and maintenance of international relations on the basis of principles of law by participating in various international law moot court competitions. The Society also aims to develop and harness the students’ writing and researching skills through preparation of written pleadings and memorials as well as train and hone individual oral skills in accordance and at par with the standards required by international law moot court competitions here and abroad.
JOAQUIN BERNAS CENTER STUDENT CORPS
The Joaquin Bernas Center Student Corps is the student volunteer arm of the Fr. Joaquin Bernas Center for Continuing Legal Education & Research (The Fr. Bernas Center). The student corps assists the Bernas Center in providing a venue for continuing legal education programs through its legal education series, legal researches, and production of legal publication. Its main objectives are to: (1) provide quality legal education programs on selected legal topics and issues through conferences, seminars, briefing sessions, and roundtable discussions, (2) provide an avenue for the Members of the Philippine Bar wherein to hold their MCLE, (3) provide quality legal review programs on contracts, issuances, bills, briefs, and other written matters, and to provide comparative studies and legal opinions on such matters, (4) publish legal research publications on significant legal topics and issues in the Philippines and in the international community, and (5) provide consultative support and legal information to the student body, public legal entities, professional organizations, agencies of financial activity and the legal profession in general on issues related to the academic field of the Bernas Center.
BASKETBALL ORGANIZATION OF ATENEO LAW SCHOOL (BOALS)
BOALS is the first and only basketball organization in Ateneo Law School, which serves as a training ground and a home for basketball enthusiasts. Its mission is to be a premier sports organization in the Law School, forging growth, development, and excellence in the sporting field, and to develop student-athletes to represent the School in sporting competitions.
BOALS conducts weekly basketball games and participates in inter-school competitions.
COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS AND JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS (CEJA)
The Commission on Elections and Judicial Appointments (CEJA) is a commission created to promulgate and implement rules regarding the conduct of the elections, plebiscites, and judicial appointments of the student body. The Commission is guided by its three main principles: Integrity, Independence, and Probity. It is tasked primarily to execute rules to ensure clean, honest, and orderly elections.
CAMPUS MINISTRY OFFICE – VOLUNTEERS (CMO-V)
The Campus Ministry Office - Volunteers (CMO-V) is the official student arm of the Campus Ministry Office of the Ateneo Professional Schools. The goal of the organization is to support the Ateneo Professional Schools’ Campus Ministry Office and the Office of the School Chaplain and Counselor in their objective of assisting in the total formation of the individual, taking into consideration the intellectual, imaginative, affective, and creative aspects of the human person, with religious dimension permeating the entire process. Primarily, CMO-V provides the necessary support to the Campus Ministry Team in providing opportunities for the spiritual nourishment and growth of the Ateneo Professional Schools community, and to enable them to deepen their spirituality and integrate it into their daily living. CMO-V helps in all Masses at the Chapel of St. Thomas More, Ateneo Professional Schools. It also helps in other forms of spiritual formation for the students and other members of the community.
ENVIRONMENTAL LAW SOCIETY OF ATENEO (ELSA)
ELSA is the first law school-based environmental organization in the Philippines. Its main goal is to achieve social justice and uphold the people’s constitutional right to a balanced and healthful ecology. It aims to produce advocates of environmental justice and sustainable development by equipping them with the proper legal tools and exposing them to actual environmental issues. It also promotes environmental appreciation by creating avenues to experience nature firsthand.
ELSA believes that saving the environment is more than just protecting plants and animals. It's about caring for others and allowing them to live a quality life. It’s creating an ecosystem where everyone has access to life's basic commodities, clean food, water, and shelter.
FORTE
FORTE is a musical organization of Ateneo Law students who share a common passion and interest for music. It aims to strike a balance between academic and extra-curricular activities. It caters to all interested students, regardless of musical talent.
The organization participates in appropriate law school activities, and has a pool of musically-inclined students who can cater to the student body for musical performances. It also promotes unity and goodwill among the students by being an avenue of creative expression, where members can impart their skills to other students and share their love for music with everyone.
KAPWA
Kapwa is a social response organization of students who desire to spread the spirit of service to others. Through its projects, the organization aims to pursue social aid missions to reduce poverty and discomfort in the society. Anchored on the Ignatian value of cura personalis, Kapwa seeks to educate and expose the Ateneo Law students to the various issues and realities in the country in order to advocate for better living conditions for the Filipino people.
LIBERTAS
Libertas – the Ateneo Society for the Protection of Civil Liberties - aims to nurture advocates who believe in the sanctity of fundamental societal freedoms and are willing to take action to safeguard these same freedoms from unjust interference by the government or otherwise. Libertas envisions itself as a society of like-minded Ateneo law students who share a common passion for the promotion and protection of the basic civil liberties inherent in all persons. The members of Libertas aim to channel this passion into fostering awareness and advocating for a richer realization of those liberties particularly enshrined in the Bill of Rights.
PLAY
PLAY is an organization designed to give students a break from academics, and at the same time foster camaraderie among peers through responsible gaming. It encourages students to enjoy playing board games and video games to balance studying with play as a form of stress relief.
SALSA
SALSA is a dance organization created to give the students an avenue to express themselves through dance and movement. SALSA is open to all students of the ALS and to all styles of dance.
STUDENT JUDICIAL COUNCIL
The Student Judicial Council (SJC) is the judicial branch of the law school student government. It is vested with judicial powers by the Student Government Constitution. Its judicial power includes the duty to settle actual controversies involving student rights, except those pertaining to academics and discipline, to determine whether or not there has been a grave abuse of discretion on the part of any student, officer, organization, or school entity in their dealings with others in the law school community.
CLAUDIO TEEHANKEE LIBRARY AND CENTER FOR THE RULE OF LAW
The Claudio Teehankee Library and Center for the Rule of Law (Teehankee Center) is the research and policy arm of the Chief Justice Claudio Teehankee Foundation. Founded on the tenet enunciated by the late Chief Justice Claudio Teehankee, the primary aim of the Teehankee Center is to define, promote, and advocate the Rule of Law in the Philippines. To do this, the Teehankee Center aims to increase awareness, through various media, of the significance of the Rule of Law in society.
THE PALLADIUM
The Palladium was established in 1965. The name Palladium, which means bulwark and safeguard, was coined by the former Law School registrar, Manuel Gosiengfiao, who believed that the publication should indeed be a bulwark and safeguard of truth. The publication suspended its operations in 1971, following the implementation of Martial Law.
In 1980, El Ponente was created, and served as the student publication of the Law School until 2002. Then Associate Dean for Student Affairs Sedfrey M. Candelaria sought to revive The Palladium because of the need for a means of disseminating information and expressing one’s self to the ALS community.
Thus, The Palladium returned in 2003. Despite the long hiatus, The Palladium still espouses the same ideals, the same purpose, and the same goals for which it was created—to be the bulwark and safeguard of truth.
Since then, the publication continues to evolve. It has been at the forefront of delivering timely and relevant information, not just to members of the Ateneo Law community, but also to the entire legal profession.
