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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MERALCO Rate Case: Supreme Court Upholds ERC’s Shift to Performance-Based Regulation
Supreme Court affirms ERC’s shift to PBR for setting MERALCO rates, barring collateral attacks on administrative regulations.
When a Case Withdrawal Backfires: The Co It Case on Finality and Justice
The Supreme Court reinstated a withdrawn petition after a promised family reconciliation failed, showing when final judgments may yield to substantial justice.
Stockholder Inspection Rights Corporations Cannot Enjoin Access Preemptively
Philippine Supreme Court ruling: corporations cannot use injunction to preemptively block stockholders' statutory right to inspect corporate books and records.
When a Right to Top Fails: Severability and Conditional Obligations in Share Sales
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies how severability clauses and conditional obligations determine bidder rights when a preferential right is voided.
Piercing the Corporate Veil When Labor Rights Trump Corporate Fiction in Illegal Dismissal Cases
When a contractor is a labor-only scheme, the principal becomes the true employer. The Supreme Court pierces the corporate veil to protect workers' rights.
Specific Performance vs Rescission: Contractual Remedies Under Philippine Law
The Supreme Court clarifies when specific performance or rescission applies in reciprocal obligations, using a Tagaytay property dispute as guide.
Stockholders' Right to Inspect Corporate Records vs. Corporate Injunction: Key Insights from PASAR v. Lim
Explore the Supreme Court's ruling in PASAR v. Lim on why corporations cannot use injunction to block stockholders' inspection rights under Section 74.
Upholding Candor and Fairness: Attorney Suspended for Unconscionable Fees and Deceitful Conduct
A lawyer who deceived elderly clients into signing an unfair fee agreement was suspended for five years. Learn the ethical rules on attorney's fees.
Attorney’s Fees and Ethical Conduct: Candor and Fairness in Lawyer-Client Relationships
The Supreme Court suspended a lawyer for five years for deceitful fee agreements and unfair dealings with elderly clients, reaffirming ethical duties.
When Family Driver Claims Mask Illegal Dismissal: Protecting Employee Rights in the Philippines
Supreme Court rules that labeling a company driver as a "family driver" cannot defeat illegal dismissal claims and full backwages.
Protecting Workers: Illegal Dismissal and the Rights of Pakyaw Employees in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that pakyaw workers are regular employees entitled to security of tenure, holiday pay, and service incentive leave pay.
Lis Pendens and Ill-Gotten Wealth: Protecting Public Interest Through Property Notices
The Supreme Court reinstates a notice of lis pendens on Marcos property, clarifying how procedural rules serve, not defeat, the recovery of ill-gotten wealth.
Refusal to Bargain: Protecting Workers' Right to Collective Bargaining in the Philippines
The Supreme Court rules that an employer's refusal to bargain and waiver schemes constitute unfair labor practice under Philippine law.
Discernment Requirement for Minors: Key Lessons from Dorado v. People
Supreme Court clarifies that discernment, not intent, determines criminal liability of minors aged 15-18 under RA 9344.
When a Lawyer’s Deal Defines Your Land Dispute: Binding Agreements Explained
Learn how the Supreme Court treats lawyer-negotiated settlements in land disputes, and what makes them binding on the parties.
Balancing Free Press and Confidentiality When Attorney Discipline Becomes a Public Matter
The Supreme Court clarifies when media reports on confidential lawyer disciplinary cases are protected by press freedom.
Reinstatement Rights Employers Duty to Reinstate Despite Appeal
Labor Arbiter reinstatement orders are immediately executory. Employers must reinstate or pay wages even while appealing.
Conspiracy in Robbery With Homicide: How Planning and Presence Establish Guilt
The Supreme Court affirms a conviction for robbery with homicide based on conspiracy, explaining how planning, presence, and post-crime acts prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
Reinstatement Orders Are Immediately Executory: What Employers Must Know
A dismissed employee must be reinstated even while appeal is pending; failure to do so means paying accrued wages.
Good Faith in Arrests: When Police Mistaken Identity Is Not Grave Misconduct
The Supreme Court clarifies when a police officer's good-faith mistake in executing an arrest warrant shields them from administrative liability for grave misconduct.
Corporate Mergers and Employee Rights: Understanding Job Security in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court rules that corporate mergers do not terminate employees' jobs; absorbed workers continue employment with the surviving corporation.
Burden of Proof in Seafarer Disability Claims: Establishing Work-Relatedness
The Supreme Court clarifies that seafarers must prove work-relatedness of illness or injury by substantial evidence to receive disability benefits.
School Liability for Student Safety in Off-Campus Activities: The St. Luke's Case
The Supreme Court holds schools liable for student safety in required off-campus activities, ruling on negligence and contractual obligations.
Lawyer Disbarred for Neglect, Dishonored Check, and Misconduct in Land Title Case
Supreme Court disbars a lawyer who took fees for a land title transfer, did nothing, and issued a bouncing check.