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.
Mental Capacity and Employment: Protecting Employees From Unjust Dismissal
When can an employer drop a worker for mental incapacity? The Supreme Court clarifies the rules and due process requirements.
Auction Sale Perfection and Judicial Discretion: Lessons from Dizon v. Dizon
When is a bid at an auction sale final? The Supreme Court clarifies the rules on auction perfection and judicial discretion in Dizon v. Dizon.
Written Notice of Dishonor Is Essential in B.P. 22 Cases: Bax v. People
The Supreme Court clarifies that oral demands do not suffice—written notice of dishonor is required to convict under the Bouncing Checks Law.
Distinguishing Employees From Independent Contractors: The Control Test in Philippine Labor Law
Philippine Supreme Court explains the control test for distinguishing employees from independent contractors in labor law disputes.
Writ of Possession Protecting Heirs' Rights in Undivided Estates
Learn how the Supreme Court protects compulsory heirs when a foreclosed property is subject to a writ of possession in an undivided estate.
Shared Intent Shared Liability Understanding Conspiracy in Philippine Criminal Law
Learn how conspiracy works in Philippine criminal law, when co-accused share liability, and what the Supreme Court says about proving a common design.
Inheritance Disputes: Redemption, Co-Ownership, and Prescription in Family Estates
When one heir redeems family property, does she own it? The Supreme Court clarifies co-ownership, prescription, and reimbursement rules.
Online Psychological Abuse Under RA 9262: When Facebook Posts Lead to Higher Penalties
The Supreme Court clarifies how social media posts can prove psychological abuse under RA 9262 and why ICT use raises the penalty.
Judicial Overreach When Haste in Execution Leads to Administrative Liability
A judge's one-year suspension for gross ignorance of the law after prematurely declaring a decision final and executing it without proper motion.
When Contractual Disputes Must Go to Arbitration and Courts, Not the HLURB
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when condominium disputes belong to arbitration or courts, not the HLURB, in Frabelle Fishing Corp. ruling.
Jurisdiction and Arbitration in Real Estate Contract Disputes: Frabelle Fishing Case
When do courts, not HLURB, hear real estate contract disputes? The Frabelle Fishing case explains jurisdiction and arbitration rules.
Unfreezing Marcos-Era Assets: When Philippine Courts Can Act on Foreign Freeze Orders
Explaining the Supreme Court ruling that allows Philippine courts to hear cases involving foreign freeze orders on Marcos-era assets.
Habeas Corpus and Deportation: When Courts Overstep Immigration Authority
A Supreme Court ruling on when courts may not interfere with Bureau of Immigration deportation orders through habeas corpus petitions.
Establishing Landlord-Tenant Relationship: The Core of Ejectment Suits in the Philippines
A landlord-tenant relationship is essential in ejectment cases. The Supreme Court explains who may file an unlawful detainer suit.
Waiver of Contractual Conditions in the Philippines: Lessons from Gonzales v. Lim
Learn when a party waives a contractual condition under Philippine law, based on the Supreme Court's ruling in Gonzales v. Lim.
Contempt of Court: The Necessity of Verified Petitions and Due Process
Learn how the Supreme Court nullified a contempt ruling for lack of a verified petition and violation of due process rights.
Security of Tenure: Defining Agricultural Tenancy in Philippine Law
The Supreme Court clarifies what makes a person an agricultural lessee entitled to security of tenure under Philippine agrarian laws.
Disproving Forgery: Standards for Signature Comparison in Philippine Law
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies standards for comparing signatures to prove forgery, emphasizing timing, genuine specimens, and burden of proof.
Future Inheritance Contracts Are Void: Arrogante v. Deliarte Explained
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on void contracts over future inheritance, and the exceptions that can save family property arrangements.
Void Judgments Create No Rights: The Borres Heirs Case
A judge who decides after retirement acts without authority. His decision is void ab initio and can never become final or create rights.
Sovereign Solvency: Why the Republic Is Exempt From Attachment Bond Requirements
The Supreme Court affirms that the Republic of the Philippines, as a sovereign, is exempt from posting attachment bonds in civil cases.
Contempt of Court and Lawyer Accountability: The Roxas Case
A lawyer's intemperate letter to a Supreme Court Justice led to a P30,000 fine for indirect contempt and a reminder of professional ethics.
Finality of Judgments: When Persistence Becomes Contempt of Court
A lawyer's relentless attacks on a final Supreme Court ruling led to indirect contempt. Learn the limits of fair criticism.
From Public Land to Private Right: Establishing Land Ownership Through Acquisitive Prescription
How long possession of alienable public land can ripen into private ownership, explained through a 2007 Supreme Court ruling.