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Philippines top lawyers

Based on research conducted by Asia Business Law Journal, the following are the Philippines’ Top 100 Lawyers. Biographies and contact details, where provided, were written by the lawyers themselves and have not been independently verified.

Click here to read the editorial report that accompanies the A-List.

Franchette Acosta Villaraza & Angangco Franchette Acosta
Villaraza & Angangco
Key practice areas: Corporate law; M&A; foreign investments; government contracts; securities regulation

Raoul Angangco Villaraza & Angangco Raoul Angangco
Villaraza & Angangco
Key practice areas: Corporate law; M&A; infrastructure; energy; real estate and construction

Marievic Añonuevo SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan Marievic Añonuevo
SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan
Key practice areas: Aviation; banking & finance; capital markets; corporate/M&A; projects, infrastructure and energy; real estate and construction

Mario Bautista Poblador Bautista & Reyes Mario Bautista
Poblador Bautista & Reyes
Key practice areas: Dispute resolution; corporations/securities; labour/employment; media/telecommunications; insurance

Sonya Margarita Benemerito-Castillo Kapunan & Castillo Sonya Margarita Benemerito-Castillo
Kapunan & Castillo
Tel: +632 8846 6247 to 51
Email: smbcastillo@kapunanlaw.com
Key practice areas: General litigation; civil law/family law; criminal law; immigration law; IP
Sonya Benemerito-Castillo has been a practicing lawyer for over 25 years and currently heads the litigation and intellectual property departments at Kapunan & Castillo Law Offices where she is a founding partner.

As the head of the Litigation Department, Sonya has spearheaded several high-profile cases in the fields of civil and family cases, criminal, corporate, labour, and intellectual property laws.

Prior to starting her career at Dela Rosa Nograles Law Offices in 1998, Sonya was an attorney at the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation. In August 2000, Sonya joined Roco Kapunan Migallos & Luna Law Offices where her practice expanded and her prowess in legal practice has been established. By 2006, Sonya co-founded Kapunan Lotilla Flores Garcia & Castillo Law Offices.

Sonya is a member of the Business Professional Women, the ASEAN Intellectual Property Association, the Intellectual Property Association of the Philippines, and the Asian Patent Attorney’s Association.

Andre Philippe Betita Betita Cabilao Casuela Saemiento Andre Philippe Betita
Betita Cabilao Casuela Sarmiento
Key practice areas: Management of trademark portfolios; IP enforcement; technology transfer arrangements; food, drugs and cosmetics regulatory advice and registration;
dispute resolution

Ramil Bugayong PJS Law Ramil Bugayong
PJS Law
Key practice areas: Banking & finance; capital markets; infrastructure; M&A; regulatory

Patricia Bunye Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia Patricia Bunye
Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia
Key practice areas: IP; mining & natural resources; energy; corporate & special projects

Pedro Carbonell Ortega Bacorro Odulio Calma & Carbonell Pedro Carbonell
Ortega Bacorro Odulio Calma & Carbonell
Key practice areas: Admiralty; civil & criminal litigation; labour & employement

Amanda Carpo Carpo Law & associates Amanda Carpo
Carpo Law & associates
Key practice areas: Taxation; corporate; tax incentives; real estate; PEZA; BOI

Cynthia Roxas-Del Castillo Romulo Cynthia Roxas-Del Castillo
Romulo
Key practice areas: Securities & capital markets; M&A; foreign investments; banking & finance; general corporate & commercial laws

Joseph Omar Castillo PJS Law Joseph Omar Castillo
PJS Law
Key practice areas: Labour & employment; infrastructure; regulatory

Maria Raquel Chavez PJS Law Maria Raquel Chavez
PJS Law
Key practice areas: Banking, finance & capital markets; energy; corporate & commercial

Kenneth Chua Quisumbing Torres Kenneth Chua
Quisumbing Torres
Tel: + 632 8819 4940, 8217 2547, + 63 917 819 4940
Email: kenneth.chua@quisumbingtorres.com
Key practice areas: Employment & compensation; employment aspects of M&A; managing business change & disruption; pensions; employment litigation
Kenneth Chua is a partner and the head of Quisumbing Torres’ employment practice group. He is also a member of the financial institutions and technology, media & telecommunications industry groups in Manila. He participates in initiatives of Baker & McKenzie International of which Quisumbing Torres is a member firm. He is a member of Baker McKenzie’s Asia Pacific Employment & Compensation Steering Committee. He has 21 years of experience advising clients on various labour and employment issues, including compensation and benefits, employment contract and employee handbook.

Kenneth serves as the legal counsel representing Quisumbing Torres for the Global In-House Center Council Philippines (GICC). He sits in the Tripartite Executive Committee and the National Tripartite Industrial Peace Council of the Department of Labor and Employment as representative of the employer sector. He participates in the Technical Working Group on Labor and Social Policy Issues of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines. He is consistently recognized as a leading lawyer in employment by the Legal 500 Asia-Pacific and Chambers Asia-Pacific. He is also among Asia Business Law Journal’s inaugural “A-List” of the Top 100 lawyers in the Philippines.

Kenneth’s practice focuses on general employment advice, compensation and benefits, pension funds, global equity services, and executive compensation and movement. He has represented multinational corporations in labour and employment matters.

Avelino Cruz ACCRALAW Avelino Cruz
ACCRALAW
Key practice areas: Administrative law; ADR; appellate practice; aviation and transportation; bankruptcy

Avelino Cruz Jr Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia Avelino Cruz Jr
Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia
Key practice areas: Litigation and dispute resolution

Emerico De Guzman ACCRALAW Emerico De Guzman
ACCRALAW
Key practice areas: Labour & employment; appellate practice; business process outsourcing; litigation; corporate

Hector De Leon SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan Hector De Leon
SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan
Key practice areas: Corporate/M&A; projects, infrastructure and energy; finance; tax

Gabriel Dee Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos Gabriel Dee
Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos
Key practice areas: Capital markets; M&A; banking; corporate law; taxation

Arturo Del Rosario Del Rosario & Del Rosario Arturo Del Rosario
Del Rosario & Del Rosario
Tel: +632 8810 1791 loc 849
Email: arturo.delrosario@delrosariolaw.com
Key practice areas: IP; shipping & admiralty; labour & employment
Arturo T Del Rosario Jr, (nickname “Johnny”), was admitted to the practice of law in 1975, Philippines. He has been managing partner of Del Rosario & Del Rosario Law Office since its inception in 1977. He is heavily involved in general maritime litigation arising from marine casualties, crew claims, collisions, cargo claims, dock damage, oil pollution, and arrests. He has handled high profile matters in intellectual property practice covering trademark and patent applications and disputes.

Education: San Beda College (Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing, cum laude, 1970); University of the Philippines (LLB, 1974); 1976 Richards Hogg International Seminar, London; University of Southampton, England (Maritime Law Course 1987).

Professional: President (2015-17) IPAP, led the Intellectual Property Association of the Philippines composed of top IP practitioners in various IP conventions locally and abroad; President (2008), Philippine Bar Association (PBA), the largest and longest running voluntary association of lawyers in the Philippines; President (1996-97) and Chairman (1997-98), Maritime Law Association of the Philippines (MARLAW); Certified Court of Appeals Mediator; Named as one of the Top 100 Lawyers of the Philippines in 2018; Awardee of The Philippine Cancer Society’s 2016 Exemplary Men of Influence.

Membership: Council Member, Asian Patent Attorneys Association (APAA): International Association for the Protection of Industrial Property (AIPPI).

Ruben Del Rosario Del Rosario & Del Rosario Ruben Del Rosario
Del Rosario & Del Rosario
Tel: +632 8810 1791
Email: ruben.delrosario@delrosariolaw.com
Key practice areas: Shipping & maritime; labour & employment; insurance & reinsurance; dispute resolution & arbitration; transportation & logistics
Ruben Del Rosario has extensive experience in maritime litigation including dry and wet work, personal injury, labour, insurance, multimodal transport and arbitration. He is managing partner of Del Rosario & Del Rosario which has won accolades as the best maritime law firm in the Philippines. DelRosarioLaw and its affiliate, Del Rosario Pandiphil Inc represents practically all of the protection and indemnity clubs, marine insurers and all types of shipping companies. Del Rosario has handled most of the major maritime casualties in the Philippines and also abroad when Filipino seafarers are involved.

Ruben was a member of the tripartite committee that drafted the original 2000 POEA Overseas Employment Contract. His immensely popular “Primer on the POEA Standard Employment Contract” has been updated and reprinted twelve times from 2000 to 2018. His “Philippine Shipping Update” which has a readership of almost 3,000 has been published regularly from 1999 to the present. For almost 20 years, this newsletter has updated the shipping industry on all significant maritime developments. He is also a long-time member of the board of editors of the prestigious Maritime Risk International.

Ruben has long been recognized as a leading authority in maritime and admiralty law and was named in AsiaLaw’s top 100 lawyers in the Philippines for the year 2018 and 2019. He is an accredited maritime arbitrator and founded the Philippine Maritime Voluntary Arbitrators Association. He has been president of various maritime, legal and civic organizations. He has lectured on maritime issues in various international conferences in the Philippines and abroad.

Ruben has a law degree from the Ateneo de Manila University and a master in business administration from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA. He has a bachelor’s degree in social science and finance from the De La Salle University. He has attended various shipping courses including those at the University of Southampton, UK.

Enrique Dela Cruz Jr DivinaLaw Enrique Dela Cruz Jr
DivinaLaw
Tel: +632 8822 0808 local 290
Email: enrique.delacruz@divinalaw.com
Key practice areas: Civil, criminal & commercial litigation; election laws; local government &taxation; government contracts & regulations; international commercial arbitration
Enrique is a senior partner and data protection officer at Divina Law. He is also the Head of the firm’s arbitration practice, data privacy, IP & fintech group. He has almost 20 years of experience in litigation, arbitration, public-private partnership (PPP) contracts, and election law practice. He is currently a member of the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) — Asia Users Council, and the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP).

He graduated from the University of Santo Tomas, Manila with a degree in AB Legal Management (cum laude) in 1996, and Bachelor of Laws (with honors) in 2000. In 2001 he earned a Master in Public Management from the Ateneo School of Government in Manila. In 2002, he completed an Executive Program on Leadership and Public Policy at the John F Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. In May 2005, he obtained his Master of Laws — LLM in International and Comparative Business Law (with distinction) from the London Metropolitan University in the UK, as a Chevening Scholar of the British Council. He also completed a Single Masters Course in international trade from the University College London in the UK. Just recently in March 2020, he was awarded a FINTECH Certification by Harvard University, USA.

Currently, he teaches law at the University of Santo Tomas, Manila, and the Bulacan State University – College of Law. He is also a lecturer at the University of the Philippines (UP) Center for Local and Regional Governance (CLRG). He is also a lecturer at the Bar Review Institute of the UP Law Center and a Member of its Committee of Experts in Political Law.

He served as municipal councilor of Baliwag, Bulacan from 2001 to 2010 and as board member of the Province of Bulacan from 2010 to 2019. He was the former president of the National Movement of Young Legislators (NMYL) of the Philippines, and National Treasurer of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP).

Monalisa Dimalanta PJS Law Monalisa Dimalanta
PJS Law
Key practice areas: M&A

Ronald Dime Dime & Eviota Ronald Dime
Dime & Eviota
Tel: +632 727 6556
Email: ronalddime@dldtelaw.com
Key practice areas: Energy environmental law; transportation & infrastructure; commercial law; litigation & disputes
Ronald Dime believes that his mission as managing partner of Dime & Eviota is simple: to bring lawyering back to a deeply personal conversation between the client and the lawyer. His lean organization is tailormade for this purpose and each lawyer is committed to the philosophy.

Client and partner testimony reveal that Ron’s unique approach works to deliver not only consistently excellent work throughout the process but genuinely meaningful results. The firm is not a “do everything” firm but it prides itself on doing what it does (ie, energy, infrastructure, transportation, disputes and commercial transactions) very well.

Ron is a product of the College of Law of the University of the Philippines, the country’s flagship law school. He was elected class president for four years, graduated among the top percentile of his class in 1996, and was an editor of the prestigious UP Law Journal.

Afterwards, he litigated a range of high-profile cases at one of the older law offices. He left sometime in 2002 but not before receiving what he considers a fantastic compliment from opposing counsel. The lawyer who had taken over the case after Ron’s resignation had overheard the opponent consoling his witness with the information that it would no longer be Ron Dime that was going to conduct cross examination.

Several years later, he formed Dime & Eviota. He has co-developed clean power projects, helped build roads, schools and airports, brought water to towns and constantly strives to innovate in terms of legal solutions. He also continues to fight for the meek, taking on public interest cases pro bono.

Ron teaches environmental law in a local law school and coaches the debate team. He has also recently co-founded the Energy Lawyers Association of the Philippines.

Ron is happily married and completely in love with his wife of 16 years–a corporate superstar in her own right. He has two daughters who have him wrapped around their fingers. He also likes to travel, box, play tennis and sing show tunes in private. He is currently teaching himself French and Japanese.

JJ Disini Disini & Disini JJ Disini
Disini & Disini
Key practice areas: Litigation; IP; privacy & data security; technology

Nilo Divina DivinaLaw Nilo Divina
DivinaLaw
Tel: +632 8822 0808
Email: nilo.divina@divinalaw.com
Key practice areas: Corporate, criminal, and civil litigation; ADR; estates and trusts; immigration; labour and employment
Nilo T Divina is a seasoned corporate and banking lawyer with over 30 years of experience in the industry. He established DivinaLaw in 2006 and has led the aggressive growth of the Firm in a short span of time, making it one of the biggest law firms in the country today. Before he entered private law practice, Nilo was the former executive vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary of one of the former leading banks in the Philippines. He also served as the general manager, executive adviser to the board, and corporate secretary of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.

Nilo is the personal lawyer of some of the country’s prominent personalities in finance and business. Nilo is equally active with his roles in the academe, serving as the dean of the faculty of civil law of the University of Santo Tomas since 2009 and teaching in the University of the Philippines College of Law. He is likewise recognized in the Philippines as one of the top experts in commercial law and is a sought-after bar reviewer and legal consultant.

Nilo has authored three books in commercial law that are considered as primary resource material for law students and lawyers alike. He has received numerous awards and citations as an academician, practising lawyer and managing partner. Divinalaw has similarly received various awards and distinctions because of Nilo’s pioneering ways of managing a law firm and the firm’s brand of dynamic lawyering. Nilo has been consistently named as among the top lawyers in the Philippines.

Nilo obtained his Bachelor of Law from the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law where he graduated magna cum laude and class valedictorian.

Benedicta Du-Baladad Du-Baladad and Associates Benedicta Du-Baladad
Du-Baladad and Associates
Key practice areas: Tax law; commercial law; corporate law; transfer pricing; international tax

Estrella Elamparo DivinaLaw Estrella Elamparo
DivinaLaw
Email: estrella.elamparo@divinalaw.com
Key practice areas: Litigation; arbitration & dispute resolution; crisis management & communications
Estrella Elamparo is a seasoned litigator with more than 25 years of experience in various areas of litigation and has handled many high-profile cases. In the early years of her practice, she was appointed public prosecutor in the City of Manila and became a state prosecutor with the Department of Justice. She had worked in various law firms and was appointed general counsel of the biggest government financial institution in the country, the Government Service Insurance System, in 2006 during what many believed was a tumultuous time for the government agency. It was there where she further honed her public relations and crisis management skills, aided by her journalism/communications background.

At DivinaLaw, she heads the firm’s commercial and criminal litigation, as well as established the firm’s Crisis Management and Communications Department. She also pioneered the firm’s legal education and policy advocacy practice in recognition of the fact that many of the clients’ problems cannot just be addressed by litigation but sometimes call for a change in legislation or government regulation. Given her background, she is often designated as spokesperson by the firm’s clients.

Elamparo secured her journalism and law degrees from the University of the Philippines and master’s degree in health care ethics and law from the University of Manchester, United Kingdom, through a Chevening Scholarship.

She has reaped several awards, foremost of which is the very first Woman Lawyer of the Year (2017) of the Southeast Asia ALB (Asian Legal Business) Law Awards.

Ramon Esguerra Esguerra & Blanco Ramon Esguerra
Esguerra & Blanco
Key practice areas: Litigation; estate & corporate law; criminal law; IP; real property

Najha Katrina Estrella PJS Law Najha Katrina Estrella
PJS Law
Key practice areas: Energy; M&A

Mila Federis Federis Mila Federis
Federis
Tel: +632 8889 6197
Email: mfederis@federislaw.com.ph
Key practice areas: IP prosecution; IP litigation; IP enforcement; licensing; franchising
Mila Federis is the co-founder and managing partner of Federis & Associates Law Office (FEDERIS), a boutique law firm specializing in intellectual property that was recognized as the top trademark filer for 2009-18 by the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines. Mila has extensive experience in IP, having worked in IP-focused firms in both the United States and the Philippines prior to starting her own firm. At Federis, she works with clients from a wide range of industries, including pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, hotel, leisure, electronics, automotive, telecommunications, and IT. She handles copyright, trademark, and design prosecution and enforcement, licensing, advertising, and privacy issues.

Mila is an active participant in various professional organizations such as the International Trademark Association (INTA), Association Internationale pour la Protection de la Propriété Intellectuelle (AIPPI), and MARQUES. For INTA, she has organized a roundtable conference, moderated an INTA conference panel discussion, sat in a panel for the Indigenous Rights and Traditional Knowledge committee in the 2019 AIPA Conference, and represented at an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation IP Rights Experts’ Group consultation. She also regularly contributes to various IP-focused publications, sharing her insights on the ever-changing Philippine IP landscape.

In addition to her professional activities, Mila devotes time to pro-bono cases. She acted as defence counsel for students accused in anti-subversion cases and was defence counsel for seven women accused in a criminal case of malicious mischief. Mila is also a passionate proponent for the firm’s annual gift to the Office of Legal Affairs at the University of the Philippines College of Law and is a regular contributor to the funding of non-government organizations involved in the rescue and rehabilitation of street children.

Jose Feria Jr Feria Tantoco Daos Law Offices Jose Feria Jr
Feria Tantoco Daos Law Offices
Key practice areas: Commercial & banking; corporate; land rights; property; mining

Alex Erlito Fider Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos Alex Erlito Fider
Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos
Key practice areas: M&A; banking & finance; privatizations; infrastructure and utilities; telecommunications and mass media

Alex Ferdinand Fider ACCRALAW Alex Ferdinand Fider
ACCRALAW
Tel: +632 8830 8000
Email: asfider@accralaw.com
Key practice areas: E-commerce; technology & science; IP
Alex Ferdinand S Fider is a senior partner of the Angara Abello Concepcion Regala & Cruz Law Offices. He is the head of the firm’s IP department. He also teaches courses on IP law at the University of the Philippines and the De La Salle University.

Ferdi obtained his Master of Laws degree from Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London, United Kingdom in 1990 and Bachelor of Laws from University of the Philippines in 1986. He has assisted foreign and local clients in the broadcasting, sportswear, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, motorcycles, food manufacturing sectors, among many others, in the protection and enforcement of their IP rights.

He has advised international organizations including the EC-ASEAN Intellectual Property Cooperation Program (ECAP II), the Japan Export Trade Organization and the International Rice Research Institute on matters involving IP rights in the Philippines.

His scholarly works include the Philippine Chapters of several authoritative textbooks which were published by Kluwer Law International as part of the Max Planck Series on Asian Intellectual Property Law. These include: Intellectual Property Law in Asia; The Protection of Well-Known Marks in Asia; Parallel Imports in Asia; Copyright Law and the Information Society in Asia; and Enforcement of Patents.

Ferdi also co-authored the textbook entitled Annotated Leading Patent Cases in Major Asian Jurisdictions, a book project of the Applied Research Center for Intellectual Assets and the Law in Asia (ARCIALA) of the Singapore Management University and published by the City University of Hong Kong Press in 2017.

He is a member of the Advisory Committee of the Asian Patent Attorneys Association. He is also an active member of the International Trademark Association. He is a Vice President and Director of the Intellectual Property Association of the Philippines and Founding Trustee of the Chevening Alumni Foundation of the Philippines, Inc. Ferdi is consistently recognized in various publications as a leading lawyer in the practice area of Intellectual Property in the Philippines.

Philip Sigfrid Fortun Fortun Narvasa & Salazar Philip Sigfrid Fortun
Fortun Narvasa & Salazar
Tel: +63 917 524 1692
Email: psafortun@fnslaw.com.ph
Key practice areas: Dispute resolution: civil, commercial, and criminal litigation; real estate; M&A; medical malpractice; construction
Sigfrid graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Law in 1983 and has been in continuous litigation practice for over 35 years. He has represented Philippine Presidents or their families in lawsuits, and was counsel for one of them in the first and only Impeachment Proceedings of a sitting President.

He handles cases covering important issues in corporate, civil claims, medical malpractice, patent issues, and criminal accusations before various first and second level courts, and had argued before the Supreme Court en banc in landmark decisions that shaped local jurisprudence. As defense counsel before the Sandiganbayan (Anti-Graft court), Sigfrid has made a name for the most number of cases successfully handled in all its 7 Divisions. Sigfrid is a civic leader in his community, a volunteer for disaster operations, and is a reserve officer of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Estrelita Gacutan Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos Estrelita Gacutan
Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos
Key practice areas: Banking & finance; project finance; M&A; corporate law; capital markets; mass media telecommunications

Kristjan Vicente Gargantiel Gargantiel Ilagan & Atanante Kristjan Vicente Gargantiel
Gargantiel Ilagan & Atanante
Tel: +632 8355 9623
Email: kvtgargantiel@gialawfirm.com
Key practice areas: Litigation; commercial law; labour law; administrative law; real estate
Kris Gargantiel is the founding partner of Gargantiel Ilagan & Atanante, a full-service firm with diversified clients from the mass media, information and finance technology, construction, real estate, business process outsourcing, manufacturing, agriculture, education, food & beverage, and aviation industries.

Gargantiel is a dedicated and excellent litigator, earning praises and respect from not only his clients but also opposing counsels, and serving as lead counsel in numerous high-profile and complex cases.

He assists various domestic and foreign organizations in company registration, corporate structuring, including cross-border transactions, contract drafting and review, and represents them in their labour cases with an outstanding win rate.

He has been in the academe for over 15 years and is one of the most sought-after criminal law professors and lecturers at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila College of Law. He became a lawyer in 2004, and is from the University of Santo Tomas.

Jaime Gatmaytan Gatmaytan Yap Patacsil Gutierrez & Protacio Jaime Gatmaytan
Gatmaytan Yap Patacsil Gutierrez & Protacio
Key practice areas: Energy; real estate and construction; banking & finance; corporate; M&A

Mia Gentugaya SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan Mia Gentugaya
SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan
Key practice areas: Aviation; banking & finance

Alden Francis Gonzales DivinaLaw Alden Francis Gonzales
DivinaLaw
Tel: +632 8822 0808
Email: alden.gonzales@divinalaw.com
Key practice areas: Civil and commercial litigation and arbitration; taxation; labour and employment; collective bargaining agreement negotiations
With nearly three decades of experience in practice, Alden Gonzales continues to head the litigation and labour group at DivinaLaw as a senior partner. In 1986, Alden worked with SyCip Gorrez Velayo and Co as an auditor, later returning in 1991 to practice law in the tax division of the firm. Since then, Alden has represented many clients from various sectors of society before all levels of the Philippine Court system. Armed with extensive knowledge on legal practice and strengthened by his background as a certified public accountant, Alden proves to be a distinct and versatile name in the field.

Alden has also extended his knowledge on law to the academe for nearly as long has he has practiced, working as a professor of civil law in his alma mater, the University of Santo Tomas where he graduated magna cum laude. He has also been a bar reviewer at the university from 2007 to the present.

He has been named among the Top 100 Lawyers in the Philippines for 2018 and 2019 by the Asia Business Law Journal.

Mark Gorriceta Gorriceta Africa Cauton & Saavedra Mark Gorriceta
Gorriceta Africa Cauton & Saavedra
Tel: +632 8696 0687/0988
Email: msgorriceta@gorricetalaw.com
Key practice areas: Technology; corporate law; capital markets; M&A; securities law
Mark S Gorriceta is the managing partner and head of the corporate group of Gorriceta Africa Cauton & Saavedra (GorricetaLaw). Since taking the helm as managing partner in 2015, the firm has grown from 9 to its present complement of close to 40 professionals.

Mark is a well-recognized expert in the fields of securities law, capital markets and mergers & acquisitions. Mark has developed particular expertise in complex corporate transactions, commercial contracts and regulatory matters in a range of areas that impact business – whether for start-ups or for Top 100 companies.

Mark is considered the foremost lawyer in technology law in the Philippines. He is a pioneering expert on the law on digital assets, blockchain, virtual currencies, e-commerce, data privacy, and artificial intelligence. He is legal counsel to the biggest and most impactful tech and on-line companies in the Philippines. In 2019, GorricetaLaw was awarded the “Technology, Media and Telecommunications Law Firm of the Year” and “Innovative Technologies Law Firm of the Year” in Asian Legal Business’ (ALB) Philippine Law Awards. In the 2019 Annual Awards of UK Based Wealth & Finance International, the firm was voted as the “2019 Best Fintech Law Firm in the Philippines”. GorricetaLaw was also voted as the “2019 Best Tech Media and Telecommunications Law Firm of the Year” by Asia Business Law Journal.

In 2017 and 2018, Mark was named as of one of “Asia’s Top 40 lawyers under 40” by ALB. In 2018 and 2019, he was also named as one of “Asia’s Who Who Lawyers” by ALB.

A member of the Philippine Bar since 2005, Mark graduated law with honors. He holds a Bachelor of Arts – Political Science degree from the Ateneo de Manila University. He completed certificate courses in finance at the Asian Institute of Management. He completed a certificate course in corporate finance at Harvard University. He likewise completed several masterclasses on blockchain, distributed ledger & smart contracts in Singapore and Hongkong.

Mark is a faculty member of the Ateneo de Manila University’s Center for Continuing Education. He teaches mergers & acquisitions for the Advanced Module Diploma Course in Corporate Finance.

Lily Gruba Zambrano Gruba Caganda & Advincula Lily Gruba
Zambrano Gruba Caganda & Advincula
Tel: +632 8889 6060
Email: lkgruba@zglaw.com
Key practice areas: Taxation; commercial law; banking & finance; cross border transaction structuring; M&A
As the managing partner of Zambrano Gruba Caganda & Advincula, Lily Gruba supervises and oversees the firm’s practice, management, and operations. She is an esteemed practitioner in the field of taxation, commercial law, banking and finance, mergers and acquisitions, and cross-border transactions.

In the field of public service, she was the former Undersecretary of the Department of Finance from 1998 to 2001. She was also appointed by the Supreme Court of the Philippines as a Bar Examiner on three (3) different occasions: in 2007 and 2019 for taxation law, and in 2012 for commercial law. In the academe, she served as the associate dean of the Ateneo de Manila University School of Law.

Presently, she is the executive director of the Fr Joaquin, SJ Institute for Continuing Legal Education, a professor on taxation law, mergers and acquisitions, and local government finance, and a bar reviewer on taxation and commercial law.

Aris Gulapa Gulapa Law Offices Aris Gulapa
Gulapa Law Offices
Tel: +632 7960 2845
Email: aris.gulapa@gulapalaw.com
Key practice areas: Construction; real estate; corporate; M&A
Aris Gulapa is a cross-border corporate lawyer trained in Manila, Singapore, Vietnam, Tokyo, and New York. He is admitted to the Philippine and New York bar, and was previously licensed as a foreign lawyer in Vietnam. After working for some of the leading firms in Asia (i.e., SyCipLaw; Kelvin Chia Partnership; Anderson Mori & Tomotsune), he set up Gulapa Law Office in September 2015. From a team of six lawyers in 2015, Gulapa Law Office has grown into a 21-lawyer firm and is now known as Gulapa & Lim (Gulapa Law).

In less than a year, Gulapa Law was recognized by international legal publications. It has been named by Chambers, IFLR, Legal500, AsiaLaw, and Asian Legal Business as a leading firm in construction/real estate and corporate/M&A, and Gulapa as a leading lawyer in the same fields. The firm was named one of the Firms to Watch and Best Boutiques in Asia in 2017 by the Asian Legal Business.

Gulapa had a vision. Having worked abroad for almost five years and obtained his LLM degree at NYU, Gulapa wanted his firm to be the first Philippine firm to internationalize its practice with its Philippine practice at the core. Thus, Gulapa Law became the first Philippine firm to set up an office in New York in 2017 and San Francisco in 2018. The firm also opened a Cebu office in 2020. Gulapa and his team intend to remain strong in their existing practice areas and continue to explore uncharted territories in line with their goal of innovating, achieving, and excelling.

Judy Hao ACCRALAW Judy Hao
ACCRALAW
Key practice areas: Corporate M&A; capital markets; banking & finance; foreign investments

Editha Hechanova Hechanova Group Editha Hechanova
Hechanova Group
Tel: +632 8812 6561
Email: editharh@hechanova.com.ph
Key practice areas: IP; IP litigation; licensing; border control and corporate; employment law
Editha R Hechanova leads the Hechanova Group’s intellectual property law practice. The Hechanova Group is made up of the Hechanova & Co, Inc, an IP consulting firm handling trademark, patent prosecution, copyright, domain name, product registrations, consulting, valuation, searches, and other non-contentious IP, of which she is president/CEO. The contentious IP practice is handled by the other member firm, Hechanova Bugay Vilchez & Andaya-Racadio law offices which specialize in enforcement, litigation, alternative dispute resolution, licensing, corporate, immigration law and taxation where she is the managing partner.

Editha graduated from the University of the East with a business degree, major in accounting, magna cum laude. She is a Certified Public Accountant. She obtained her law degree from the Ateneo de Manila University, and a Certificate in Strategic Business Economics from the University of Asia and the Pacific.

Editha is an accredited mediator of the Court of Appeals, IPOPHL/WIPO, and arbitrator. She is a Certified Patent Valuation Analyst (CPVA) by the Business Development Academy based in New Jersey, USA. She is currently the president of the Association of PAQE Professionals, Inc consisting of professionals who passed the Patent Agent Qualifying Examination (APP). She is an alumna of the South East Asia Patent Drafting Course (SEAD) conducted by the Federation des Conseils en Propriete Intellectuelle (FICPI), an international organization of IP practitioners. She is presently the vice-president of the IP Collegium, a non-profit IP organization managed by the Japanese Innovation and Invention Institute (JIPII).

She has been cited as leading lawyer in the field of IP law in the Philippines by AsiaLaw Magazine, from 2002 to 2020, Who’s Who Legal Trademarks 2012 to 2020, and an MIP Star. She has been recognized as Top 100 lawyers in the Philippines by the Asia Business Law Journal for 2018 and 2019.

She is the Philippines’ regular contributor to the Managing Intellectual Property, International Briefings, and ASIA IP magazine. She is a regular speaker of the IP Master Class sponsored by Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD) for state universities and research institutes, and lectures on IP enforcement and ADR for trainings conducted by the IPOPHL.

Regina Jacinto-Barrientos PJS Law Regina Jacinto-Barrientos
PJS Law
Key practice areas: M&A; corporate; energy

Rose Marie King-Dominguez SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan Rose Marie King-Dominguez
SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan
Key practice areas: Telecommunications media and technology; M&A and investments; data privacy; consumer law; life science

Victor Lazatin ACCRALAW Victor Lazatin
ACCRALAW
Key practice areas: Agricultural law & agrarian reform; ADR; antitrust & trade regulation; appellate practice; construction

Francisco Lim ACCRALAW Francisco Lim
ACCRALAW
Key practice areas: ADR; antitrust & trade regulation; appellate practice; bankruptcy; insolvency

Pearl Liu Quisumbing Torres Pearl Liu
Quisumbing Torres
Tel: + 632 8819 4905, 8577 6206, + 63 917 819 4905
Email: pearl.liu@quisumbingtorres.com
Key practice areas: M&A; foreign investment structuring; joint ventures; real estate; corporate reorganizations
Pearl Liu is a partner in the corporate & commercial/M&A practice group. She is a member of the consumer goods & retail and the industrials, manufacturing & transportation industry groups in Quisumbing Torres. Her career spans 37 years representing a broad spectrum of leading multinational companies in the Philippines. She has been consistently ranked as a leading individual in corporate/M&A, real estate, and capital markets in Chambers Global and Chambers Asia-Pacific, IFLR1000, and the Legal 500 Asia-Pacific. Pearl is also among Asia Business Law Journal‘s “A-List” of the country’s legal profession.

Pearl’s practice focuses on M&A, foreign investment structuring, joint ventures, divestitures, corporate reorganizations and real estate. She has extensive experience in the structuring, establishment and operations of corporate entities engaged in, among others, retail, outsourcing & information technology, real estate, energy, infrastructure, hotels, resorts and tourism.

Llewellyn Llanillo Salvador Llanillo & Bernardo Llewellyn Llanillo
Salvador Llanillo & Bernardo
Key practice areas: IP (patents, trademarks, copyright, licensing, IP infringements); corporate & commercial; investments, M&A; media & advertising; data privacy

Emmanuel Lombos SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan Emmanuel Lombos
SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan
Key practice areas: Dispute resolution; product liability

Carlos Roberto Lopez SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan Carlos Roberto Lopez
SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan
Key practice areas: Dispute resolution; commercial arbitration; mining; patent infringement; competition

Mel Macaraig Castillo Laman Tan Pantaleon & San Jose Mel Macaraig
Castillo Laman Tan Pantaleon & San Jose
Key practice areas: Litigation; intra-corporate disputes; international commercial arbitration; patent infringement; estate proceedings

Cesar Manalaysay Siguion Reyna Montecillo & Ongsiako Cesar Manalaysay
Siguion Reyna Montecillo & Ongsiako
Tel: +632 8810 0282 to 90
Email: cpm@srmo-law.com
Key practice areas: Corporate litigation; arbitration; infrastructure projects on build operate and transfer law; M&A; financial rehabilitation proceedings
Cesar P Manalaysay is managing partner and the head of the corporate litigation department. He joined Siguion Reyna Montecillo & Ongsiako in 1975.

He has more than 45 years of experience in corporate litigation before the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Regional Trial Courts, and appellate practice before the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court.

He handled intra-corporate controversies involving struggles for control of some of the biggest publicly-listed companies in the Philippines, and engaged in fields as diverse as universal banking, food manufacturing, telecommunications, mining, oil exploration and real estate holdings.

He has handled arbitration in the International Chamber of Commerce, Construction Industry Arbitration Commission, Philippine Dispute Resolution Center Inc and International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes in Washington DC.

Manuel Manaligod Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia Manuel Manaligod
Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia
Key practice areas: Business law and regulation; public-private-partnership & other government contracts; joint ventures, M&A; capital markets & securities; transportation,
water & other utilities

Manolito Manalo Ocampo & Manalo Manolito Manalo
Ocampo & Manalo
Key practice areas: Aviation & transportation law; real estate and construction; information & communication technology; labour & dispute resolution; foreign
investments

Simeon Marcelo Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia Simeon Marcelo
Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia
Key practice areas: Litigation; dispute resolution; arbitration; ADR; tax litigation

Eduardo Martinez Martinez Vergara Gonzalez & Serrano Eduardo Martinez
Martinez Vergara Gonzalez & Serrano
Key practice areas: Litigation; banking & finance; capital markets; M&A; debt restructuring; labour

Hector Martinez Platon Martinez Flores San Pedro & Leano Hector Martinez
Platon Martinez Flores San Pedro & Leano
Key practice areas: Corporate; taxation; transactional, M&A

Euney Marie Mata-Perez Mata-Perez Tamayo & Francisco Euney Marie Mata-Perez
Mata-Perez Tamayo & Francisco
Key practice areas: Corporate law; M&A; foreign investment; taxation

Rolando Medalla Jr SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan Rolando Medalla Jr
SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan
Key practice areas: Taxation; M&A; mining; insurance; foreign investments; joint ventures

Yolanda Mendoza-Eleazar Castillo Laman Tan Pantaleon & San Jose Yolanda Mendoza-Eleazar
Castillo Laman Tan Pantaleon & San Jose
Key practice areas: Banking finance & securities; M&A; foreign Investments; corporate law; real property

Rommel Mercado Siguion Reyna Montecillo & Ongsiako Rommel Mercado
Siguion Reyna Montecillo & Ongsiako
Tel: +632 8810 0282 to 9
Email: rum@srmo-law.com
Key practice areas: Commercial law; foreign investments, M&A; corporate finance; information technology and telecommunications; energy
Rommel U Mercado has more than twenty years of professional experience dealing with a broad range of commercial matters.

He has represented clients, including state-owned enterprises, in mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance including loan syndications and private placements, telecommunications, information technology, natural resources, and energy.

He regularly advises foreign clients in structuring investments in the Philippines, including company registrations, and applications for fiscal and other incentives.

He was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 1996. He earned his juris doctor degree from the School of Law, Ateneo de Manila University in 1995, graduating second honors, and his bachelor of arts in economics from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1991. He received his master of laws (with honors – Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar) from Columbia University in New York in 2002.

Rommel U Mercado is also a professor of law at the School of Law, Ateneo de Manila University.

Alfredo Molo III Mosveldtt Alfredo Molo III
Mosveldtt
Tel: +632 8656 4096
Email: info@mosveldttlaw.com
Key practice areas: Commercial litigation; alternative dispute resolution; utilities; telecommunications; technology
Alfredo B Molo III is a founding partner of Mosveldtt. He specializes in commercial litigation, arbitration, public utilities, competition, public interest litigation and regulatory/ legislative reform. He has had significant Philippine Supreme Court victories in the fields of commercial, regulatory and intellectual property law.

These include nullifying legislative pork barrel (PDAF); establishing landmark doctrine in international trademark protection; nullifying restrictive regulations on foreign contractors; successfully enforcing a US$25 million arbitral award against a conglomerate, and arbitration before an international tribunal on a matter involving approximately US$1.6 billion.

He has been involved in some of the most challenging legislative reform projects in the Philippines and has served as a technical consultant for Senators, Congressmen regulators, economic zones, and other government interests. In 2013, the Philippine Supreme Court commended him for “expertise, competence and invaluable service” and, was chosen as a Member of the High Court’s Expert Panel on the Revised Rules of Civil Procedure.

He is currently involved in the legal effort to protect an internationally-awarded journalist (Time 100 List) and Rule of Law matters, including acting as counsel for retired Supreme Court Justices Antonio Carpio and Conchita Carpio Morales in a case challenging the Constitutionality of a new Anti-Terrorism Law before the Philippine Supreme Court.

Rafael Morales Morales & Justiniano Rafael Morales
Morales & Justiniano
Tel: +632 8834 2551
Email: ramorales@primuslex.com
Key practice areas: Banking and finance; capital markets; project finance; M&A; joint ventures; corporate and commercial law.
Rafael A Morales is the managing partner of Morales & Justiniano. Previously, he was the managing partner of SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan and before that the head of the latter’s banking, finance and securities practice group.

He has had much recognition for his legal work, including citations in Euromoney Legal Media Group’s “Guide to the World’s Leading Banking Lawyers” and Asian Legal Business’ “List of 100 pre-eminent Asia-Pacific Lawyers.” He has been cited as a leading lawyer by IFLR1000, Legal 500, Asialaw Profiles and Who’s Who Legal. Chambers Asia-Pacific classified him as an eminent practitioner in banking and finance.

Morales finished his bachelor of arts in political science (cum laude) at the University of the Philippines, where he also took his bachelor of laws (cum laude and class valedictorian). After his LLM at the University of Michigan (where he was a DeWitt Fellow), he trained as a foreign attorney at Rosenman Colin Freund Lewis & Cohen in New York. He later became a foreign attorney at Anderson Mori & Rabinowitz in Tokyo.

He was president of the Inter-Pacific Bar Association, an organization of lawyers from more than 65 jurisdictions and with interest in the Asia-Pacific region. He is a member of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, Philippine Bar Association, Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines, New York State Bar Association, and the American Bar Association. He is a professorial lecturer at the College of Law of the University of the Philippines.

Morales authored two books: ‘The Philippine General Banking Law (Annotated)’ and ‘The Philippine Securities Regulation Code (Annotated),’ as well as numerous legal articles.

Carlos Alfonso Ocampo Ocampo & Manalo Carlos Alfonso Ocampo
Ocampo & Manalo
Tel: +632 7751 7799, 7751 8899, 7751 8889, +63 918 941 6858
Email: cto@omlawphil.com
Key practice areas: Corporate; commercial litigation; M&A; aviation; infrastructure
Carlos Alfonso T Ocampo is a leading lawyer in corporate law, commercial litigation, aviation, mergers and acquisitions, infrastructure development and project finance. Most recently, Carlos has advised clients engaged in transactions involving the corporate reorganization of major airlines, strategic investments in information technology, unsolicited proposals and franchise applications.

Carlos is a published author and has spoken at several international conferences. He is also a visiting lecturer for commercial law at Lanzhou University. He is a Director in various large corporations and an Independent Director in two-publicly listed firms.

He obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Economics, cum laude, and his Bachelor of Laws from the University of the Philippines. He earned an Executive Certificate in Economic Development from the Harvard Kennedy School, and completed an executive management program at the Asian Institute of Management.

Jude Ocampo Ocampo & Suralvo Jude Ocampo
Ocampo & Suralvo
Tel: +632 7625 0765
Email: jocampo@ocamposuralvo.com
Key practice areas: M&A; taxation; corporate; competition; energy
Jude B Ocampo is a Philippine attorney specializing in mergers and acquisitions, corporate law, and tax. He leads a team of sixteen lawyers in Ocampo & Suralvo Law Offices. Jude previously held leadership positions in firms in the Philippines (KPMG), Central Asia (Deloitte) and Europe (E&Y). Until 2015, he was deputy head of regional tax of the international law firm, DFDL.

He holds a Master of Laws degree from Harvard University, where he was a Gammon Fellow for Academic Excellence. He also earned a Master of Business Administration degree (finance and supply chain management) from UNC-Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. He is a graduate of and former professorial lecturer at the University of the Philippines College of Law.

“Atty. Jude Ocampo provided reliable expert advice in Akari’s most significant transactions. He and his team consistently demonstrate deep knowledge of regulatory issues and render insightful and nuanced guidance,” Christopher Tiu (CEO, Akari Lighting & Technology Corp).

“Jude has been instrumental in structuring transactions with many moving parts. He is also an able negotiator who consistently demonstrates an ability to help transaction parties mutually achieve commercial goals. His legal knowledge and tax expertise combined with his business education (Finance MBA) come in handy in difficult deals,” Daniel D Ibasco, MBA (President, Fortman Cline Capital Markets).

“Jude has come to be a trusted and invaluable partner as we pursue deals in the Philippines. The depth and breadth of his expertise on deal advisory and regulatory matters take clients like us through the ins and outs of complex deals with a safe pair of hands. He and his team go above and beyond to ensure our deals are done right and with the highest standards of integrity,” Ek Ming Tay (Managing Director, Ikhlas Capital).

“Jude’s unparalleled handle on commercial and regulatory law makes him uniquely effective in challenging situations. His insight comes from a marriage of expertise in both legal and business matters and is therefore consistently sharp and creative, thorough and nuanced,” Cesar V. Purisima (former Finance Secretary of the Philippines; Asia Fellow, Milken Institute).

Louie Ogsimer Romulo Louie Ogsimer
Romulo
Key practice areas: Litigation; arbitration

Polo Pantaleon Castillo Laman Tan Pantaleon & San Jose Polo Pantaleon
Castillo Laman Tan Pantaleon & San Jose
Key practice areas: Corporate law; banking & finance; foreign investments; real property

Norma Margarita Patacsil Gatmaytan Yap Patacsil Gutierrez & Protacio Norma Margarita Patacsil
Gatmaytan Yap Patacsil Gutierrez & Protacio
Key practice areas: M&A; competition; general corporate and commercial; contracts

Lorna Patajo-Kapunan Kapunan & Castillo Lorna Patajo-Kapunan
Kapunan & Castillo
Tel: +632 8846 6215
Email: lpkapunan@kapunanlaw.com
Key practice areas: Litigation; family law/estates; commercial law; IP; entertainment law
Lorna Patajo-Kapunan is a graduate of the University of the Philippines, with degrees in AB Political Science (1973) and LLB (1978). An active practitioner of law since 1978, she is currently the senior partner of Kapunan & Castillo Law Offices.

Although known for litigating high profile cases, her legal expertise includes licensing, franchising, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, international humanitarian law, family and estate law, and entertainment law. She is an Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service awardee in corporate law and is a 1988 bar examiner in the same field. She was awarded as one of the Top 100 lawyers in the Philippines last 2018 and 2019. In 2019, she was awarded by the Filipina Women’s Network as one of the Top 100 Most Influential Filipina Women Leaders in the world. Kapunan writes for the Business Mirror (Legally Speaking) and hosts an advocacy program at DWIZ (Laban Para Sa Karapatan).

Perry Pe Romulo Perry Pe
Romulo
Key practice areas: M&A; project development and finance; capital markets

Elizabeth Peralta-Loriega Puno & Puno Law Offices Elizabeth Peralta-Loriega
Sarmiento Loriega Law Office
Email: meploriega@sl-lawoffice.com
Key practice areas: Tax (structuring, advisory, litigation); M&A; financing (project finance, acquisition financing, capital markets); real estate; power
The co-managing partner of Sarmiento Loriega Law Office, Ms Loriega, graduated class salutatorian from the University of the Philippines’ College of Law. Ms Loriega placed 19th in the 1995 Philippine Bar Examinations. Ms Loriega, a Certified Public Accountant, also graduated 4th in rank and cum laude from the University of the Philippines with a degree in Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Accountancy.

Ms Loriega has focused her legal practice in mergers and acquisitions, energy, project finance and taxation. She has also wide experience in EPC contracts, infrastructure, real estate law, banking, finance and securities law.

In M&A and project finance, Ms Loriega is known as a seasoned and highly ranked practitioner. Through the years, Ms Loriega has acted as counsel in major acquisition and project finance deals in the energy, real estate, infrastructure, banking, retail, manufacturing, and telecommunications sectors of the Philippine industry. Most of the deals worked on by Ms Loriega through the years have won citations as “Deal of the Year”, “M&A Deal of the Year” and “Project Finance Deal of Year” from prestigious deal award winning bodies.

In the field of taxation, Ms Loriega’s award winning tax practice is heavily sought after for expert, insightful, methodical and practical tax advice. Ms Loriega has served as a Philippine tax expert before international arbitration tribunals.

Ms Loriega’s expertise in the field of taxation enables her to provide effective and innovative tax solutions and deal structures, including multi-party transactions requiring complex corporate structuring.

The Asia Business Law Journal has consistently cited Ms Loriega as among the Philippines’ Top 100 Lawyers, including the years 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Ms Loriega was also cited by Chambers & Partners as a “Highly Ranked Lawyer” in the field of taxation and mergers and acquisitions.

Ms Loriega was also cited as among the Top 100 Women in Litigation (tax litigation) for Asia Pacific for 2020 by Benchmark Litigation. Only five women lawyers in the Philippines were given this citation.

Carlos Platon Platon Martinez Flores San Pedro & Leano Carlos Platon
Platon Martinez Flores San Pedro & Leano
Key practice areas: Corporate; transactional, M&A

Alexander Poblador Poblador Bautista & Reyes Alexander Poblador
Poblador Bautista & Reyes
Tel: +632 8893 7623
Email: ajpoblador@pbrlaw.com.ph
Key practice areas: Arbitration; real estate finance and project development; bankruptcy and corporate reorganization
Alexander J Poblador is the founding partner of Poblador Bautista & Reyes (PBR), one of the leading law firms in the Philippines. He has extensive experience in commercial litigation and international arbitration. He represents the San Miguel Group of Companies, the Ayala Group of Companies, SM Development Corporation, PepsiCo, United Overseas Bank, Bank of Commerce, among other companies.

Alexander was graduated from the University of the Philippines, AB Political Science, cum laude in 1974, and LLB, cum laude and class valedictorian in 1978. He obtained his LLM (DeWitt Fellow) at the University Michigan at Ann Arbor in 1982.

He has argued before the Supreme Court in high profile cases, the most recent one being the quo warranto petition filed by the Solicitor General against the Chief Justice in 2018, where he served as lead counsel for the Chief Justice. He sits in the boards of several corporations, including the board of San Miguel Corporation.

Patricia-Ann Prodigalidad ACCRALAW Patricia-Ann Prodigalidad
ACCRALAW
Key practice areas: Commercial litigation; commercial and construction arbitration; product liability; environmental disputes; antitrust

Roderico Puno Puno & Puno Law Offices Roderico Puno
Puno & Puno Law Offices
Key practice areas: Energy, power generation and distribution; infrastructure; utilities regulation; M&A; corporate law

Grace Quevedo-Panagsagan Platon Martinez Flores San Pedro & Leano Grace Quevedo-Panagsagan
Platon Martinez Flores San Pedro & Leano
Key practice areas: Civil, property, family laws; data privacy; energy, mining & environment; labour

Enrique Quiason Quiason Makalintal Barot Torres & Ibarra Enrique Quiason
Quiason Makalintal Barot Torres & Ibarra
Key practice areas: M&A; banking; finance and securities law

Dennis Quintero Quisumbing Torres Dennis Quintero
Quisumbing Torres
Tel: +632 8819 4962, 8217 4181, +63 917 512 4962
Email: dennis.quintero@quisumbingtorres.com
Key practice areas: Energy, mining, and infrastructure project development; M&A/JVs; project finance; foreign investment structuring; banking, finance, and insurance
Dennis Quintero is a partner in the corporate & commercial/M&A practice group of Quisumbing Torres. He heads the firm’s energy, mining & infrastructure and financial institutions industry groups. He is part of the firm’s competition focus group. He is cited as a market leader by the IFLR1000: Financial and Corporate Guide 2018-2020.

He is consistently ranked as a leading individual in corporate and M&A by the Legal 500 Asia-Pacific and as a leading individual in projects, infrastructure, and energy/natural resources and mining by the leading international legal directories (Chambers Global and Asia-Pacific, IFLR1000/The Petroleum Economist, and the Legal 500 Asia-Pacific).

Dennis is also a certified public accountant. He was appointed co-chair of the 2013 Conference of the International Bar Association and Australian Resources and Energy Law Association Southeast Asia in Singapore. He is a member of the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators. He was cited as one of IFLR’s Asia’s Best Lawyers 2019 (energy & infrastructure, M&A, project finance). Dennis is also among Asia Business Law Journal’s inaugural “A-List” of the Top 100 lawyers in the Philippines.

Dennis advises clients on cross-border acquisitions of shares/assets as well as on structuring investments and divestments in a range of industries (including conventional and renewable energy, upstream and downstream oil and gas, mining, infrastructure/construction/public private partnership projects/official development assistance (foreign government grant) funded projects, financial services). He advises clients in joint venture negotiations and agreements, project development, project finance, corporate structuring, negotiations with the national and local governments for project consent requirements, and regulatory matters. He also advises clients in the fields of financial services regulations (insurance, banking, insurtech, fintech, electronic money, remittance and transfer services, payment systems).

Ramon Quisumbing Quisumbing Torres Ramon Quisumbing
Quisumbing Torres
Tel: +632 8819 4700, 8819 4911, +63 917 819 4911
Email: ramon.quisumbing@quisumbingtorres.com
Key practice areas: Litigation; alternative litigation; international arbitration
Ramon J Quisumbing is the managing partner of Quisumbing Torres and a member of the dispute resolution practice group. He has represented numerous multinational companies, including AT&T, the Dow Chemical Company, Cisco, Budget Rental, Occidental Chemical, Taisei, TeleTech, Agilent, Steelcase and Intel.

Ramon’s practice focuses on litigation, alternative dispute resolution, and international arbitration. He handles commercial, civil and appellate litigation.

Ramon is recognized as an eminent practitioner for dispute resolution and dispute resolution: international arbitration by Chambers Asia-Pacific, an elite practitioner for dispute resolution by Asialaw Leading Lawyers and a litigation star for international arbitration, commercial and transactions by Benchmark Litigation.

Joseph Manolo Rebano Del Rosario & Del Rosario Joseph Manolo Rebano
Del Rosario & Del Rosario
Tel: +632 8810 1791/5317 7888
Email: joseph.rebano@delrosariolaw.com
Key practice areas: Wet & dry shipping work; marine casualty & environmental claims; ship finance & commercial transactions; corporate & foreign investment; insurance & reinsurance
Joseph Rebano joined Del Rosario & Del Rosario in 1996 and heads the firm’s marine casualty practice. Joseph has a broad maritime focused practice. He acts for vessel owners and charterers, managers/agents, transport intermediaries, port terminals, P&I Clubs and other marine insurers in both contentious and non-contentious matters.

Joseph’s experience covers a wide range of shipping matters including charter party disputes, ship casualties, marine environmental and pollution claims, defense of seafarer personal injury and death claims, ship arrest, ship finance/sale and purchase and disputes involving carriage of goods/passengers.

He has been involved in numerous major marine casualties in the Philippines and other jurisdictions including collisions, fires and groundings. Some of the significant Philippine maritime casualties Joseph has been involved in are the “NOL Schedar” in 2000 (grounding/pollution incident resulted in major changes in Philippine maritime environmental legislations, “Solar 1” in 2006 (considered the Philippines’ largest pollution incident), “Superferry 14” in 2004 (terrorist bombing) and “St Thomas Aquinas” in 2013 (potential wreck removal due to collision).

On the insurance side, Joseph advises clients on various types of insurance products including regulatory and claim related matters.

Joseph also has considerable experience in commercial, corporate, regulatory and transactional matters specializing in maritime related entities, including disputes arising out of joint ventures, compliances and shareholder disputes.

Year on year Joseph is recognized in the various legal directories. He is now a hall of famer for shipping in Legal 500 and likewise a distinguished practitioner for shipping in AsiaLaw.

Chambers Asia 2012 states: “Joseph Rebano is best known for his expertise in admiralty and related investigations. Sources describe him as “an outstanding lawyer, he is very diligent and very thorough.”

Since 2018, Joseph has consistently been recognized by Asia Business Law Journal as among The Philippines Top 100 lawyers.

He is a past president of the Philippine Maritime Law Association, former Vice Chairman of the IPBA Maritime Committee, a former core group member of the Draft Maritime Code project of the Philippine Congress and a trustee in the Philippine Bar Association. He graduated law from the University of the Philippines.

Gilbert Raymund Reyes Poblador Bautista & Reyes Gilbert Raymund Reyes
Poblador Bautista & Reyes
Tel: +632 8893 7623, 8817 4640, +63 917 895 6789
Email: gtreyes@pbrlaw.com.ph
Key practice areas: Litigation; arbitration; IP; labour & employment; real estate development & regulation
Gilbert Raymund Reyes received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of the Philippines in 1979. He obtained his Bachelor of Laws degree from the same university m 1983, graduating magna cum laude.

He is a professorial lecturer in intellectual property law at the UP College of Law. His fields of legal practice are civil, commercial and criminal litigation, industrial and intellectual property law and litigation, real property law and litigation, labour law and litigation, commercial arbitration. He is a respected innovator in intellectual property rights protection and enforcement of internationally famous marks.

He has represented some of the country’s largest real estate developers in landmark land disputes and helped them maneuver thru land use regulations.

He has also counseled many clients of the firm through delicate labour issues at the workplace to find a balance between social rights and employer prerogatives.

Rocky Alejandro Reyes SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan Rocky Alejandro Reyes
SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan
Key practice areas: Corporate/M&A; finance; projects, infrastructure and energy

Frances Joanne Riturban Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos Frances Joanne Riturban
Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos
Key practice areas: Corporate law; M&A; securities & capital markets; competition law; infrastructure & public utilities

Ricardo Romulo Romulo Ricardo Romulo
Romulo
Key practice areas: Corporate law

Roderick Salazar III Fortun Narvasa & Salazar Roderick Salazar III
Fortun Narvasa & Salazar
Key practice areas: Projects, mining & energy; corporate & commercial; M&A; real estate; arbitration

Augusto San Pedro Villaraza & Angangco Augusto San Pedro Jr
Villaraza & Angangco
Key practice areas: Commercial and corporate disputes; insurance disputes; banking & finance disputes; insolvency; product liability

Gemma Santos Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos Gemma Santos
Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos
Key practice areas: Capital markets (both equity and debt): M&A; general corporate law

Roy Enrico Santos PJS Law Roy Enrico Santos
PJS Law
Key practice areas: Conflict resolution; labour; energy litigation

Maria Concepcion Simundac Villaraza & Angangco Maria Concepcion Simundac
Villaraza & Angangco
Key practice areas: Corporate/M&A; Energy; construction & real estate; infrastructure; banking & finance

Bienvenido Somera Villaraza & Angangco Bienvenido Somera
Villaraza & Angangco
Key practice areas: IP

Ruelito Soriano Quiason Makalintal Barot Torres & Ibarra Ruelito Soriano
Quiason Makalintal Barot Torres & Ibarra
Key practice areas: M&A; banking & finance; capital markets & securities; tax law; energy law

Eusebio Tan ACCRALAW Eusebio Tan
ACCRALAW
Key practice areas: Banking and finance; government contracts, public-private-partnership arrangements, and privatization projects; M&A; investment law; corporate and contract law

Sylvette Young Tankiang Villaraza & Angangco Sylvette Young Tankiang
Villaraza & Angangco
Key practice areas: Corporate law; M&A; infrastructure & energy; real estate & construction

Joe Nathan Tenefrancia Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia Joe Nathan Tenefrancia
Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia
Key practice areas: Telecommunications; information & communications technology; litigation & dispute resolution; mining & natural resources; energy; taxation

Susan Villanueva Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia Susan Villanueva
Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia
Key practice areas: IP

Rolando Mario Villonco Siguion Reyna Montecillo & Ongsiako Rolando Mario Villonco
Siguion Reyna Montecillo & Ongsiako
Tel: +632 8810 0282 to 90
Email: rgv@srmo-law.com
Key practice areas: Labour and employment; corporate law; corporate and civil litigation
Villonco is a general partner of Siguion Reyna, Montecillo & Ongsiako Law Offices. He spearheads the labor department of the law firm. He has, through the years, successfully steered many of the biggest companies in the Philippines – such as PLDT, San Miguel Corporation, Philippine Airlines, Atlas Consolidated Mining Corporation, Republic Cement Corporation – in negotiating and concluding collective bargaining agreements with their employees.

His counsel is much sought-after in dealing with, and satisfactorily resolving, myriad employer-employee issues, and other controversies relating to local and international mergers and acquisitions, spin-off projects, outsourcing arrangements, redundancy, streamlining initiatives and other major personnel actions undertaken by management with actual and potentially serious implications in corporate operations and finances. Villonco’s other practice areas are in corporate law, and in corporate and civil litigation.

He is currently the chairman of the board of ETSI Technologies Inc and director of Rothelma and Manila Memorial Park Cemetery Inc.

Ben Yap Gatmaytan Yap Patacsil Gutierrez & Protacio Ben Yap
Gatmaytan Yap Patacsil Gutierrez & Protacio
Key practice areas: Dispute Resolution; arbitration; projects, energy & infrastructure

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