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.
Prescription in Contract Disputes: The 10-Year Rule Under Philippine Law
Learn how the 10-year prescription period for written contracts works in the Philippines, and why delay can bar a valid claim.
Timeliness of Appeals When Weekends Extend Deadlines in Philippine Law
Learn how Philippine courts compute appeal deadlines when weekends intervene, and why timing can decide a case's fate.
Escheat of Unclaimed Bank Deposits in the Philippines: Procedure and Due Process
Learn how Philippine escheat law works for unclaimed bank deposits, why publication is required, and why certiorari cannot replace a missed appeal.
Justice Delayed IS Justice DenIED: Judicial Delay and Your Rights in the Philippines
When judges fail to decide cases on time, the public suffers. Learn the rules on judicial delay and your remedies.
Statute of Limitations in Philippine Contract Law: The 10-Year Rule for Written Contracts
Learn the 10-year prescriptive period for written contracts in the Philippines, when it starts, and how the Supreme Court applied it in a stock pledge dispute.
Fighting Eviction: Why Exhausting Administrative Remedies Is Your First Step in Philippine Property Disputes
Learn from Zabat v. Court of Appeals: why exhausting administrative remedies before suing in court is crucial in Philippine property disputes.
Failure of Election Petitions in the Philippines: What the Law Requires
Failure of election is a narrow remedy under Philippine law. Learn the grounds, the limits, and how Banaga v. COMELEC clarifies the rules.
Negligence in Patent Applications: How Attorney Laches Can Cost You Patent Rights
When lawyers fail to respond to patent office actions, applicants may lose their rights. The Supreme Court explains why.
Finality Prevails: Enforcing Judgments and Preventing Alterations in Philippine Law
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on why final judgments are immutable and why execution must strictly follow the dispositive portion.
Notarial Duty and Due Diligence: Attorneys Cannot Notarize Documents They Sign for Others
A lawyer who signs a verification for clients and then notarizes it violates the Notarial Law. The Supreme Court explains the limits of a notary's duties.
Motion for Reconsideration Under Summary Procedure: The Lucas Doctrine
When can a litigant file a motion for reconsideration under summary procedure? The Supreme Court clarifies the exception for dismissal orders.
Deadline Missed: Understanding Election Protest Filing Periods in the Philippines
The Supreme Court clarifies when the 10-day period to file an election protest is suspended, and when it is not.
Filing Fees in Philippine Election Protests: Jurisdictional Rules and Timelines
Philippine election protest filing fees are jurisdictional. Late payment does not cure defects. Learn the rules and deadlines.
NLRC Appeal Bond Rules: Why Missing the Deadline Kills Your Labor Appeal
Learn why failing to post the NLRC appeal bond on time can dismiss your labor appeal, and how the DORELCO case shapes the rules.
Homestead Redemption After Foreclosure: The 5-Year Right Under the Public Land Act
Homesteaders have a five-year right to repurchase foreclosed land under the Public Land Act, even after a bank consolidates title.
Suing a Deceased Person in the Philippines: Estate Claims and Legal Personality Rules
Can you sue a deceased person's estate in the Philippines? Learn the legal personality rules and proper probate procedure for collecting debts from an estate.
Grave Slander in the Philippines: Lessons from Artajos v. Court of Appeals
Learn how Philippine law punishes grave slander, the elements prosecutors must prove, and key lessons from the Supreme Court's Artajos ruling.
Torrens Title vs. Acquisitive Prescription: Why Registered Land Prevails in the Philippines
A Torrens title defeats claims of ownership by long possession. Learn the Ramos v. Bautista ruling and how to protect registered land.
Missed Appeal Deadlines in the Philippines: Strict Rules, Rare Exceptions
Philippine courts strictly enforce the 15-day appeal period. Missing it can end a case, with only truly exceptional circumstances excusing delay.
Missed Deadlines Missed Defenses: The High Stakes of Ignoring a Request for Admission in Philippine Courts
A Request for Admission is not a mere formality. Ignoring it can mean losing a case by default. Learn the rules.
Court Discretion and Deadlines: Why Philippine Courts Can Deny Postponements and Cost You Your Case
Learn from the Pepsi Number Fever case why Philippine courts can deny postponements and declare waiver of evidence rights.
Service by Registered Mail in the Philippines: When Deadlines Start Ticking
Understand when service by registered mail is complete in Philippine courts, and how insufficient postal certifications can protect your right to due process.
Counterclaims After Complaint Dismissal: Philippine Rules Explained
Learn when counterclaims survive dismissal of the main complaint under Philippine civil procedure, based on the Fletcher Challenge case.
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.