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.
Understanding Accomplice Liability in Philippine Homicide Cases
The Supreme Court clarifies when a person becomes an accomplice rather than a principal in homicide, and how civil liability is apportioned.
Understanding COA's Jurisdiction: Key Insights From a Landmark Ruling
A 2020 Supreme Court ruling clarifies COA's primary jurisdiction over audit disallowances and why trial courts cannot interfere.
Understanding Forum Shopping: Protecting Legal Integrity and Client Rights in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies forum shopping rules, penalizing a lawyer with two-year suspension for refiling a dismissed labor case.
Understanding Forum Shopping: A Philippine Lawyer's Duty to Avoid Duplicative Suits
The Supreme Court explains forum shopping and res judicata through a lawyer's two-year suspension for filing a duplicative labor case.
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 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.
Judicial Authority and Bank Liquidation: Understanding the Limits of Court Intervention
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies when judges overstep their authority in bank liquidation proceedings, and the consequences of doing so.
Understanding Judicial Impartiality: Bias and Inhibition in Philippine Election Protests
The Supreme Court clarifies the standards for judicial inhibition in election protests, explaining what bias truly means and why rulings must not be mistaken for prejudice.
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 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 the Legal Boundaries of Confessions and Conspiracy in Kidnapping and Murder Cases
A look at how the Supreme Court treats extrajudicial confessions and conspiracy in a kidnapping-for-ransom and murder case.
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.
Understanding the COA's Role in Government Contracts: Insights from a Landmark Dairy Farm Case
A look at how the Supreme Court defined the Commission on Audit's power to disallow irregular government contracts and the liability of public officers.
Understanding Judicial Misconduct and Its Consequences: Insights From a Landmark Philippine Case
Learn how the Supreme Court defines judicial misconduct and its serious consequences for judges and the justice system in the Philippines.
Understanding the Impact of Stay Orders on Corporate Rehabilitation in the Philippines
The Supreme Court clarifies when a stay order suspends collection cases against a corporation under rehabilitation, and when creditors may proceed.
Understanding Evident Bad Faith in Graft Cases: Insights from Philippine Jurisprudence
The Supreme Court clarifies the element of evident bad faith in Section 3(e) R.A. 3019 cases and the crucial rule on variance of the mode of commission.
Understanding Double Jeopardy When an Acquittal Can Be Challenged in the Philippines
The Supreme Court explains when an acquittal is final and when it can be challenged, using a child abuse case as an example.
Understanding Tax Implications of Initial Public Offerings: Separate vs Joint Computation
The Supreme Court clarifies how IPO taxes on primary and secondary offerings are computed under the National Internal Revenue Code.
Understanding Parricide Convictions Key Insights From A Supreme Court Ruling
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies when parricide applies, explaining the legal relationship requirement and the importance of proving the offender's knowledge of the victim's status.
Understanding Qualified Rape When Parental Authority Turns Criminal
Qualified rape under Philippine law occurs when a parent commits rape against a child. Learn the legal rules, penalties, and practical implications.
Understanding Loss of Trust and Confidence as a Valid Ground for Employee Dismissal in the Philippines
The Supreme Court clarifies when loss of trust and confidence justifies dismissal, and when it becomes an illegal termination.
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 Judicial Misconduct: Reprimands and Warnings in Philippine Courts
Learn how Philippine courts discipline judges and court personnel through reprimands and warnings for judicial misconduct.
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.