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.
Clerks of Court Responsibilities and Liabilities for Lost Court Exhibits
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on clerk of court liability for lost firearms exhibits and the duty to turnover evidence after cases end.
The Clerk’s Duty: Accurate Case Reporting and the Efficient Administration of Justice in the Philippines
A Supreme Court ruling on a judge and clerk fined for issuing a subpoena to a life-term prisoner without authority, underscoring diligence in court duties.
Liability for Dishonored Checks: When Civil Damages Can Be Recovered
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies when a party can recover civil damages from a check issuer even if criminal liability under B.P. 22 is not established.
Habitual Tardiness and Loafing at Work: Legal Consequences for Philippine Employees
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on habitual tardiness and loafing: employee responsibilities, penalties, and lessons from Orfila v. Quiroz.
Judicial Delay, Negligence, and Falsified Certificates: Lessons from a Philippine Judge's Administrative Case
A Supreme Court ruling on a judge fined for gross negligence and falsified certificates of service—key lessons for judicial accountability and integrity.
Wrongful Termination: Employee Rights and Employer Obligations in the Philippines
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies the two requirements for valid dismissal: just cause and due process. Learn the rules.
Limits of Judicial Review: When Courts Can Question Tax Laws
Explore the limits of judicial review in tax cases through a Philippine Supreme Court ruling on procedural rules and evidence.
Consent and Rape: When Mental Retardation Negates Valid Consent
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on rape of a mental retardate and why apparent consent does not negate criminal liability.
Default Judgments Understanding Due Process and Timely Responses in Philippine Courts
Learn how Philippine courts treat default judgments and why timely responses matter, based on a Supreme Court ruling on judicial delay.
Conspiracy and the Boundaries of Robbery: When Kidnapping Becomes a Separate Crime
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on when kidnapping during a robbery is a separate crime, not absorbed by the robbery.
Land Ownership Disputes: How Procedural Errors Can Cost the Government a Case
A Supreme Court ruling shows how the government's failure to formally present evidence in land disputes can lead to adverse rulings and costly remands.
Seafarers' Rights: Protecting Overseas Workers From Illegal Dismissal
Supreme Court ruling protects Filipino seafarers from illegal dismissal when they seek ITF or CSR help for labor grievances.
Who May Challenge an Execution Sale: The Real Party in Interest Rule
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on who may question an execution sale and the real party in interest doctrine in civil procedure.
Treachery in Philippine Criminal Law: Intent and Defenseless Victims
A 1997 Supreme Court ruling clarifies when treachery qualifies a killing as murder, and why suddenness or superior numbers alone are not enough.
Treachery and the Aswang Defense: Understanding Murder Convictions in the Philippines
A 1997 Supreme Court ruling explains how treachery qualifies killings as murder, even when superstition—the (folkloric evil creatures).
Interpreting Retrenchment Programs Doubts Favor THE Worker
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on how retrenchment program separation benefits should be interpreted in favor of workers.
Robbery With Homicide: Proving Guilt Beyond Reasonable Doubt in Philippine Law
A 1997 Supreme Court ruling explains how Philippine courts establish guilt for robbery with homicide and why alibi fails against positive identification.
Gross Ignorance of the Law: When Judges Overstep Their Authority
A Supreme Court ruling on when a judge's sentencing errors become gross ignorance of the law warranting administrative sanctions.
Confessions and Constitutional Rights: Navigating Custodial Investigations in the Philippines
Philippine law on confessions and custodial investigation rights explained through People v. Fabro, a 1997 Supreme Court ruling.
Intent Matters Distinguishing Robbery With Homicide From Separate Crimes
A look at how Philippine courts determine intent in robbery with homicide cases, using a 1997 Supreme Court ruling as guide.
Statutory Rape in the Philippines: When Consent and Penetration Are Not Required
A 1997 Supreme Court ruling clarifies that in statutory rape, penetration need only be slight and the victim's consent is immaterial.
Acquisitive Prescription: How Long Does It Take to Claim Land Ownership in the Philippines
Learn how long you must possess land to claim ownership through acquisitive prescription in the Philippines, explained through a Supreme Court ruling.
Substantial Compliance in Appeals: When Courts Overlook Procedural Errors
The Supreme Court ruling in Nerves v. Civil Service Commission on substantial compliance with appeal rules and why a mislabeled petition survived.
Solidary Liability of Recruitment Agencies: Protecting Overseas Filipino Workers
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on joint and solidary liability of recruitment agencies and foreign employers for overseas workers' claims.