A lawyer’s ethical obligations do not end at the courtroom door. A recent Supreme Court decision makes clear that the standards of professional conduct governing members of the bar apply with eq...
Beyond Physical Violence: When Emotional Abuse May Justify Legal Separation
For many people, abuse within a marriage is associated with physical violence. Marital abuse, however, can take many forms, some of which leave no visible injuries but may nevertheless cause significa...
Choosing a Brand Name? What Businesses Should Know About Well-Known Trademarks
Businesses often assume that trademark conflicts arise only when two companies sell the same or similar products. A recent Supreme Court decision serves as an important reminder that well-known brands...
A Lawyer’s Duty to Account for Client Funds
Trust is the foundation of the lawyer-client relationship, and nowhere is that trust more consequential than when a client entrusts money to their lawyer for a specific purpose. A recent Supreme Court...
A Higher Threshold for Criminal Complaints: What the New DOJ Rules Mean
Criminal complaints in the Philippines are now subject to a more exacting standard of evaluation, and the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Atty. Hazel L. Meking v. Secretary Jesus Crispin C. R...
Before You Adopt: Important Legal Requirements Prospective Parents Should Know
Adoption is often viewed as a compassionate act, a way to provide a child with a stable and loving home. While the welfare of the child remains the paramount consideration in every adoption case, a re...
When the Mind Is in Question: Understanding the Insanity Defense in Philippine Criminal Law
Criminal liability rests on the assumption that a person acted with full awareness of their actions. When that assumption is called into question by a claim of insanity, the law demands a more careful...
Moving towards accountability and transparency
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued SEC Memorandum Circular No. 18 Series of 2024 which requires public interest entities to disclose the fees paid or payable to their external auditor...
Family Mediation: Promoting Harmonious Solutions (A.M. No. 24-02-06-SC)
The Supreme Court of the Philippines, on 05 November 2024, promulgated the Rule on Family Mediation (A.M. No. 24-02-06-SC), aiming to provide families with a more amicable alternative to resolve dispu...
Illegal recruitment and estafa: one may be acquitted of illegal recruitment, but may still be liable for estafa
The Supreme Court in People of the Philippines vs. Sonia Valle, G.R. No. 235010, 07 August 2024 held that crimes of illegal recruitment and estafa are two different crimes. A conviction for one does n...