Legal insights and guides

• Demand Letter in the Philippines: When You Need One, Sample & Next Steps: Owed money or dealing with a broken contract? Why a written demand usually comes first, what it must say, a sample you can adapt, and what happens if the other side ignores it.
• Retrenchment and Redundancy in the Philippines: Employer's Legal Checklist (2026): Planning to cut positions? The legal requirements for retrenchment and redundancy under Article 298, the 30-day notices, separation pay, and the mistakes that lead to illegal dismissal cases.
• Shareholders' Agreement in the Philippines: What to Include and Why It Matters: Starting a company with partners or investors? What a shareholders' agreement does that your articles and by-laws do not, the clauses that prevent disputes, and when to sign one.
• Business Registration in the Philippines: 2026 Guide (DTI, OPC, BIR): Sole proprietorship, One Person Corporation, or regular corporation? The steps, government fees, and timelines for each — from DTI or SEC to your BIR Certificate of Registration.
• How Much Does Annulment Cost in the Philippines?: A realistic, itemised breakdown of every cost in a Philippine annulment or nullity case — and the factors that push the total higher.
• How to File for Annulment in the Philippines: Step by Step: The grounds, the court that hears your case, the stages from petition to decree, and the PSA annotation that finally closes it.
• Legal Separation, Annulment, Nullity or Divorce: Which One Applies?: Four different remedies, four different outcomes. Here is which one fits your situation and what each actually changes.
• Estate Tax and Settling an Estate in the Philippines: The 6% rate, the one-year deadline, the deductions that shrink the bill, and the difference between extrajudicial and judicial settlement.
• Transferring Land Title After a Death in the Philippines: From the deed of settlement to the new title and tax declaration: every office you visit, in order, with the documents each one wants.
• Filing a Labor Complaint in the Philippines: SEnA and the NLRC: The mandatory SEnA conference, the NLRC complaint, what you can claim, and the deadlines that quietly end cases before they start.
• Small Claims Cases in the Philippines: How to File Without a Lawyer: Owed money and tired of waiting? Small claims is a one-hearing, no-lawyer procedure with a decision in 24 hours. Here is exactly how it works.
• Separation Pay and Redundancy in the Philippines: Who Gets Paid and How Much: Redundancy, retrenchment and closure each carry a different rate. Here is the formula, the notice the employer owes, and when separation pay is not due at all.
• Can a Foreigner Buy Property in the Philippines? What You Can and Cannot Own: Condominiums yes, land no, long leases yes — with limits. The constitutional rule, the 40% condo cap, and the routes former Filipinos can use.
• Last Will or No Will: How an Estate Is Divided in the Philippines: Philippine law reserves a fixed share for close family whether or not there is a will. Here is who inherits what, and what makes a will valid.
• VAT or Percentage Tax: What Philippine Small Businesses Must Register For: Cross ₱3 million in sales and you become a VAT taxpayer. Here is the threshold, the rates, the 8% shortcut, and the filing calendar.
• Cyber Libel and Online Offences in the Philippines: What Counts and How to File: A defamatory post carries a heavier penalty than the same words in print. Here is what the law requires, and how a complaint is actually built.
• Child Custody and Support in the Philippines: How Courts Decide: Custody follows the best interests of the child, and support follows the parent's means and the child's needs. Here is how both are decided in practice.
• Final Pay in the Philippines: What Employers Must Release and When: Final pay must be released within 30 days from separation. Here is what it includes, what can be deducted, and when the certificate of employment is due.
• Annual SEC and BIR Compliance for Philippine Corporations: Most corporate penalties come from missed routine filings, not disputes. Here is the annual SEC and BIR calendar every Philippine corporation should run on.
• How to Register a Corporation in the Philippines (2026 Guide): What SEC registration actually costs, how many weeks it takes, and the exact documents you need — from name reservation through your first GIS.
• The Twin-Notice Rule: Terminating Employees Lawfully in the Philippines: Skip the second notice and you may owe back wages for years. Here is the full twin-notice rule process, requirements, and notice templates Philippine employers must follow.
• Philippine Data Privacy Act Compliance: A Checklist for SMEs: If you process personal data, the NPC expects more than a privacy notice on your website. Here is what compliance actually looks like.
• Annulment vs Declaration of Nullity in the Philippines: Which Applies?: These two remedies are often confused, but they apply to different situations and produce different outcomes. Here is the distinction.
• Responding to a BIR Final Assessment Notice: Deadlines That Decide Cases: A FAN sets a 30-day clock that, if missed, makes the assessment final and executory. Here is what to do the moment one arrives.