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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Finality vs Justice: Reconciling Immutability of Judgments With Equitable Labor Standards
The Supreme Court clarifies when a final judgment can be reconsidered, balancing the doctrine of immutability with the rights of illegally dismissed employees.
Adultery IN THE Workplace Upholding Moral Standards FOR Public Servants
Breach of Trust: Upholding Employers' Right to Terminate Managerial Employees in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when employers may validly terminate managerial employees for breach of trust, examining the legal standards and evidentiary requirements.
Loss of Trust and Confidence: When Can Philippine Employers Dismiss Managerial Employees?
The Supreme Court in Manese v. Jollibee clarifies the less stringent standard for dismissing managerial employees for loss of trust and confidence.
School Discipline and Due Process: Balancing Rights in Fraternity Membership Cases
The Supreme Court clarifies due process standards in student discipline, affirming schools' authority to penalize fraternity membership.
Upholding Due Process in Administrative Cases: The Standard of Substantial Evidence
The Supreme Court clarifies that administrative liability requires substantial evidence of wrongdoing, not mere presumption or opportunity to commit an offense.
Balancing Security and Liberty: Substantial Evidence in Amparo and Habeas Data Cases
The Supreme Court clarifies the evidentiary standard for amparo and habeas data petitions, balancing national security concerns with individual liberty.
Safeguarding Electoral Independence When Collaboration Challenges Constitutional Boundaries
The Supreme Court upholds the constitutionality of the joint DOJ-Comelec investigation of election fraud in the 2004 and 2007 polls.
Judicial Misconduct Gross Ignorance OF LAW AND Partiality Undermine Fair Trial Standards
Dismissal for Dishonesty: Upholding Public Trust in the Philippine Legal Profession
A lawyer's misuse of client funds and notarizing without commission leads to one-year suspension, reaffirming high ethical standards for Philippine attorneys.
Probationary Employment: When Employers Can Terminate for Failure to Meet Standards
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when employers may validly terminate probationary employees for failing reasonable standards, including chronic tardiness.
Disbarment for Conflicting Interests and Bribery: Upholding Ethical Standards in the Legal Profession
A prosecutor's disbarment for representing conflicting interests and bribery conviction underscores the high ethical standards required of lawyers.
Civil Liability Survives Acquittal: Understanding the Limits of Reasonable Doubt in Philippine Law
An acquittal in a criminal case does not automatically erase civil liability. Learn how Philippine courts apply different standards of proof.
Landowners' Appeal from Agrarian Court Rulings: Deadlines and Proper Venue
Learn the proper appeal route and deadlines for agrarian valuation cases from the Supreme Court's ruling in Plopenio v. DAR.
Defining Agrarian Disputes When Land Ownership Claims Fall Outside DARAB Jurisdiction
The Supreme Court clarifies that ownership disputes over land, absent tenurial arrangements, are not agrarian disputes and belong to regular courts.
Electoral Jurisdiction: When COMELEC’s Authority Ends and HRET Begins
The Supreme Court clarifies the boundary between COMELEC and HRET jurisdiction over election disputes involving proclaimed congressmen.
Contempt and Corporate Audits: The Boundaries of Court Orders and Stockholder Rights
The Supreme Court clarifies when court-ordered corporate audits and contempt citations stand—and when they become moot.
Annulment of Judgment: The High Bar for Overturning Final Decisions in the Philippines
Philippine courts rarely overturn final convictions. This case explains the strict standards for credibility, treachery, and finality of judgments.
Labor-Only Contracting: When the Principal Employer Faces Solidary Liability
The Supreme Court clarifies when a principal employer becomes solidarily liable for the claims of workers hired through a labor-only contractor.
Limits of Obedience: When Can a Clerk of Court Be Held Liable for Dereliction of Duty
Explore when a clerk of court faces administrative liability for dereliction of duty, including the limits of obedience to superiors and the standard of diligence required.
Just Compensation for Transmission Lines: Full Market Value, Not Easement Fees
Explaining NAPOCOR v. Saludares on just compensation for transmission line easements—full market value, no prescription, and valuation timing.
Guardianship and Competency: Defining the Boundaries of Legal Protection
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when a person is legally This requires proof of actual incapacity, not mere difficulty or poor judgment.
Probationary Employment: Employers Must Inform Employees of Regularization Standards
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on probationary employment: employers must inform employees of regularization standards at the time of engagement.
Attorney Disbarment in the Philippines: When Client Trust Is Betrayed
The Supreme Court disbarred a lawyer who mortgaged and sold a client's property using a forged power of attorney, underscoring the high ethical standards required of Philippine attorneys.