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.
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Seafarer Death Benefits: When Illness Is Not Work-Related Under the POEA Contract
The Supreme Court denies death benefits to a seafarer's heirs, ruling lung cancer from smoking was not work-related and death occurred beyond the contract term.
Heirs Inheritance Rights Partitioning Property Despite Unsettled Estates
Partition suits need the property's assessed value in the complaint; otherwise, courts lack jurisdiction and the case is dismissed.
Judges Can Only Solemnize Marriages Within Their Court’s Jurisdiction
A judge who solemnizes a marriage outside his court's territorial jurisdiction violates the Family Code and faces administrative sanctions.
Upholding Integrity in Notarial Duties: The Consequences of Negligence
Notaries must strictly comply with their duties under the Notarial Law; negligence can lead to administrative liability and loss of commission.
Indispensable Party Rule in Reconveyance: Heirs of Tunged v. Sta. Lucia Realty
The Supreme Court ruled that an environmental case filed by indigenous peoples against a non-IP developer belongs to the regular courts, not the NCIP.
Protecting the Vulnerable: Annulling Extrajudicial Settlements for Lack of Informed Consent
The Supreme Court annuls an extrajudicial settlement where an illiterate heir signed without understanding its terms, protecting vulnerable parties.
Project Employment vs Regular Employment: Security of Tenure in Construction
The Supreme Court clarifies when construction workers are project employees, not regular employees, and their rights to wages and benefits.
Earnest Money in a Contract to Sell: When Buyers Lose Their Deposit
The Supreme Court explains when earnest money in a contract to sell may be forfeited and when lessees may suspend rent under Article 1658.
Official Inaction and Anti-Graft Law: When Delay Becomes Discrimination
Court personnel who leak confidential office documents to embarrass colleagues face administrative liability, even if complainants withdraw their cases.
Conspiracy in Rape Cases: Expanding Liability Beyond the Accused's Own Act
The Supreme Court explains how conspiracy in rape cases makes each accused liable for all acts committed by their co-conspirators.
When Lawyers Behave Badly: The Supreme Court on Suspension, Reputation, and Evidence
A 2017 Supreme Court ruling shows why disbarment complaints need solid evidence, and why lawyers must stay mindful of how their conduct appears to the public.
Disrespecting the Court: Fine for Counsel Who Blamed Justices for Own Errors
The Supreme Court fined a lawyer and his client for contempt after they accused the Court of negligence over their own procedural lapses.
Illegitimate Children’s Rights: Mother’s Surname and Parental Authority in the Philippines
The Supreme Court clarifies that illegitimate children use their mother’s surname and are under her sole parental authority, voiding a father’s unilateral birth registration.
Inheritance Limits: Heirs' Liability in Property Disputes Clarified
The Supreme Court rules that heirs impleaded in property cases are liable only up to their inherited shares, not beyond.
Reconveyance Cases: Proving Land Identity and Title Under Article 434
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that in reconveyance actions, plaintiffs must prove both the identity of the land and their title, relying on the strength of their own evidence.
Eminent Domain and Just Compensation: How Courts Value Expropriated Property
Philippine Supreme Court explains how courts determine just compensation in expropriation cases, using Republic v. Heirs of Santiago as guide.
When a Forged Sale Is Void: Reimbursement, Accession, and Heirs' Liability
The Supreme Court clarifies what happens when a forged deed of sale is voided, including heirs' liability, refunds, and the rules on buildings built in bad faith.
When BIR Assessments Become Final: Why Taxpayers Must Act on Unchallenged Notices
Understand why unchallenged BIR assessments become final and executory, and what taxpayers must do to protect their rights.
Just Compensation in Agrarian Reform: The Heirs of Tapulado Case
Learn how courts determine just compensation in agrarian reform cases, based on the Heirs of Tapulado ruling.
Procuring Cause: When Real Estate Brokers Earn Their Commission
Learn when a real estate broker earns a commission under Philippine law, explained through the Supreme Court's ruling in Ticong v. Malim.
Presumption of Work Relatedness Protecting Seafarers' Rights to Disability Benefits
SC ruling clarifies that seafarers' non-listed illnesses enjoy a disputable presumption of work-relatedness, easing their burden of proof.
Preterition of Compulsory Heirs: When a Will Can Be Set Aside Despite Probate
The Supreme Court clarifies when preterition of compulsory heirs voids a will's institution of heirs and when legacies remain valid.
Seafarers' Death Claims: Proving Work-Related Illness and Causation
SC clarifies what heirs must prove to claim death benefits for seafarers who die of illness after repatriation.
Unraveling Fraud Protecting Heirs Rights IN Property Disputes
The Supreme Court clarifies when heirs can pursue quieting of title and reconveyance despite allegations of fraud and laches.