Alternative Dispute Resolution

The Firm represents clients in local and arbitration proceedings on disputes involving commercial, construction, and maritime transactions as well as issues involving labor. In addition, the Firm’s partners who have extensive training and experience in conducting mediation and voluntary arbitration proceedings offer mediation and arbitration services to assist the parties in resolving their disputes.

Banking & Finance

The Firm’s banking practice includes a wide spectrum of banking litigation and corporate banking transactions, including regulatory compliance with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and other government agencies, loan and security documentation and syndications, and trade finance such as letters of credit and import/export transactions.

Construction

Corporate, Administrative & Special Projects

The Firm’s Corporate Department provides an extensive range of legal services to domestic and foreign clients. Our corporate practice includes general corporate law, securities, insurance, commercial law, obligations and contracts, and administrative law.

In particular, the Firm offers counseling on, and documentation of, clients’ rights and responsibilities relative to corporate matters or special transactions, including, but not limited to:

The Firm also extends legal assistance in matters requiring or involving government licenses and authorizations, registration of documents and transactions with regulatory agencies, liaison work, protests, contests, litigation, and other proceedings before administrative, and quasi-judicial bodies, such as:

Directorship and Secretaryship

Whenever necessary, the Firm’s lawyers also act as directors, consultants, and corporate secretaries for clients. The work entails attendance at board and stockholders’ meetings, counselling during meetings, preparation and keeping of minutes, resolutions and stock transfer books, issuance of stock certificates and documentation of stock transfer transactions.

Election

Our lawyers also provide counselling and conduct seminars on election laws, and represent clients before the Commission on Elections, the different canvassing boards and electoral tribunals.

Energy

The Firm offers comprehensive service on power and energy transactions, including assistance to electric cooperatives and advice on power purchase agreements, joint venture agreements, and other energy-related agreements.

Environmental Law

The Firm provides assistance to its clients in transactions involving regulatory compliance, occupational health and safety issues, and environmental risks and liabilities. It also conducts comprehensive environmental compliance due diligence and represents clients in the mining industry on public land use.

Estate Planning

The Firm’s experience in this field covers asset protection planning, including trust administration and will preparation. It offers solutions for tax optimizations as well as implements executor mandates and represents clients in probate proceedings, estate litigation and other issues relating to the distribution of estates.

Family Law

The Firm is experienced in representing clients in issues involving pre-nuptial agreements, declaration of nullity of marriages, annulment, adoption, child support and legal custody, paternity suits and guardianships.

General Counselling and Retainer

The services rendered for clients who have retainer agreements with the Firm include consultations, general counselling and contract documentation relating to client’s operations. These services cover pertinent laws, rules and regulations bearing upon the tax, finance, insurance, labor relations, and employment aspects of the clients’ activities, and include the preparation and review of agreements and contracts.

Labor

The Firm represents clients in proceedings involving labor and employment problems before various agencies, such as:

• Department of Labor and Employment
• Philippine Overseas Employment Administration
• National Labor Relations Commission
• Overseas Workers Welfare Administration
• National Conciliation and Mediation Board
• Bureau of Labor Relations

The Labor Department has wide experience in the following areas:

• collective bargaining negotiations
• preventive counselling in personnel management
• employment contract drafting and interpretation
• voluntary and compulsory arbitration
• illegal dismissal and money claims
• strikes and unfair labor practice cases
• wage and salary standardization, including correction of wage distortion
• labor ramifications of mergers, divestments, acquisitions and other business reorganizations
• mediation and conciliation
• grievance handling

To keep pace with rapid developments in labor laws, and to ensure that clients are abreast with new legal concepts, the Labor Department organizes seminars on labor standards and labor relations conducted by experts in the field of labor laws.

Legal Audit

The Firm provides legal audit services involving the comprehensive review of the client’s business operations, contracts, forms, policies, and structure.

Litigation

The Litigation Department handles all stages of civil, commercial, and criminal litigation in all courts of justice and administrative bodies performing quasi-judicial functions, as well as before arbitrators, involving the following areas:

Commercial and Administrative Litigation

• corporate disputes, including inter-corporate and intra-corporate disputes
• banking and finance disputes, including letters of credit issues
• insurance and reinsurance disputes
• maritime litigation and arbitration
• insolvency and bankruptcy
• securities and commodities fraud litigation
• piracy, infringement and unfair competition cases involving intellectual property
• tax matters
• construction litigation and arbitration

Civil Litigation and Special Proceedings

• persons and family relations cases
• property disputes
• land registration
• expropriation of property
• torts and quasi-delict liability claims
• debt collection
• will contests and other probate-related matters
• enforcement of foreign judgments
• foreclosures
• conflict of laws disputes
• settlement of estates

Criminal Cases

The Firm has been engaged by various clients, both for the prosecution and defense. The Firm handles criminal cases heard and tried by the Sandiganbayan, the Court of Tax Appeals and the Regional Trial Courts, as well as those investigated by the Ombudsman, the Office of the Provincial/City Prosecutors, and the Department of Justice. The Firm has a very extensive experience in appellate practice in the Court of Appeals and in the Supreme Court.

Immigration

The Firm has an established practice in naturalization, immigration, visa, and deportation cases. It provides legal representation in petitions for citizenship and application for family, employment and investment visas.

Intellectual Property

In intellectual property matters, the Firm provides assistance in the registration of copyrights and in filing, maintaining and enforcing registrations for patents, designs, utility models and trademarks. It also renders assistance in the drafting, negotiation and review of patent and trademark licensing agreements, matters involving information technology, and legal representation in cases involving infringement, unfair competition, and other related cases for the protection of intellectual property and information.

Maritime

The Firm has demonstrated knowledge in the various aspects of the maritime industry, particularly in the areas of maritime charters, sale and lease contracts of vessels, off-shore workers, collision, passenger injury and cargo loss, and has represented protection and indemnity (P & I) clubs in several cases.

Media & Entertainment

The Firm has represented numerous clients in theatre, television and film industries and has handled on their behalf contract negotiations for their talent services and product endorsements. It has also successfully litigated cases involving, among others, their right to privacy.

Mining

The Firm’s mining practice involves various types of mineral-related transactions, including property ownership issues, mining agreements and compliance with regulatory requirements.

Taxation

The Firm’s tax planning services includes providing tax opinions on a wide range of tax issues and obtaining rulings from the Bureau of Internal Revenue, Bureau of Local Government Finance and other taxing authorities. The Firm also represents and provides support to its clients in tax litigation.