Legal Insights
Plain-language guides and case briefs on Philippine law — researched from the firm's law library of 184,000+ statutes, Supreme Court decisions, and agency issuances, and written so non-lawyers can understand and act on them.
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When Final Judgments Go Unenforced: Sheriffs' Duty to Execute Writs
A Supreme Court ruling on sheriffs' ministerial duty to execute final judgments, and the consequences of delay.
State Witness Credibility: The Imperative of Unbiased Testimony in Graft Cases
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on witness credibility, bias, and the weight of testimony in criminal cases.
Certification Election Findings on Employment Not Binding in Dismissal Cases
A Supreme Court ruling explains why a certification election finding on employer-employee relationship cannot bar a later illegal dismissal case.
Upholding Contractual Obligations: Lease Agreements and Grounds for Ejectment
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on lease contract validity, ejectment grounds, and the duty to pay rent despite disputes.
Redemption Rights in Foreclosure: Failure to Assert Nullifies Opportunity
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on how failing to assert redemption rights during the statutory period forfeits the mortgagor's opportunity to reclaim foreclosed property.
Time Is of the Essence: Prescription in Breach of Warranty Claims Under Philippine Law
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on the six-month prescriptive period for breach of warranty claims and when courts may dismiss time-barred actions.
Public Officials and Due Diligence in Government Land Transactions
A Supreme Court ruling shows why possession of public land does not equal ownership, and why only the State can sue to recover public land wrongly titled.
Judicial Accountability: The Price of Delayed Justice in the Philippines
A Supreme Court ruling reminds judges that personal hardships cannot excuse a five-year delay in deciding a case.
Treachery in Philippine Criminal Law: The Element of Surprise in Murder Convictions
Understand how treachery qualifies killing as murder under Philippine law, explained through a Supreme Court ruling on a 1993 shooting.
Conspiracy and Intent: How Philippine Courts Establish Criminal Liability
A Supreme Court ruling on conspiracy and evident premeditation in murder, explaining how joint purpose and intent establish liability.
Unregistered Land Donation and Tenant Rights Under Agrarian Reform
A Supreme Court ruling on why an unregistered land donation cannot defeat tenant rights under agrarian reform and Operation Land Transfer.
Accountability for All: Conspiracy in Carnapping with Homicide
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on conspiracy in carnapping with homicide, explaining how circumstantial evidence can prove joint criminal liability.
When Can an Attorney-in-Fact Bind a Principal to a Compromise Agreement
A Philippine Supreme Court ruling explains how far an attorney-in-fact's authority reaches and why a compromise agreement signed by an agent can bind the principal.
Intent to Gain in Carnapping and Liability Through Criminal Conspiracy
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on intent to gain in carnapping, conspiracy liability, and penalties under the Anti-Carnapping Act.
Reasonable Bail Balancing Constitutional Rights AND Flight Risk IN Estafa Cases
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on reasonable bail pending appeal in estafa cases, balancing constitutional rights against flight risk.
Reasonable Doubt Acquittal Based on Insufficient Evidence of Conspiracy in Murder Case
Philippine Supreme Court ruling: mere presence at a crime scene does not prove conspiracy; accused acquitted on reasonable doubt.
Co-Terminous Employment and Security of Tenure in Government Contractual Positions
Explaining the Supreme Court ruling that co-terminous government employees serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority and may be terminated before project completion.
Accomplice Liability: Distinguishing Principals From Accessories in Criminal Conspiracy
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on conspiracy, accomplice liability, and how co-conspirators are treated as principals in murder cases.
Quasi-Delict and Vehicular Accidents: When Overtaking Leads to Liability in Philippine Courts
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies negligence, proximate cause, and vicarious liability in a vehicular accident quasi-delict case.
Judicial Efficiency: The Imperative of Timely Case Resolution and Accountability for Delays
A Supreme Court ruling reminds judges that missing the three-month deadline to decide cases is gross inefficiency, even if transcripts are delayed or parties ask for more time.
Timely Filing vs Substantial Compliance: Upholding Candidacy Despite Minor Delays
A 2001 Supreme Court ruling on substantial compliance and due process in election candidacy filings, protecting a candidate's right to run.
Witness Credibility and the Perils of Delayed Justice: Analyzing Testimonial Inconsistencies in Murder Cases
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on witness credibility, police blotter discrepancies, and why aggravating circumstances must be alleged in the information to justify the death penalty.
Res Ipsa Loquitur in Philippine Law: Negligence and Presumption Explained
Learn how res ipsa loquitur shifts the burden of proof in negligence cases, using a landmark Philippine Supreme Court ruling.
Encroachment and Good Faith: What Builders Must Know Under Philippine Property Law
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on encroachment, good faith, and accion reinvindicatoria in Evadel Realty v. Soriano.