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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Due Process in Disbarment: Why Hearings Are Indispensable in Attorney Discipline Cases
The Supreme Court reminds the IBP that formal hearings are mandatory in disbarment cases, safeguarding due process for respondent lawyers.
Guilt Beyond Doubt: Circumstantial Evidence and Illegal Firearms in Murder Conviction
How the Supreme Court upheld a murder conviction based on circumstantial evidence and illegal firearms possession under PD 1866.
When the Smoke Clears: Differentiating Robbery With Homicide From Illegal Firearm Possession
A bus holdup leads to a key ruling on when a gun found elsewhere cannot prove illegal possession, and how robbery-homicide is charged.
Illegal Possession of Firearms: Essential Elements and Double Jeopardy Explained
Understand the essential elements of illegal possession of firearms under PD 1866, as amended by RA 8294, and when double jeopardy applies.
Upholding Workplace Conduct: Carrying Firearms in the Hall of Justice and Employee Rights
The Supreme Court rules on a court employee carrying a firearm in the Hall of Justice, finding misconduct and oppression while protecting employee rights.
Guilt Beyond Reasonable Doubt in Robbery With Homicide: The Marquez Case
The Supreme Court clarifies when robbery with homicide is proven beyond reasonable doubt, and when illegal possession of firearm charges fail.
Negligence and the Burden of Proof: Establishing Liability for Damages in Property Disputes
A fire crossed from a factory to a farm, but without proof of negligence, the property owner could not recover damages. The Supreme Court explains the burden of proof in civil cases.
Unlicensed Firearm Use in Murder: Retroactive Law and Double Jeopardy Explained
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on retroactive application of R.A. 8294 and its effect on separate charges for illegal firearm possession.
Vindication and Unlicensed Firearms: When Personal Offense Mitigates Murder
The Supreme Court clarifies how a grave personal offense can mitigate murder and how unlicensed firearms affect sentencing.
Finality of Judgments in Disbarment Cases: Lessons from Bihag v. Era
The Supreme Court enforces final judgments in disbarment cases, citing a lawyer for indirect contempt and disobedience for refusing to return client funds.
Agrarian Reform Inheritance and Land Coverage Under PD 27 and RA 6657
Supreme Court ruling on whether inherited farmland retains coverage under Operation Land Transfer under PD 27 and RA 6657.
When an Unlicensed Firearm Used in Robbery With Homicide Is Not a Separate Crime
The Supreme Court explains when the use of an unlicensed firearm in a killing is merely an aggravating circumstance, not a separate offense.
Upholding Ethical Conduct Court Employee Disciplined FOR Undermining Family Harmony AND Impartiality
Conspiracy and Criminal Liability: Proving Guilt Beyond Reasonable Doubt in Group Offenses
Illegal possession of firearms requires proof of license absence; expired licenses and unlawful seizures may lead to acquittal.
Beyond the Warrant: Illegal Possession and the Limits of Search and Seizure
A licensed gun owner's acquittal clarifies what police may lawfully seize during a search and the strict rules on proving illegal firearm possession.
License to Possess: When Technicalities Cannot Overshadow Substantive Rights in Firearm Cases
Supreme Court acquits firearm owner whose license was valid but expired, ruling technical defects cannot override substantive rights.
Conflict of Interest and Informed Consent in Attorney Representation
The Supreme Court dismissed a disbarment complaint against a lawyer who represented clients with potentially conflicting interests, clarifying the written-consent rule.
Unlicensed Firearm Possession vs Aggravating Circumstance: The Nuñez Ruling
When does illegal possession of a firearm become a separate crime versus an aggravating circumstance? The Supreme Court clarifies in People v. Nuñez.
Media Confessions and Treachery: Examining the Admissibility of TV Broadcasts in Murder Convictions
How the Supreme Court treated a TV confession in a murder case, and the rules on treachery, unlicensed firearms, and damages.
Unlicensed Firearm Use: From Separate Offense to Aggravating Circumstance in Homicide Cases
Philippine Supreme Court explains how R.A. 8294 changed unlicensed firearm use from a separate crime to an aggravating circumstance in homicide.
Justice Sees Through The Night: Eyewitness Testimony And Treachery In Murder Convictions
The Supreme Court affirms a murder conviction based on a single eyewitness's credible night-time identification, explaining treachery and unlicensed firearm rules.
Employee vs Independent Contractor: SSS Coverage for Farmworkers in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on when a "pakyaw (piece-rate) basis considered an employee entitled to compulsory Social Security System (SSS) coverage? The ruling is a reminder that the label used b
Self-Defense or Murder: Unpacking Unlawful Aggression and Treachery in Philippine Criminal Law
A Philippine Army soldier's claim of self-defense fails when the victim was shot from behind. Learn the legal requisites of unlawful aggression and treachery.
Holding Lawyers Accountable: Lessons from a Disbarment Case on Forgery and Immorality
The Supreme Court suspended a lawyer for forging his wife's signature and siring a child out of wedlock, reaffirming that lawyers must maintain good moral character at all times.