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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Overt Acts and Intent: Understanding Attempted Rape Convictions in the Philippines
The Supreme Court explains when acts amount to attempted rape and when they only constitute light coercion.
Retrenchment in Philippine Labor Law: When Cost-Cutting Becomes Illegal Dismissal
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies the strict requirements for valid retrenchment and redundancy, and the consequences of bad-faith dismissals.
Retrenchment Requisites Philippine Supreme Court Upholds Employee Rights Against Unsubstantiated Loss Claims
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies retrenchment requisites, ruling that employers must prove actual losses with evidence, not mere allegations.
Intent to Kill: How Philippine Courts Determine Attempted and Frustrated Homicide
Learn how Philippine courts distinguish attempted from frustrated homicide through intent to kill, based on a 2006 Supreme Court ruling.
Is Your Job Transfer a Demotion? Understanding Constructive Dismissal in the Philippines
Learn when a job transfer becomes constructive dismissal in the Philippines, the legal tests, and what remedies employees can claim.
Reconveyance and Implied Trust: When Fraudulent Titles Must Yield to Actual Possession
A Supreme Court ruling on reconveyance, implied trust, and why actual possession can defeat fraudulently obtained Torrens titles.
Bound by Your Lawyer's Mistakes: Client Responsibility in Philippine Courts
A Supreme Court ruling on reconveyance, implied trusts, and why clients are bound by their counsel's procedural lapses.
Freeport vs Customs Territory: Navigating Importation Laws in Philippine Economic Zones
Supreme Court ruling on EO 156 clarifies that importation bans in customs territory do not automatically apply inside the Subic Bay Freeport.
Defining the Boundaries of Rape When Contact Does Not Constitute Penetration
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when sexual contact without penetration constitutes rape, examining the legal definition and elements of the crime.
Regular vs Casual Employment in the Philippines: Key Protections for Long-Term Workers
The Supreme Court clarifies when a worker becomes regular under Article 280, protecting long-term employees from dismissal without just cause.
Client Bound by Lawyer's Negligence: Finality of Judgments in Philippine Courts
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on how clients are bound by their counsel's actions, finality of judgments, and limits of certiorari.
Immediate Deposit Rule for Court Clerks: Accountability Despite Full Restitution
Court clerks must deposit judiciary funds immediately. Restitution does not erase administrative liability, as this Philippine Supreme Court ruling shows.
Torrens Title Indefeasibility: Why Land Registration Must Be Timely and Accurate in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court explains why a Torrens title cannot be collaterally attacked and why land registration must be timely and accurate.
Corporate Autonomy and Employee Benefits: The PPA Hazard Pay and Birthday Gift Case
The Supreme Court clarifies when government-owned corporations can grant employee benefits, using the PPA hazard pay and birthday cash gift case.
Validity of Adoption in Estate Settlement: Why a Decree Stands Until Annulled
A valid adoption decree cannot be attacked collaterally in estate proceedings. Learn the rule from Reyes v. Sotero.
Strict Liability and the Comelec Gun Ban: Why Ignorance of the Law Is No Excuse
The Supreme Court explains why carrying a firearm during an election period without a permit is a strict liability offense under COMELEC Resolution No. 2323.
Permanent vs Temporary Appointments: Security of Tenure in Philippine Civil Service
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies when a "permanent" appointment is actually temporary, and what it means for security of tenure in government service.
Unveiling Implied Trust: How Purchase Money Defines Property Rights in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court explains purchase money resulting trust under Article 1448, Civil Code, and its effect on donations of property.
Res Judicata in Philippine Property Disputes: Preventing Endless Litigation
When can a co-owner file ejectment alone? The Supreme Court clarifies Article 487 and the rules on indispensable parties.
Compromise Agreements: Who Is Actually Bound by a Settlement?
A compromise agreement binds only its signatories. Learn how the Supreme Court protected a co-maker not named in the settlement.
Arraignment Delays and Your Right to Speedy Trial in the Philippines
When repeated postponements of arraignment violate the constitutional right to speedy trial, dismissal of the case and release may be warranted.
Breach of Trust: When a Donation Fails Because the Donor Was Only a Trustee
A donor cannot give away property that belongs to another. The Supreme Court explains implied trusts and void donations in Comilang v. Burcena.
When Two Lawsuits Overlap: Litis Pendentia and the Peril of Splitting One Dispute
The Supreme Court explains when a second lawsuit over the same dispute must be dismissed, even without forum shopping.
Judicial Efficiency: A Judge's Duty to Expedite Case Resolution and Avoid Undue Delay
The Supreme Court reminds judges of their duty to expedite proceedings, ruling that prolonged arraignment delays violate the constitutional right to speedy trial.