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.
Proving Legitimate Filiation: Key to Winning Philippine Inheritance Claims
Learn how the Supreme Court's ruling in Bernardo v. Fernando clarifies what evidence proves legitimate filiation for inheritance claims.
Understanding Dislocation Allowances Legal Insights AND Implications FOR Government Employees
The Supreme Court ruled on incentive allowances for government employees, clarifying limits under Philippine law on additional compensation.
Understanding the Insanity Defense: Key Insights from a Recent Philippine Supreme Court Ruling
A look at how Philippine courts assess insanity as a defense, based on a 2020 Supreme Court ruling that clarified the test for legal insanity.
Understanding Theft in the Philippines: Key Insights From a Landmark Supreme Court Case
A look at how the Supreme Court clarifies plea bargaining rules in drug cases and what this means for criminal procedure in the Philippines.
Understanding Rape Convictions: Victim Testimony and Legal Standards in Philippine Courts
The Supreme Court affirms a rape conviction, clarifying how victim testimony, force, and identity are assessed under Philippine law.
Understanding Disturbance Compensation in Land Conversion: Insights from a Philippine Supreme Court Case
Learn how the Supreme Court ruled on disturbance compensation claims in land conversion, including prescription periods and evidentiary requirements.
Navigating Accountability in Government Procurement: Lessons from a Landmark Philippine Supreme Court Ruling
A Supreme Court ruling on CNA incentives clarifies when government employees must refund disallowed funds and how special funds may be spent.
Prosecutorial Authority and Criminal Jurisdiction: The Villa Gomez Doctrine
The Supreme Court clarifies when a prosecutor's lack of authority to file an Information affects a trial court's jurisdiction over a criminal case.
Lease Renewal vs Extension: Supreme Court Clarifies the Critical Distinction
The Supreme Court clarifies the crucial difference between lease renewal and extension in a dispute over a government property lease.
Contract Renewal vs. Extension: Key Lessons from a Landmark Philippine Supreme Court Case
The Supreme Court clarifies the critical legal difference between renewing and extending a lease, and why precise contract language matters.
Understanding Statutory Rape: Protecting Minors and Legal Implications
The Supreme Court clarifies statutory rape under -A(1)(d) of the Revised Penal Code, emphasizing that carnal knowledge of a child under 12 is always rape.
Understanding Conspiracy and Treachery in Philippine Murder and Robbery Cases
The Supreme Court explains how conspiracy and treachery work in murder and robbery cases, and what must be alleged in the Information.
Moral Ascendancy in Rape Cases: What the Supreme Court Ruling Means
A 2020 Supreme Court ruling clarifies how moral ascendancy can replace force or intimidation in rape cases involving relatives.
Simulated Contracts in the Philippines: When a Deed of Sale Is Void
Philippine Supreme Court explains when a simulated deed of sale is void. Learn the rules on genuine intent in property transactions.
Moral Ascendancy in Rape Cases: What People v. XXX Means for Philippine Law
The Supreme Court affirms that a relative's moral ascendancy can substitute for force or intimidation in proving qualified rape.
The Sweetheart Defense in Philippine Rape Cases: What the Supreme Court Teaches Us
The sweetheart defense cannot justify rape. Learn what the Supreme Court ruled and why consent matters in Philippine law.
Lateral Transfers and Security of Tenure in Philippine Civil Service
When a government employee's lateral transfer appointment is disapproved, does the employee automatically revert to a former position? The Supreme Court clarifies.
Understanding the Right to Speedy Disposition of Cases: A Philippine Supreme Court Ruling
The Supreme Court clarifies the right to speedy disposition of cases and prescription rules for graft charges under RA 3019.
Administrative and Criminal Liability: Prescription and Speedy Disposition Lessons from Perez v. Sandiganbayan
The Supreme Court clarifies prescription and speedy disposition rules in graft cases, balancing public accountability with the accused's rights.
Limits of Compensation Authority in Government Corporations: Insights from SSS v. COA
The Supreme Court clarifies when GOCCs may grant employee benefits without presidential approval, and when officers may be excused from refunding disallowed amounts.
When a Dismissed Employee Can Vote: Certification Election Rules Clarified
The Supreme Court clarifies when dismissed employees may vote in certification elections and how blank ballots affect majority computation.
Piercing the Corporate Veil: When Corporate Officers Can Be Held Personally Liable
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when courts may pierce the corporate veil and hold officers personally liable for fraud and mismanagement.
Mortgage Foreclosure and Prescription in the Philippines: Key Lessons from a Landmark Case
Learn how prescription periods affect mortgage foreclosure in the Philippines, based on the Supreme Court's ruling in Active Wood Products v. State Investment House.
Gross Discourtesy in the Judiciary: The Clerk of Court Case and Its Lessons
A Supreme Court ruling on a clerk of court's discourtesy shows the high standards of conduct expected of all judicial personnel.