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.
Compromise Agreements in Estate Settlements: Validity and Enforceability
Learn when compromise agreements partitioning inherited property are valid without court approval, and why probate courts cannot finally rule on ownership.
Finality of Judgment in Disbarment Cases: Lessons from Bihag v. Era
The Supreme Court enforces final disbarment orders strictly, citing a lawyer in contempt for defying a restitution order.
Motion for Reconsideration Deadlines in Labor Cases: The CEU Lesson
Learn how a missed Motion for Reconsideration deadline made a labor decision final and executory in Centro Escolar University v. NLRC.
Warrantless Searches When Consent Makes Evidence Admissible in the Philippines
Learn when warrantless searches are valid in the Philippines, including consent searches, and how buy-bust operations affect evidence admissibility.
Right of Repurchase in Philippine Real Estate: Pacto de Retro Rules Explained
Learn the rules on pacto de retro sales and the right of repurchase in Philippine real estate, including annotation duties and judicial requirements.
Final Judgments Are Immutable: Goking v. Villaraza on Execution Limits
A final judgment cannot be altered through a motion for execution. Goking v. Villaraza explains the limits of post-judgment remedies.
Exhaustion of Administrative Remedies: When Can You Skip It?
The Supreme Court explains when exhaustion of administrative remedies is required and when courts may excuse it.
Positive Identification in Philippine Criminal Law: Overcoming Doubts and Alibis
How Philippine courts weigh positive identification against alibis and dying declarations, explained through a landmark murder case.
Dying Declarations Admissibility and Impact on Criminal Cases in the Philippines
Learn how Philippine courts treat dying declarations in criminal cases, their admissibility requirements, and their impact on convictions.
Dynamite Fishing in the Philippines: Laws, Penalties, and the People vs. Vergara Case
Learn the Philippine law against dynamite fishing, penalties under P.D. 704, and key lessons from People vs. Vergara.
Piercing the Corporate Veil: When Are Company Officers Liable for Corporate Debts in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on when corporate officers and close corporation stockholders can be held personally liable for separation pay.
When Court Errors Are Not Misconduct: The Tallado v. Racoma Ruling
The Supreme Court clarifies when a judge's error is a judicial matter, not administrative misconduct, and warns against harassment suits.
Who Can Represent a Municipality in Court: The Ramos Doctrine on Unauthorized Counsel
Philippine law limits who may represent a municipality in lawsuits. Learn the rules, exceptions, and effects of unauthorized private counsel appearances.
Exhaustion of Administrative Remedies: When Can You Skip It
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on when courts may excuse failure to exhaust administrative remedies, and why premature court actions get dismissed.
Who Can Represent a Philippine Municipality in Court: Legal Representation Rules
Explains who may legally represent a municipality in Philippine courts, the effect of unauthorized counsel, and when proceedings may be adopted.
Separation Pay for Voluntary Resignation: When Company Practice Creates an Obligation
Philippine law on separation pay for resigning employees, and when established company practice can create a right to benefits.
Quantum Meruit: When a Contractor Can Recover Payment Without a Formal Contract
Philippine Supreme Court explains when contractors can recover payment on a quantum meruit basis even without a written contract.
Exhaustion of Administrative Remedies: When Can You Skip the Line to Court?
Learn when the exhaustion rule applies, its exceptions, and why a replevin suit failed against DENR forfeiture.
Contract Bar Rule Explained: Certification Elections and CBAs in the Philippines
Learn how the contract bar rule limits certification elections during a CBA's term, based on the Formey Plastic case.
Amending Criminal Informations: When a Homicide Charge Can Be Upgraded to Murder
The Supreme Court explains when prosecutors may amend an information to upgrade homicide to murder after the accused has already pleaded not guilty.
Child Abuse and Parricide: Understanding the Legal Consequences in the Philippines
A father's brutal killing of his two-year-old son led to a parricide conviction. Learn the legal rules and penalties.
Robbery With Homicide: Conspiracy and Constitutional Rights in Philippine Law
A Philippine Supreme Court case explains conspiracy in robbery with homicide and the exclusionary rule for evidence from illegal arrests.
Diplomatic Immunity in the Philippines: Protecting International Organizations From Legal Suits
The Supreme Court explains how diplomatic immunity shields international organizations like the Asian Development Bank from local lawsuits, and why courts must respect it.
Navigating Appeals in Philippine Administrative Law: Jurisdiction and Exhaustion of Remedies
The Supreme Court clarifies appellate jurisdiction over PNP disciplinary cases, exhaustion of remedies, and administrative law principles in Cabada v. Alunan.