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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Notarial Will Philippines Requirements: How to Make a Valid Will
Learn the notarial will Philippines requirements under the Civil Code, including the attestation clause, witnesses, and signing rules for validity.
Intestate Succession and Legitime in the Philippines: Who Inherits
Understand intestate succession in the Philippines, how legitime protects compulsory heirs, and who inherits when there is no will.
Holographic Wills in the Philippines: Requirements and Validity
Learn the requirements for a valid holographic will in the Philippines, who can make one, and how to ensure it stands up in court.
Reprobate of Foreign Wills: RTC Keeps Jurisdiction Over Re-Authentication
Supreme Court clarifies that reprobate of a foreign will stays with the RTC, distinct from ordinary probate.
Preterition in Philippine Wills: When Omitting a Compulsory Heir Invalidates Inheritance
Learn how preterition—omitting a compulsory heir—can annul a will's heir institution under Philippine law, with insights from Trinidad v. Trinidad.
Economic Abuse Under RA 9262: Intent Matters in Denial of Financial Support Cases
The Supreme Court clarifies that willful intent to cause anguish, not mere financial hardship, is required for economic abuse convictions under RA 9262.
Financial Support and VAWC Intent: What Denial of Support Really Requires
The Supreme Court clarifies that criminal liability for denial of financial support under VAWC requires willful intent to cause anguish, not mere failure to provide.
Probating a Foreign Will in the Philippines: Lessons from a Landmark Case
Learn the formalities for probating foreign wills in the Philippines, from a landmark Supreme Court case on foreign law proof.
Sula v. COMELEC: Supreme Court Upholds Cotabato City’s Inclusion in BARMM
Supreme Court affirms COMELEC’s conduct of the Bangsamoro plebiscite, upholding Cotabato City’s inclusion in BARMM as the people’s will.
Upholding Court Authority Indefinite Suspension FOR Attorneys Persistent Disobedience
The Supreme Court indefinitely suspends a lawyer for over a decade of willful disobedience of lawful court orders, underscoring the duty of attorneys to respect judicial authority.
Accreditation of Political Parties: COMELEC's Authority and the Limits of Judicial Review
The Supreme Court upholds COMELEC's discretion in accrediting dominant minority parties, affirming that courts will not interfere absent grave abuse of discretion.
Probate Docket Fees and Publication Rules: What Bollozos v. Heirs of Aguilar Teaches
Supreme Court clarifies probate docket fee rules and publication requirements in allowance of wills cases.
Navigating Will Probate: Key Lessons From a Landmark Philippine Supreme Court Case
A Philippine Supreme Court decision on property under custodia legis offers crucial lessons for lawyers and litigants in estate and will probate cases.
Financial Support and VAWC Intent: When Denial of Support Is a Crime
The Supreme Court clarifies that mere failure to provide financial support is not enough for conviction under RA 9262; willful intent matters.
Understanding Heirs' Obligations in Philippine Property Sales: A Landmark Supreme Court Ruling
Learn how a 2020 Supreme Court ruling clarifies heirs' obligations and foreign will probate requirements in Philippine property sales.
Probate of an Alien's Will in the Philippines: Nationality Principle Explained
Philippine courts can probate a foreigner's will executed in the Philippines. The nationality principle does not strip local courts of jurisdiction.
Proving Forgery in Disbarment Cases: The Burden of Clear Evidence
Disbarment complaints require clear preponderant evidence; bare allegations of forgery without expert proof will not suffice.
Valid Dismissal and Separation Pay: Key Lessons from a 2020 Supreme Court Ruling
A 2020 Supreme Court ruling clarifies when dismissal for willful disobedience is valid and when separation pay may—or may not—be granted.
Supreme Court Upholds Ombudsman's Dismissal of Graft Charges Over Lahar Quarrying
The Court explains when it will not interfere with the Ombudsman's probable cause findings, even where injury to a landowner may exist.
Indirect Contempt Requires Willful Disobedience: Lessons from Land Bank v. MERALCO
When is failure to comply with a court order contempt? The Supreme Court clarifies in Land Bank v. MERALCO that good faith and impossibility matter.
Rehabilitation or Liquidation: When Corporate Revival Is Not Feasible
A corporation in default may still seek rehabilitation, but a plan built on speculative promises will not pass judicial scrutiny.
Willful Disobedience as Just Cause for Termination: Mamaril v. The Red System Company
The Supreme Court clarifies when an employee's repeated violation of safety rules justifies dismissal for willful disobedience under the Labor Code.
Attorney Disbarred for Gross Misconduct and Willful Disobedience to Court Orders
A lawyer's unauthorized use of a client's property for bail bonds, plus defiance of court orders, leads to disbarment.
Compromised Chain of Custody Safeguarding Rights in Drug Cases
When police break the chain of custody in drug cases, the Supreme Court will acquit. Learn the rules from People v. Ceralde.