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.
Get a cited, plain-language answer from 184,000+ statutes and decisions — free, no sign-up.
Mortgage Preference vs Corporate Rehabilitation: Understanding Creditor Rights in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on creditor rights, mortgage preference, and payment rules under the Civil Code explained in plain language.
Ordinance vs Resolution: Why LGUs Need an Ordinance for Expropriation
Philippine Supreme Court ruling: local governments cannot expropriate private property through a mere resolution—an ordinance is legally required under RA 7160.
Positive Identification Trumps Alibi in Philippine Kidnapping Cases
How Philippine courts weigh positive identification against alibi and denial in kidnapping for ransom cases, based on a 1998 Supreme Court ruling.
Philippine Election Law: RTC Jurisdiction Over Election Offenses Despite Lower Penalties
Philippine Supreme Court ruling: Regional Trial Courts keep exclusive jurisdiction over election offenses even if penalties are six years or less.
Due Process in Ejectment Cases: When Can a Landlord Enter Abandoned Premises?
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on landlords entering abandoned leased premises in ejectment cases, and the limits of procedural due process.
Judicial Accountability: The Duty to Decide Cases Within 90 Days
Supreme Court ruling on judges' duty to decide cases within 90 days and clerks' duty to transmit records promptly.
When Private Immorality Leads to Public Disbarment: Understanding Lawyer Ethics in the Philippines
A Supreme Court ruling shows how a lawyer's private misconduct—abandoning his family—can lead to disbarment.
Valid Dismissal for Insubordination: Employee Rights and Company Discipline in the Philippines
Understand when a strike is legal and dismissal valid under Philippine labor law, based on a Supreme Court ruling on employee rights.
Protecting Your Right to Present Evidence: Ensuring Due Process in Philippine Courts
Learn how Philippine courts protect the right to present evidence and ensure due process in criminal cases, based on a Supreme Court ruling.
Protecting Your Property Rights: Encroachment and Builder in Bad Faith in the Philippines
Learn how Philippine courts handle property encroachment and the consequences of being a builder in bad faith, based on a Supreme Court ruling.
How Philippine Courts Assess Witness Credibility and Nighttime Aggravation
A 1998 Supreme Court ruling explains how trial courts weigh witness credibility, self-defense claims, and when nighttime aggravates a crime.
Seasonal Workers as Regular Employees: Rights Under Philippine Labor Law
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on when seasonal workers become regular employees entitled to CBA benefits and labor arbiter jurisdiction.
Final and Executory Judgments: When Can They Be Modified?
Explore the narrow exceptions to the finality of judgments in Philippine law, explained through a Supreme Court ruling.
Eviction and Tolerance: Understanding Tenant Rights Under Philippine Law
A 1998 Supreme Court ruling clarifies that tolerated occupants are not tenants under PD 1517 and may be evicted on demand.
Regular Employee Status, Security of Tenure, and CBA Benefits in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on when seasonal workers become regular employees entitled to CBA benefits and security of tenure.
Judicial Accountability in the Philippines: Ensuring Timely Justice and Efficient Court Management
A Supreme Court ruling on a deputy sheriff's neglect of duty underscores the exacting standards of judicial accountability in the Philippines.
Upholding Workers' Right to Organize: Certification Elections Free From Employer Interference
Supreme Court ruling protects workers' right to organize and underscores that certification elections must remain free from employer interference.
Lost Inheritance: The Perils of Delay in Philippine Estate Law
A 1998 Supreme Court ruling shows how heirs who sleep on their rights can lose their inheritance to laches and final judgments.
Robbery With Homicide Establishing Intent AND Liability IN Philippine LAW
Explains the Supreme Court ruling on probable cause for falsification of public documents and illegal use of alias under Philippine law.
Solidary Liability for Security Guard Wages: Employer Obligations in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on when companies are solidarily liable for security agency employees' wages, back pay, and separation pay.
Contracts Still Stand: Why Bounced Checks Don't Always Void a Pacto de Retro Sale
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on why dishonored checks don't invalidate a pacto de retro sale when consideration existed at execution.
Buyer Beware Inheriting Obligations IN Philippine Property Foreclosures
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on property foreclosures: buyers may inherit seller's obligations to installment buyers, even without written contracts.
Finality of Judgments: Why Ignoring Your Case Can Cost You Your Property in the Philippines
A Supreme Court ruling shows how failing to pursue a case can lead to losing property forever through finality and res judicata.
Proving Fault in Philippine Car Accidents: Why Evidence and Witness Credibility Matter
Learn how Philippine courts decide car accident fault, why evidence and witness credibility matter, and key lessons from a Supreme Court ruling.