Chasing a dream

Getting into law school is a childhood dream for Atty. Othello “Lloyd” M. Mendoza II. “When I was five, I was inspired by my father, who was an honor law student at the time. It was quite unfortunate that he was unable to finish his law degree due to financial difficulty, combined with heavy pressure of work in his day job as a banker and the increased burden of raising a family,” Atty. Lloyd recalled. Since then, it became his desire to become a lawyer to fulfill his father’s dream.

After completing his Political Science degree, he chose to study at the DLSU College of Law because of its stellar faculty members, most of whom he has been familiar with through their respective advocacies, he shared.

He cherished his stay at the COL with his closest friends, Attys. Jose Joven Paulo M. Espinosa, Jan Aldrin C. Ramos, and Leo-Aries Wynner O. Santos, who had fueled his competitive spirit throughout law school. “I was part of the law school’s international commercial arbitration moot team and it was also my first time to compete in a foreign land,” Atty. Lloyd added.

One of the major challenges Atty. Lloyd faced the preparation for the Bar Examinations. Despite all the hurdles, he remained loyal to his personal philosophy – Do your best and God will do the rest. “It requires total focus. I believe that I thrived in my review not only because of my dedication to really master the legal craft but also due to God’s guidance which I sought through prayers,” he recalled.

“La Salle contributed greatly to my spirituality, as the University had allowed me to be more in touch with my Christian faith, through Lasallian Formation and retreats, among others.” These values guided Atty. Lloyd’s career for the past seven years and fueled him to work at the Public Attorney’s Office by giving free legal assistance to indigents and to be of service in a government agency – the Office of the City Prosecutor Caloocan City – where he is tasked to investigate crimes and prosecute offenders so as to maintain peace and order in his hometown.

Atty. Lloyd is now working full-time for the government. “As a prosecutor, I am doing my best to promote the rule of law as my primary advocacy. Also, as an assistant professorial lecturer at the DLSU Tañada-Diokno College of Law, I believe that I serve as an agent of socially relevant legal education. This is my greatest achievement to date – to have sufficient legal talent to help people in need, to educate students, and to provide for my family, all at the same time,” he proudly shared.

Atty. Lloyd urged future lawyers to always follow the Code of Professional Responsibility and the lessons they have learned in their Legal Ethics class. “I believe that successes in the legal profession are more fulfilling if these are achieved by always doing the right things.”

“If not for La Salle, I may not be in the career position that I am in right now. My Lasallian legal education definitely shaped

me as a lawyer. My years of legal training at the DLSU College of Law helped me make the correct moral choices throughout my practice. Now that I am already a lawyer and my younger brother had recently passed the bar exams, our father can finally accomplish what he had started.”