Mexico City, July 10, 2025. The challenges that the contemporary jurist faces today are many and very diverse and, therefore, can be approached from different perspectives and with very different nuances. and, therefore, can be approached from different perspectives and with very varied nuances.
Before I begin this task -already complex in itself in a brief space such as this one- it seems to me obligatory to explain, albeit very succinctly, what Law is and what it is for, since these are two issues that can also be understood from certainly dissimilar angles.
Law: the art of justice
Law is the art of justice. This means that one studies this most noble art in order to learn the practical science of giving to each one his due.. It is common to confuse Law with laws, but this is not so, since Law encompasses laws. Whoever studies law does not study law, nor is he or she preparing only to become a lawyer.
To prove the above, it is enough to ask any applicant why she has decided to study this career, to notice a series of varied answers: "I want to be a notary, judge, lawyer, tax consultant, legislator...".
Thus, those who study law do not prepare themselves exclusively for the practice of law, but to be a jurist. juristthat is, to to master the technique of what is just and what is unjust., either in the noble practice of law or in any specific profession he chooses within the broad spectrum of practical possibilities that the law provides.
The Law as a basic necessity for society
That said, Law is an article of the utmost necessity for societyFor the simple and straightforward reason that social life demands that things, goods, positions and burdens be distributed, from which derives what belongs to each one, which is the same as what is just - or what we usually call his right.
If, for example, Fulano lends Mengana $100 pesos, it is only fair that Mengana returns that amount. In other words, Fulano has the right to that $100; or in other words, what belongs to him, what Fulano is entitled to, which is nothing more than the $100 he lent.
Understood the important role that the jurist plays in society, it can be understood that one of the most important challenges, if not the most important in legal training, in addition to the obvious technicalIf not the most important challenge in legal training, in addition to the obvious technical skills, is twofold, is twofold.
Essential concepts: person and common good
On the one hand, to deepen the knowledge of two concepts that will always and invariably have a very close relationship with any decision that you will have to make in your professional life: the notion of the person and that of the common good.. In his or her professional future, whether the jurist wants it or not, when making a decisionIn his or her professional future, whether the jurist wants it or not, it is inevitable that, in making that decision, a vision of the person and of the common good will appear, a vision of the person and a vision of the common good will inevitably come into play in making that decision..
Therefore, an indispensable task for the law student is to reflect and deepen on these two concepts. to reflect and deepen on these two conceptsThe more he/she delves into these concepts, the more possibilities he/she will have to make the right decisions in his/her professional and personal life. And for this it is not enough to study the different subjects related to the technical expertise that the jurist needs to know and know well, because they are essential, but not enough.They are essential, but not sufficient.
Personal integrity: pillar of the jurist with social impact
On the other hand, and especially in these times, in which the transcendent role of the jurist has a notable loss of prestige, I believe that it is incumbent upon law schools and law faculties to to invite any aspiring jurist to take on the challenge of embodying in his or her personal life the desirable values that society as a whole is called upon to pursue.
There are few professions in which the integrity of people has as much social impact as in ours. And it is a challenge that, of course, encompasses our entire lives. It goes beyond our profession. It is the challenge of coherence, of consistency, of personal integrity.
If our future jurists are able to respond to this challenge, they will be able, in the end, to respond to what society expects of them.
Author details:
Dr. Fernando Batista Jiménez
Dean of the School of Law of the Universidad Panamericana.
