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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Understanding Good Faith IN Property Purchases Lessons From A Landmark Philippine Supreme Court Ruling
Understanding Misconduct and the Condonation Doctrine in Philippine Local Government
A Supreme Court case study on administrative misconduct and the condonation doctrine in Philippine local government.
Understanding Jurisdictional Limits in Lease Disputes: A Guide to Security Deposits and Court Competence
The Supreme Court clarifies when lease disputes over security deposits fall under municipal trial courts versus regional trial courts.
Understanding Consent and Detention: Key Insights From a Landmark Philippine Kidnapping Case
The Supreme Court acquits a man of kidnapping, clarifying that mere elopement and a minor's unfamiliarity with a place do not automatically constitute illegal detention.
Understanding Tax Exemptions for Condominium Dues and Fees: A Landmark Philippine Supreme Court Ruling
The Supreme Court clarifies when condominium association dues are taxable, resolving the validity of BIR RMC No. 65-2012.
Understanding the Principle of Totality of Infractions in Philippine Labor Law
Learn how the totality of infractions principle works in Philippine labor law, explained through a Supreme Court ruling on employee dismissal.
Understanding Rape and Lascivious Conduct: Insights from a Landmark Philippine Case
A Philippine Supreme Court ruling clarifies rape, sexual assault, and lascivious conduct distinctions, penalties, and victim testimony standards.
Understanding Qualified Statutory Rape Protecting Young Victims AND Ensuring Justice
Understanding the Consequences of Notarization Errors: A Guide to Notarial Responsibilities in the Philippines
Learn how the Supreme Court disciplines court employees for incompetence and inefficiency, and what this means for notarial responsibilities in the Philippines.
Understanding Illegal Drug Possession Insights From A Landmark Philippine Supreme Court Case
A Supreme Court acquittal in a drug buy-bust case highlights strict rules on evidence and witness presence.
Understanding Attorney Negligence Duties and Consequences in Philippine Law
The Supreme Court clarifies a lawyer's duty of diligence, when accepting fees creates an attorney-client relationship, and the penalties for neglect.
Understanding Contracts TO Sell: Key Insights From a Landmark Philippine Supreme Court Ruling
A Philippine Supreme Court ruling clarifies when a contract is an assignment, not a guaranty, and the limits of apparent authority.
Understanding Lascivious Conduct AND Rape Convictions Insights From A Landmark Philippine Supreme Court Case
Understanding Conspiracy and Homicide When Threats Turn Deadly
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies how circumstantial evidence can prove rape with homicide and why alibi often fails.
Understanding the Elements of Rape and the Power of Victim Testimony in Philippine Law
The Supreme Court explains how a victim's credible testimony can prove rape, even without physical injuries or eyewitnesses.
Safeguarding Public Funds: The Ombudsman’s Authority in Administrative Cases
The Supreme Court affirms the Ombudsman’s power to decide administrative cases and its standing to appeal, upholding findings of grave misconduct in a sham bidding.
Land Rights and Oral Sales: Understanding Property Disputes in the Philippines
The Supreme Court clarifies when oral sales of land are valid, and why the five-year free patent ban on alienation matters.
Loan Restructuring and Surety Obligations: Understanding Novation and Continuing Guarantees
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when loan restructuring extinguishes a surety's obligation and the binding effect of continuing guarantees.
When Marital Duty and Psychological Capacity Collide: Understanding Annulment in the Philippines
The Supreme Court clarifies what psychological incapacity truly means under Article 36 of the Family Code, and why a loveless or forced marriage is not automatically void.
Understanding Contractual Breach and Damages: Insights from a Landmark Philippine Supreme Court Case
Learn how a Philippine Supreme Court case on notarial misconduct clarifies contractual obligations, breach, and damages in property transactions.
Quitclaims and Illegal Dismissal: Understanding Employee Rights and Waivers in the Philippines
When is a quitclaim valid? The Supreme Court explains the rules on waivers and illegal dismissal in Vergara v. CDM Security Agency.
PHAPi v. Medialdea: Standing and Justiciability in the Anti-Hospital Deposit Law Challenge
The Supreme Court dismissed PHAPi's constitutional challenge to R.A. 10932 for lack of legal standing and absence of an actual case or controversy.
When Can an Association Represent Its Members in Court? Standing to Sue Explained
The Supreme Court explains when an association can sue for its members, and why lack of legal capacity to sue is fatal to a petition.
Defiance and Dismissal: Understanding Illegal Strikes and Return-to-Work Orders in the Philippines
When pilots defied a return-to-work order, the Supreme Court upheld their dismissal. Learn the legal consequences of illegal strikes.