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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Contempt of Court: Balancing Due Process and Judicial Authority
Explore how the Supreme Court balances due process with judicial authority in contempt cases, ensuring fairness and order.
Upholding Integrity: Court Personnel's Duty Against Tampering of Official Records
Supreme Court rules on loafing and case-fixing charges against court personnel, emphasizing integrity and strict observance of official time.
Private Rights vs State Reservations: When Long Possession of Public Land Cannot Ripen Into Ownership
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that unclassified public land cannot be privately owned without positive government act declaring it alienable and disposable.
Co-Ownership Rights Selling Your Share Without Consent Philippines
Can a co-owner be forced to sell their share? The Supreme Court explains Article 493 rights and the remedy of partition.
Loafing in Public Service: Consequences for Neglecting Duty
A Supreme Court ruling explains when unauthorized absences during office hours constitute loafing and the penalties that follow.
Dishonesty in the Workplace: When Company Policies Justify Dismissal in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on falsified daily time records as dishonesty, and when company policies justify dismissal for grave offenses.
Stored Goods Destroyed by Fire: When Negligence Overrides Fortuitous Events
Learn when storage facilities are liable for goods destroyed by fire, and how the Supreme Court applied res ipsa loquitur in ICTSI v. Chua.
Piercing the Corporate Veil: Jurisdiction and the Alter Ego Doctrine in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that piercing the corporate veil requires jurisdiction over the parent company and proof of fraud, not mere ownership.
Voluntary Resignation vs Constructive Dismissal: Balancing Employee Rights and Employer Prerogatives
The Supreme Court clarifies when a resignation is truly voluntary and when employer prerogative justifies dismissal under Philippine labor law.
Business Closure vs Illegal Dismissal: Navigating Employee Rights in the Philippines
When is a resignation forced? Learn how Philippine labor law distinguishes voluntary resignation from illegal dismissal, based on a Supreme Court ruling.
Land Registration Under Section 14(2): The Patrimonial Property Requirement
The Supreme Court clarifies when alienable public land becomes private property subject to acquisition by prescription under PD 1529.
Judge Fined for Gross Misconduct Over Misuse of Seized Firearm Evidence
Supreme Court holds judge liable for gross misconduct for taking custody of a seized firearm and allowing his bodyguard to possess it.
Investment Scams and the Legal Definition of a Salesman Under the Securities Regulation Code
Supreme Court ruling on when an investment consultant becomes a
Mortgage in Good Faith: Banks vs Unregistered Land Sales in the Philippines
When does a bank lose protection as a mortgagee in good faith? The Supreme Court clarifies the rule on unregistered land sales.
Land Conversion and NHA Authority: Security of Tenure vs Public Interest
A Supreme Court ruling on land conversion, NHA resettlement acquisitions, and tenant rights under agrarian reform laws.
Attorney Accountability: Burden of Proof in Disbarment Cases Against Lawyers
Disbarment complaints require clear preponderant evidence, not mere assumptions. The Supreme Court explains the burden of proof in lawyer discipline cases.
Seafarers’ Disability Claims: Abandoning Treatment and the POEA-SEC Rules
Explore the Supreme Court ruling on seafarers' disability claims, emphasizing the POEA-SEC requirements and the consequences of abandoning treatment.
Quieting Title Over Public Land: Why Ownership Rights Are Required
The Supreme Court clarifies that an action to quiet title fails without legal or equitable ownership, especially over public land.
Reinstatement to the Bar: Moral Turpitude and the Test of Genuine Repentance
A disbarred lawyer sought readmission after 15 years. The Supreme Court denied it, showing that remorse must be proven by conduct, not words.
Presumption of Regularity in Disbarment Cases Against Public Prosecutors
Supreme Court clarifies that lawyers face disbarment only on clear evidence, not mere allegations of misconduct.
Judicial Accountability: Dismissal for Undue Delay and False Certifications
A Philippine Supreme Court ruling shows judges can be dismissed for gross inefficiency and dishonesty over delayed cases and false certificates of service.
Due Process and Technicalities: When Courts Must Decide Cases on the Merits
The Supreme Court reminds courts that procedural rules serve justice, not defeat it, in this ruling on late appeals and verification requirements.
Relaxing Procedural Rules in the Interest of Justice: Filing Deadlines and Verification Requirements in Philip
The Supreme Court clarifies when courts may relax filing deadlines and verification rules, emphasizing substantial justice over technicalities.
Breach of Duty, Misuse of Judiciary Funds, and the Consequences for Court Personnel
A Supreme Court ruling shows how clerks of court who delay remitting judiciary funds face serious administrative liability, even if they later pay the amounts back.