When it comes to the dynamic economies of Southeast Asia, the Philippines is among the most dynamic and resilient. The country boasts of a young, well-educated and largely English-speaking populace, which has helped it secure a position as an important destination for outsourcing work for many of the world’s top economies. In-flows from foreign direct investment has set records in recent years, and economic growth has remained strong. 

With this attractive investment background, the Philippines has an increasing need for quality legal advice. Many of the country’s top firms have accelerated their growth in recent years, and its courtrooms and conference rooms are bulging with a mixture of seasoned partners and eager young associates.  

As with the rest of the Asia Pacific region, today’s clients are seeking better value for their money and are watching the performance of their legal service providers more closely than ever. 

In order to understand better what clients need today, Asia IP asked a large number of professionals – mostly in-house counsel and corporate legal managers – what they were looking for from their legal service providers. From their answers, we have compiled our list of 40 Philippines IP Experts, those lawyers who understand just what their clients need and are able to provide them with the best practical advice.  

Today’s clients are looking for more than just a degree from a top-notch university and a couple of decades of practice. In order to be an outstanding provider of intellectual property advice, a lawyer must also be capable of understanding how intellectual property impacts the rest of his client’s business, and be able to provide practical, real-world, business-savvy advice. She must be able to provide sound advice on the current law, but also needs to be able to understand coming trends which are likely to impact her client’s business. 

Unlike days past when she might have played just a bit role, today’s IP Expert is every bit a full-fledged team member. 

The country’s best-known law firms are well-represented by lawyers on our Top 40 list.  

The following firms each had two lawyers named to the list: Baranda & Associates (Edmund Baranda and Claire Corral); Castillo Laman Tan Pantaleon & San Jose (Ray Anthony O. Pinoy and Noel Laman); Esguerra & Blanco (Carlos Paulo Villaruz and Ramon Esguerra); Poblador Bautista & Reyes (Gilbert Reyes and Brigitte da Costa-Villaluz); Sapalo Velez Bundang & Bulilan (Ingacio S. Sapalo and Neptali Bulilan); SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan (Vida M. Panganiban-Alindogan and Enrique T. Manuel); and Villaraza & Angangco (Bienvenido Somera Jr. and Katrina Doble). Bengzon Negre Untalan had three lawyers on the list (Anthony D. Bengzon, Ferdinand Negre and Michael Untalan), as did Betita Cabilao Casuela Sarmiento (Andre Philippe G Betita, Pericles Jose Conrado R Casuela and Ronna Echavez); Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia (Susan Villanueva, Divina Gracia E. Pedron and Patricia A.O. Bunye) and Quisumbing Torres (Bienvenido Marquez III, Reena Mitra-Ventanilla and Divina Ilas-Panganiban). 

Angara Abello Concepcion Regala & Cruz Law Offices, also known as ACCRALAW, landed five lawyers in our Top 40: Richmond Lee, Aleli Angela G. Quirino, Alex Ferdinand Fider, Jose Eduardo T Genilo and Victor N De Leon. 

Most of the lawyers named to our list have multiple practice specialties. Many of them are litigators, while others concentrate on prosecution work or provide strategic advice.  

All of them have something in common: they are experts in their fields and, in one way or another, they provide extra value for their clients. They are Asia IP’s Philippines IP Experts. 

The Philippines’ IP Experts is based solely on independent editorial research conducted by Asia IP. As part of this project, we turned to thousands of in-house counsel in the Philippines, Asia and elsewhere and around the world, as well as Philippines-focused partners at international law firms, and asked them to nominate private-practice lawyers including foreign legal consultants, advisers and counsel.  

The final list reflects the nominations received combined with the input of editorial team at Asia IP, which has more than 40 years of collective experience in researching and understanding Malaysia’s legal market. 

All private practice intellectual property lawyers in the Philippines were eligible for inclusion in the nominations process; there were no fees or any other requirements for inclusion in the process. 

The names of our 40 IP Experts are published here. Each IP Expert was given the opportunity to include their biography and contact details in print and on our website, for which a fee was charged.