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.
Procedural Lapses and Labor Rights: Understanding the Correct Appeal Process in Illegal Dismissal Cases
Learn how procedural errors in illegal dismissal cases affect appeals, based on Philippine Supreme Court rulings on judicial remedies.
Injunctions in Land Disputes: The Need for a Clear Legal Right
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on when preliminary injunctions may issue in land disputes, requiring a clear and unmistakable right.
Overlapping Land Titles: Registration Date and Reconstitution Validity in Philippine Property Law
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies how courts resolve conflicting land titles, weighing registration dates, reconstitution validity, and evidence of ownership.
When Time Is Not of the Essence: Contractual Delay and Obligations in Philippine Law
Philippine Supreme Court ruling explains when delay in delivery does not breach a contract and when time is not of the essence.
Judicial Accountability: When Judges Face Administrative Complaints and Their Consequences
Explore the Supreme Court's ruling on judicial accountability, administrative complaints against judges, and when suspension or dismissal is warranted.
Shareholder Derivative Suits and Private Prosecutor Intervention in Falsification Cases
The Supreme Court clarifies when a shareholder suit is truly derivative and when private prosecutors may intervene in criminal falsification cases.
Docket Fees and Dismissal: Perfecting Appeals in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on late payment of appellate docket fees and dismissal of appeals under Rule 41.
Compromise Agreements When Concealed Property Values Invalidate Settlements
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on when concealed property values in compromise agreements constitute extrinsic fraud that invalidates settlements.
Tuition Dispute Schools Cant Impose Fees MID Semester
Schools cannot impose new fees mid-semester after enrollment. The Supreme Court explains student rights and contract obligations.
Equity Prevails When Unjust Enrichment Trumps Landlord Tenant Estoppel
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on when a lessee's estoppel to deny lessor's title yields to equity and unjust enrichment principles.
Habeas Corpus and DNA Evidence: Limits of Post-Conviction Remedies in Paternity-Based Rape Cases
The Supreme Court explains when DNA evidence can—and cannot—challenge a final rape conviction through habeas corpus or new trial.
Retroactivity of Procedural Rules Safeguarding Timely Appeals in Labor Disputes
How a procedural rule change saved a dismissed worker's appeal: the Supreme Court on retroactivity of Rule 65 amendments.
Forum Shopping Certification in Labor Cases: Substantial Compliance Protects Workers' Rights
Supreme Court rules substantial compliance with non-forum shopping certification suffices in labor cases, protecting workers from technical dismissal.
Judicial Accountability: Delay in Case Resolution and the Judge's Duty to Expedite Justice
The Supreme Court fined a retiring judge for undue delay in resolving cases, underscoring every judge's duty to decide cases promptly.
Corporate Authority and Timely Filing: Navigating Court Procedures in Land Disputes
Supreme Court clarifies rules on corporate authorization and filing deadlines in land dispute appeals.
Security of Tenure vs Political Patronage: Protecting Civil Service Employees From Unlawful Dismissal
When a mayor forced a municipal engineer to resign or transfer, the Supreme Court reaffirmed that civil service security of tenure cannot be sacrificed to political patronage.
Forum Shopping Certification and Timely Appeals: Pascual and Santos v. Tramo Wakas
Supreme Court clarifies rules on corporate authority to sign non-forum shopping certifications and timely filing of appeals by registered mail.
Moral Turpitude and Lawyer Disbarment: Issuing a Bouncing Check
A lawyer's conviction for issuing a bouncing check under BP 22 involves moral turpitude and warrants disbarment, the Supreme Court ruled.
Reconstitution of Titles: Substantial Compliance and Jurisdictional Requirements
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on what jurisdictional requirements apply in judicial reconstitution of lost titles under RA 26.
Perfecting Appeals: Timely Payment of Appeal Fees as a Jurisdictional Requirement in Philippine Election Law
Learn how timely payment of appeal fees is a jurisdictional requirement in Philippine election law, based on Supreme Court rulings.
Public Land Cannot Be Burdened: Property Rights and Public Use in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on public dominion property, right of way easements, and possession claims over government land.
Novation Requires a Completely New and Valid Agreement: Loan Restructuring Lessons
The Supreme Court clarifies when restructuring a loan creates novation, and how usurious interest rates are treated under Philippine law.
Default Judgments and Proper Notice: Lessons from DBP v. Perez
A 2004 Supreme Court ruling clarifies when default judgments are valid and why notice requirements protect due process in Philippine courts.
Exhaustion of Administrative Remedies: Pollution Cases Belong to DENR, Not Courts
Supreme Court ruling on exhaustion of administrative remedies in pollution cases, affirming DENR Pollution Adjudication Board's primary jurisdiction.