THE centuries-old adage “the road to anywhere starts from where you are” is indeed true if you will realize how Atty. Gerald Roxas hurdled all odds to become a full-fledged lawyer.

“Surrender” is not in his vocabulary.

Atty. Gerald’s road to success is simple. He followed Winston Churchill’s great advice to “never give up” as you can see in this person his determination and virtue to reach his dream.

Born in Quezon City and grew up in Gen. McArthur, Eastern Samar, Atty. Gerald is a classic example of a modern-day warrior who never surrenders no matter what adversity.

Dad was a firefighter while mom was a meat cutter. They used to live in a sari-sari store until he reached the age of two.

His parents went to Japan to work while he was left to tita, tito and grannies while spending life until early teens.

With this life-changing horizon, this lawyer never waned in his interest to succeed and instead made a full throttle to achieve his dream faster.

He never slowed down, never buckled down but went full gear to reach his dream.

After more than 20 years of life’s challenges he finished his law degree from the Angeles University Foundation-School of Law, technically passed the Bar in December 2024 and took the oath in January 2025.

It was never a “walk in the park” for this lawyer to pass the Bar since it was all blood, sweat and tears before passing.

Now, he is ready to mingle or face in court the best and brightest lawyers in the Philippines in the league of Nilo Divina, Noel Lazaro, Ramon Esguerra, Tranquil Salvador or Jose Roy III.

“Bring it on” is his message to anyone who will test his agility and brilliance as a lawyer.

Atty. Gerald is molded by grit, courage and sheer determination because of the ups and downs in life starting from elementary followed by the brunt of Yolanda until his preparation for the tough Bar exams last 2024.

As early as his elementary days he was already an “abogado de campanilla” in the making because he finished elementary as a valedictorian. “Bar none” as Marilyn Monroe once quipped.

After elementary school, this lawyer was already independent since he lived alone in a boarding house in Tacloban City.

Fast forward to college, he passed the very tough UP College Admission Test at UP-Tacloban effortlessly and took up Bachelor of Science in Accountancy as his pre-law degree.

While at UP, he showed his silent prowess when he made it to the top 50 accountancy students during an application for UP JPIA ASSET last 2016.

This lawyer never forgot that God is the source of eternity when he joined the UP Student Leaders in Christ (LinC) and ROTC-Medics.

Three years before making it to the top 50 accountancy students, he was forced to cross register at UP-Diliman because of the massive damage brought by Yolanda to the infrastructure in Tacloban.

It was in those periods when mentors Rosella Torrecampo and Joseph Torrecampo helped him improve his English as well as having an allowance.

The blessings from these two mentors led the lawyer to get a part time job as invigilator/proctor at the British Council Philippines.

Those short but sweet moments at BCP served as a springboard for him in his career since after graduating from law he shortly became a certified public accountant (CPA).

Shortly after his becoming a CPA, he worked for one-and-a-half-year as Transaction Advisory Services (TAS) Analyst at Sycip, Gorres and Velayo (SGV)-Makati.

Nobody can tell that his experiences at BCP and SGV were his tickets to success since he is considered lucky because of his experience as TAS Analyst at a business process office (BPO) company in Pampanga–the Scrubbed.net & Global Services.

While working in Pampanga he landed at a law school–Angeles University Foundation School of Law.

He also worked part time for two years as paralegal in an NGO–The Library Foundation (TLF) Share Collective Inc.–while at this school.

With all these experiences listed in his impressive curriculum vitae and his undying faith in Almighty, he finally graduated with a law degree from UP-Tacloban.

According to him, the five-year law education led his family to become financially on the red.

His family went financially dry for supporting him thoroughly while studying and preparing for the Bar exams.

But as fate had it, his mighty proud parents failed to attend his graduation and oathtaking.

“I am sad because dream talaga namin ‘to na maging lawyer ako kahit no’ng bata pa ako. Kailangan nalang tanggapin ang sitwasyon,” the lawyer told People’s Tonight.

He said at the end of the day, his parents gave their best for him and to fulfill his dream.

“Kung ‘di lang mahirap ang buhay, uuwi naman sila. Tumatanda na ako pero andun pa rin yung longing na sana ma-experience ko man lang ang buong pamilya.

Sana mangyari ‘yon bago maging huli ang lahat,” he explained.

With the advent of ChatGPT and robotics, Atty. Gerald said he wants to concentrate on these matters in practicing his career.

“My North star when it comes to law career is to anticipate the potential legal problems and corresponding solutions related to new developments or technologies such as artificial intelligence and blockchain technology. I have realized that lawyers should not only focus on becoming the best litigator or legal counsel. On top of that, lawyers should also try to understand these new technologies and be able to identify potential hazards,” he explained.

This young, bright lawyer is at that stage of choosing his area of specialization.

“Being a CPA lawyer, I am currently exploring corporate practice. I am still trying to identify the specialization I want to take,” he said.

This lawyer said “my mission really is to utilize my passion for learning new things to benefit society at large.”

His advice to those who want to be a lawyer is simple: “Just give it a try. It is never too late to enter law school. Stop overthinking about whether it is possible or impossible for you to become a lawyer. If you have that fire in you to study the law, just do it!”

” I am always grateful for my ninangs who helped me finish my accountancy course, despite the challenges posed by Typhoon Yolanda. From there, I managed to get a career, support myself, and then pursue my dream of becoming a lawyer. Each of you played a big part in shaping the person I am today. Thank you!, ” Atty. Gerald added.

If he did not become a lawyer, Atty. Gerald said he could have been a manager in his previous company as a CPA, which is the opportunity he had to forgo in order to pursue a career in law.

“I am grateful that I followed my conviction and took up law despite the challenges I faced at that time. It was definitely all worth it!”

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