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.
Employee Dismissal: Proving Just Cause and Observing Due Process in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on employee dismissal: employers must prove just cause with substantial evidence and observe due process.
Sheriff’s Sales in the Philippines: Notice Rules and What Torres v. Cabling Teaches
Learn the notice and payment rules for sheriff’s sales in the Philippines, explained through the landmark case of Torres v. Cabling.
Self-Defense and Voluntary Surrender: Key Lessons from a Philippine Murder Case
A Philippine Supreme Court case clarifies when self-defense fails and voluntary surrender mitigates murder liability. Learn the rules.
Self-Defense and Homicide: Understanding the Limits of Justifiable Force in the Philippines
The Supreme Court clarifies when self-defense applies in Philippine homicide cases, using the 1997 Maalat ruling as a guide.
Overlapping Land Titles in the Philippines: Resolving Ownership Disputes
Learn how Philippine courts resolve ownership disputes involving overlapping land titles, foreclosure, and tenant rights under agrarian reform laws.
Self Defense in the Philippines: Understanding Unlawful Aggression and Reasonable Means
Learn how Philippine courts test self defense claims through unlawful aggression, reasonable means, and provocation, as shown in People v. Artiaga.
Positive Identification Trumps Alibi: Lessons from People v. Balad
In People v. Balad, the Supreme Court reaffirmed that positive identification by credible witnesses prevails over the defense of alibi in Philippine criminal law.
Conditions vs. Warranties in Philippine Sales Contracts: The Power Commercial Case
Learn how Philippine law distinguishes contract conditions from warranties, and when a seller's failure to deliver possession justifies rescission.
Rape and Incest in the Philippines: Understanding Familial Sexual Abuse Laws
The Supreme Court clarifies how Philippine law treats rape committed by a father against his daughter, including the role of moral ascendancy.
Family Disputes and Property Rights: Extrajudicial Settlements and Reconveyance
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies when family members must attempt compromise before suing and how reconveyance works for wrongfully registered property.
Lease Abandonment and Tenant Rights: The Paterno v. Court of Appeals Case
The Supreme Court's ruling in Paterno v. Court of Appeals clarifies when a tenant's departure amounts to lease abandonment and what it means for landlords and occupants.
Corporate Identity Crisis CAN A Company Sue Under AN Unregistered Name
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on whether a company can sue under an unregistered corporate name, explained in plain language.
Treachery in Philippine Criminal Law: When an Attack Qualifies as Murder
The Supreme Court explains how treachery elevates killings to murder under Article 248 of the Revised Penal Code.
Exhaustion of Administrative Remedies: When Can You Skip It?
The Supreme Court explains when exhaustion of administrative remedies is required and when courts may excuse it.
Medical Malpractice Proving Negligence and the Doctrine of Res Ipsa Loquitur in the Philippines
Learn how Philippine courts apply res ipsa loquitur in medical malpractice cases and what patients must prove to establish negligence.
Discharge of an Accomplice as a State Witness: Safeguarding Justice in Philippine Courts
The Supreme Court affirms that trial courts' factual findings and witness credibility assessments are conclusive unless arbitrary, in a murder conviction.
Execution Pending Appeal in Philippine Election Protests: When Can a Winner Take Office Immediately
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on when execution pending appeal is allowed in election protests, and why COMELEC can stop a premature assumption of office.
Self-Defense in the Philippines: When Can You Justifiably Use Force?
The Supreme Court explains the three elements of self-defense in the Philippines and why a Palawan man's claim failed in a murder conviction.
Back Taxes on Undeclared Improvements: What "Declared for the First Time" Means
The Supreme Court explains when local assessors may impose back taxes on previously undeclared building improvements under PD 464.
Marine Insurance: When Arrest of a Vessel by Civil Authorities Is a Covered Risk
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on when arrest of a vessel by judicial process is a covered risk under marine cargo insurance policies.
Forum Shopping in the Philippines: How Duplicate Cases Can Kill Your Labor Claim
Learn how filing duplicate labor cases amounts to forum shopping and leads to automatic dismissal under Philippine rules.
Establishing Paternity in the Philippines: Evidence Beyond DNA
How Philippine courts prove paternity without DNA tests, using letters, birth certificates, and conduct, as shown in Pe Lim v. Court of Appeals.
Defense of Strangers: When Can You Legally Protect Someone Else in the Philippines
Philippine law allows defending strangers, but only under strict conditions. Learn the rules from a Supreme Court ruling.
Service of Court Decisions in the Philippines: The Laza Case and Due Process
Learn how Philippine courts rule on valid service of decisions, the "sufficient discretion" standard, and the Laza v. Court of Appeals case.