Practice areas

Arbitration & ADR; banking & finance; corporate & commercial; litigation; taxation

Introduction

Simeon Marcelo graduated in 1979 among the top of his law class from the University of the Philippines and placed fifth in the bar examinations. With top corporations, the former president Ramos, and a former senator who became president later, as clients, he distinguished himself as a top-notch litigator. He caught national public attention during the nationwide live televised 2000 impeachment proceedings against then president Estrada, in which he was selected to present the prosecution’s star witness.

In February 2001, he was appointed solicitor general. Having won all his major cases as solicitor general, he was made the youngest head of the country’s anti-corruption body in October 2002. As ombudsman, he led the prosecution team that secured the historical first plunder charge conviction of a former president.

Having returned to private practice in 2008, he was engaged as counsel of the biggest power utility, successfully thwarting a hostile takeover. The central bank tapped him to prosecute those responsible for the biggest bank fraud in the country’s history.

As of last year, he and his team secured from the Supreme Court numerous significant favourable decisions. Among these were:

1. annulment of a huge tax assessment of his client’s aviation fuel sales;
2. a multibillion peso tax case decided in favour of his client;
3. annulment of several critical circulars of the Energy Regulatory Commission;
4. affirmation of the jurisdiction of a special court; and
5. upholding of the validity of the central bank’s ownership over numerous contested valuable extensions and parcels of land.

In 2013, Marcelo’s arbitration practice was revived. He was appointed a member of the International Chamber of Commerce Arbitration Tribunal, which handled two related major disputes. Thereafter, he served as counsel or arbitrator in important arbitration proceedings.

From December 2008 to June 2014, he served as one of the four members of the World Bank’s Independent Advisory Board.

In June 2013, he was conferred by the University of the Philippines Alumni Association the Distinguished Alumni Award in Public Service.

Currently, he serves as legal counsel in high-profile cases in various courts and fora, including the Supreme Court.

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