Services

Corporate and special projects services cover legal and contractual problems of clients arising out of extra-ordinary events or special transactions and provide clients counsel, representation and documentation on their legal rights and responsibilities relative to the extraordinary events or special transactions. Areas covered include, acquisitions and mergers, corporate reorganizations, dissolutions, insolvency, proxy contests, loan agreements and syndications, securities offerings and underwriting, real estate investments and land development contracts, condominium projects, creditors’ rights, joint ventures, trusts, business tax counselling and planning, estate and executive compensation/pension planning, and all other aspects of business law and taxation.

Litigation services cover all areas and stages of judicial litigation in civil, commercial and criminal cases. The Firm handles all kinds of criminal cases either for the prosecution or the defense and represents clients in virtually all kinds of civil and commercial cases involving such fields of law as contracts, admiralty and maritime, commercial and credit transactions, persons and family law, wills and succession, torts and quasi-delicts, corporation law, debt-restructuring and corporate rehabilitation, securities regulation and banking, and civil and commercial arbitration under the Philippine Arbitration Law and the Rules of the International Chamber of Commerce and the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules.

Labor law services cover representing clients (principally employers and management) in proceedings before the Department of Labor and Employment, National Labor Relations Commission, Bureau of Labor Relations, National Conciliation and Mediation Board, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration and other related agencies.

The Firm specializes in collective bargaining negotiations, contract preparation and interpretation, and in dismissal, grievance and arbitration (voluntary and compulsory) proceedings and unfair labor practice cases. Legal advice is provided with regard to employer and employee rights in both unionized and non-unionized environments, and in connection with strikes, personnel action and similar issues. Preventive law counselling is rendered in personnel management.

The Firm renders services as preparation and assessment of personnel policy manuals, retirement and other employee benefit plans, and lectures for managers or supervisors on labor relations and labor standards. Advice is provided on the constantly growing body of laws and rules regulating employment relationship, and on the labor ramifications of mergers, divestments, acquisitions and other business reorganizations. Circulars on latest jurisprudential developments in labor law are regularly given to clients.

The Firm also handles litigation directly involving labor or employment law.

Administrative and intellectual property law services cover matters requiring or involving governmental licenses, authorizations and approvals, registration of documents and transactions with regulatory agencies, and tax protests, litigation and other proceedings before administrative or quasi-judicial bodies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, National Telecommunications Commission, Board of Investments, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Bureau of Customs, Office of the Insurance Commissioner, Commission on Immigration and Deportation, Bureau of Patents, Trademarks & Technology Transfer and Court of Tax Appeals. Representation includes appearances before Congressional Committees.

Typical work covers registration and licensing of new business (whether sole or single proprietorship, corporation, association, foundation, partnership, or branch or regional headquarters), amendment of Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws, changes in capital stock structures, securities registration and listing, investment incentives registration, governmental approval of foreign remittances, management/technical service, technology transfer, licensing, royalty agreements, immigration matters and registration of aliens, patents, trademarks and copyright, food and drug registration, intra-corporate disputes, infringement and unfair competition cases.

On need basis, Firm lawyers also act as directors, consultants or corporate secretaries for clients. The work basically entails attendance at board and stockholders’ meetings, advice and counselling during the meetings, preparation and keeping of minutes, resolutions and stock transfer books, issuance of stock certificates and documentation of stock transfer transactions.

Legal audit is provided for a comprehensive review of the client’s business operations, contracts, forms, policies and structure.

General counselling and retainer services consist of consultations, including legal opinion and contract documentation, in the ordinary, day-to-day course of the client’s operations. Consultations include advice on pertinent laws, rules and regulations bearing upon corporate, tax, financial, insurance, foreign exchange and labor relations aspects of client’s activities and structure. Documentation covers the preparation and review of simple agreements involving, among others, conveyancing, distributorship and employment.

Each retainer client is serviced by a team of at least two lawyers with a partner supervising the work. In assigning a lawyer to a client, the lawyer’s specialization and familiarity with the client and its business are properly considered.