About SyCipLaw Law Firm
A top-tier full-service law firm in the Philippines
SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan (SyCipLaw) is a leading full-service law firm, with experience and deep expertise across a wide range of industries. Our long history of service and unparalleled tradition of firsts are founded on the Firm’s values of integrity, excellence, solidarity and stewardship.
SyCipLaw is one of the largest law firms in the Philippines. The Firm has offices in Makati City, the country’s business and financial center, as well as in Cebu City, Davao City, and the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.
We offer a broad and integrated range of legal services, covering the following fields:
Within this structure, we have specialists in key practice areas such as energy, power, infrastructure, natural resources, transportation, mergers and acquisitions, government contracts, real estate, insurance, international arbitration, mediation, media, business process outsourcing, and technology.
Vision, Mission & Values
Our Vision
Building on eighty years of leadership, SyCipLaw aspires to be the counsel of choice in the Philippines for local and international clients, delivering principled counsel and top-tier service with excellence, integrity, and meaningful impact across communities and borders.
1. Forward-Looking
2. Counsel of Choice
3. Principled Counsel
4. Top-Tier Service
5. Meaningful Impact
Our Mission
We provide principled legal counsel and top-tier service to local and international clients, guided by integrity, professionalism, and the depth of our full-service expertise.
We cultivate a culture of excellence, collaboration, and strategic thinking.
We operate responsibly to serve our clients, empower our people, and contribute to progress across communities and borders.
Our mission is supported by our commitment to, and our success is measured by, client satisfaction, talent engagement, operational excellence, and social impact.
Our Core Values
To achieve our vision and mission, our behaviors and actions are guided by our established core values:
Integrity
Excellence
Solidarity
Stewardship
Foresight
Our Story
1945-1954
Alexander SyCip and Norberto Quisumbing founded the Firm in 1945, in the wake of World War II, in the garage of a wooden house on Reina Regente Street in Binondo, Manila. It was a brave and bold move for the two young men, in a country ravaged by the occupation. It mirrored a hope and belief that the Philippines would survive the devastation of war, and that the law would be as important as commerce, infrastructure, and aid to rebuild the country. Later on, the Firm transferred to its home for the next 20 years, the Trade and Commerce Building on Juan Luna Street, Manila.
When his friend and partner, Alex SyCip, passed away in 1975, Luciano Salazar became the Firm’s managing partner, guiding the Firm through some of the more difficult years of the country’s history. Shortly before his retirement in 1984, he was appointed to the Agrava Commission, the panel tasked by government to investigate the 1983 assassination of Ninoy Aquino.
1955-1964
As a succession of Presidents – from Magsaysay to Macapagal – sought to forge a path for a decade-old republic, the Firm’s own path was taking shape. The years had brought to the Juan Luna address a cadre of lawyers whose standards for the practice of law significantly raised the bar for their colleagues in the Firm and in the profession. By example and training, they established a core of values for the Firm, and they did it so successfully that those values still resonate with SyCip lawyers today.
Juan Luces Luna and Fidel Manalo were the princes of the Firm’s litigation group and during this time, many landmark cases handled by the Firm were built on theories that had been principally developed by them. Such cases were the Marsman Proxy Fight, were the Firm participated in the battle for the legal control of Marsman & Company, the first such controversy in the annals of Philippine law. Another landmark case handled by the Firm during this time was the Gan Tsitung Case where Luna argued the application of the doctrine of prospective overruling that then had yet to be articulated by Philippine courts. The Supreme Court adopted the principle in its ruling on the case.
Florentino Feliciano was a research assistant and lecturer in Yale University, and had already established a name in international law for himself, when Alex SyCip asked him to join the Firm in 1960. Feliciano, who eventually became the firm’s managing partner, withdrew from the partnership in 1986 upon his appointment to the Philippines’ highest tribunal. After his retirement as an Associate Justice, he was appointed to the Appellate Body of thew World Trade Organization based in Geneva. Feliciano is credited for developing the firm’s cross-border practice, with foreign clients that retained the firm on the strength of his reputation. His capacity for hard work and long hours, and his almost legendary insistence on legal work of “the highest quality, promptitude, and efficiency” are now said to be the classic hallmarks of the SyCip lawyer.
Benildo Hernandez joined the firm in the same year as Feliciano. His field was labor management relations, and would head the labor practice group before co-managing the Firm in the mid ‘80s with Andres Gatmaitan. After he retired in 1988, Hernandez served as the Commissioner of the Social Security System. He also became an active member of the International Organizations of Employers, and was the Employer Vice-Chairman of the Committee on Apartheid of the International Labor Conference.
1965-1974
The measure of the Firm was taken in the years that led to the declaration of Martial Law. The development programs initiated by Ferdinand Marcos, Sr., and the complexity of Philippine-US economic relations at that time, presented unique opportunities and challenges for local businesses and foreign investor. Towards the end of the decade, the turbulent political climate tested every Filipino. In many ways, the key features of the Firm’s present practice find their antecedents in this period.
It was during this period that the Firm transferred to The Far East Bank Building along Buendia, making it the Firm’s first Makati address. There was also a significant growth in referrals from foreign companies which also signaled the beginning of the Firm’s largely cross-border finance practice.
The Firm worked hard to grow its labor practice, and eventually a labor department separate from the litigation practice group was formed. SyCipLaw’s commercial practice would hybridize its labor lawyers (as it did its litigators). In the following decades, their role in many of the Firm’s major corporate transactions, especially investments and reorganizations, would be as important as that of the Firm’s M&A lawyers, and their work has resulted in landmark cases on the impact of labor issues on corporate restructuring.
SyCipLaw also admitted its first female partner during this time, when Carolina Griño-Aquino was admitted to the partnership in 1968. Today, 20 out of 40 partners, and 49% of the entire legal staff are female. While stereotypes have long been abandoned, women lawyers of the Firm remain pretty tough.
1975-1984
The country experienced an economic surge in the period between the mid- ‘70s to the early ‘80s, spurred by the government’s industrialization program, and its plan to establish Manila as an international financial center. The Firm’s burgeoning commercial practice began to ripen into specific areas of expertise such as construction and infrastructure, banking and finance, and intellectual property. In 1979, the government sought to shift the focus of Philippine industrialization to heavy industry by prioritizing projects in certain areas such as petrochemicals, and nuclear power. During this time, the Firm assisted in drafting and negotiating the contracts for many of the Industry Priority Projects, as they were called. More importantly, the Firm formulated certain base requirements for all bids, including and principally, that they must be on a turn-key basis. This and other requirements formed what since then has become the basic model for all government infrastructure contracts.
In July 7, 1977 the Firm’s main office moved in to its present-day office at 105 Paseo de Roxas, Makati City. During this period, the Firm also opened a branch in Cebu City, realizing that the bustling businesses headquartered in that region required faster response and localized knowledge. In the following years, the Firm would open two more branches, one in Davao City and another in Subic Bay Freeport.
The establishment of the Philippine offshore banking system and the funding requirements of the industrialization boom in the country created a need for top flight legal advice. The Firm stepped into the breach, quickly expertising in banking regulation and handling most of the Eurodollar loans being extended in the late ‘70s. In 1983, the banking, finance and securities group was established under Angelito Imperio. Since then, the Firm’s BFS group essentially has defined the banking and finance practice in the Philippines.
The Firm had a trademark and patent practice for some years, but it was only in 1980 when Llewellyn Llanillo joined the practice group and took the helm that it began to build up steam. In just five years, the intellectual property department was making its mark, and today is one of the strongest practice areas of the Firm.
1985-1994
A wish for interesting time was fulfilled in the events of the decade: the EDSA revolution and the deposing of the Marcos Government, the struggles of the Aquino Administration and then that of Ramos to bring the Philippine economy back on track. Highs and lows of investor confidence followed the heels of bankruptcies. And even as new areas of practice opened up for the Firm, there were few legal blueprints for the Firm to follow. As a result, and perhaps more than any time in its history up to that period, the Firm had to innovate and pioneer, producing one “first” after another.
Some of SyCipLaw’s “firsts”:
1985-2005
Each decade since the Firm’s founding had witnessed some turmoil, had been visited by some agent of change. The past 10 years, punctuated by the Asian Crisis, 9/11, and the political riptides closer to home, are no exception. But the real storm that blew through that period was the one gathering since the ‘60s: Globalization – of business, of legal and financial systems, of crises, of the explosion of technology and information. And the partnership was ready for it. The Firm had long become what SyCip, in a 1968 lecture at the University of the Philippines, had referred to as an institutional law firm, with a sterling international reputation.
During this period, the Firm has structured the first local financing transaction principally secured with a space satellite (Aguila II). This was also the period when the Firm handled the first Philippine case of “cyber-squatting” (PLDT, Inc. vs Philippine League for Democratic Telecommunications) which tests the right of leading Philippine companies to challenge the use by third parties of their business names as domain names.
The Firm also acted as counsel on several major, privately financed infrastructure projects, many of which are the first of their kind – the Skyway elevated toll system, the Manila North Tollway, and the LRT 3 light rail mass transit system (MRT). SyCipLaw has shepherded many of the major foreign and local investments in priority development areas such as telecommunications, water, and new energy resources.
The international arbitration practice of the Firm has gained significant ground and our experts now sit alongside others from international firms.
The Firm’s practice truly crossed borders when the lawyers of the Firm began to advise non-Philippine parties on non-Philippine projects governed by foreign law. The Firm has exported its legal expertise in project work to countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, China, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.
In 2005, the Firm’s 60th anniversary, Andres Gatmaitan was the sitting managing partner. A wunderkind, he was an outstanding scholar and student leader. He went to Yale University for further studies, where he obtained his LL.M and the degree of Doctor of Juridical Science just before he turned 24, the youngest to receive the distinction. He repeated the feat when he became the youngest managing partner in 1986. In leading his partners, whom he likes to refer to as the “best and the brightest”, he has relied on a steely grace and a quiet resolve.
2005-present
At the year-end meeting of the partners in 1981, Florentino Feliciano, then the Firm’s managing partner, stated that among the Firm’s many responsibilities is a duty “to society, to assist in the task of social and economic development and the richest production of human values and their widest sharing.” The Firm aspires to maintain a continuing and meaningful commitment to this task.
The Firm partners with the Integrated Bar of the Philippines and the Philippine Bar Association in providing free legal aid. The Firm also provides support for the policy and legislative work of government organizations.
The Firm has also adopted its own sustainability policy. Under the latter, the Firm seeks to, among others, assist in the task of social and economic development by practicing law in the best traditions of the profession, and to assist the Firm’s clients in their own quest for sustainability.
The past years have brought SyCipLaw from a garage in a wooden house in Binondo to modern offices in the heart of the financial district, from a partnership of two lawyers to an institution with over a hundred, from a small, struggling practice to the most established and diverse in the country. But while the membership and practice of the Firm have changed a great deal in the course of close to eight decades, its ethic and aspirations have remained the same. They find their makings in the boldness and vision of the Firm’s founders, in the remarkable contributions of generations of lawyers to a collective body of work, in their resilient and creative spirit in the face of challenge or crisis.
Then, as now, SyCipLaw’s ethic has impelled its members to practice the law in the best way, mindful of the requirements of the profession and a lawyer’s overarching duty to his clients, the courts, and to society. As it heads into new history, the Firm continuously pursues and reaffirms its commitment to the ethic and aspirations that have defines it, and to its traditions of integrity and excellence.
Quality Policy
SyCipLaw is committed to delivering principled, high-quality legal services that enhance client satisfaction.
Taking into account the Firm’s purpose, context, and strategic direction, this Quality Policy supports SyCipLaw’s commitment to sustain its tradition of excellence in legal service built over eight decades of practice.
SyCipLaw maintains a Quality Management System aligned with applicable ISO 9001 requirements and is committed to:
1. Delivering effective, timely, reliable, and responsive legal services that enhance client satisfaction;
2. Meeting applicable requirements;
3. Engaging and developing our people as essential contributors to quality;
4. Continually improving the effectiveness of our Quality Management System;
5. Setting and reviewing measurable quality objectives consistent with this Policy and the Firm’s strategic direction.
Leadership fosters a culture of quality throughout the Firm. Every member of SyCipLaw is responsible for the quality of their work and for contributing to the effectiveness of the Quality Management System.
This Policy provides the framework for setting and reviewing the Firm’s quality objectives. It is communicated, understood, and applied throughout the Firm; made available to relevant interested parties, as appropriate; and reviewed periodically to ensure its continuing suitability, adequacy, and effectiveness.
Recognition and Awards
Some rankings and awards include:
2026
SyCipLaw was recognized as the Philippine Firm of the Year as well as the Client Choice Awardee at the Benchmark Litigation Asia Pacific Awards 2026 (inaugural live awards) ceremony held on July 2, 2026, in Beijing, China. The Philippine Firm of the Year recognition marks SyCipLaw’s fourth win in the category, the Firm having previously […]
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SyCipLaw has been named Philippine Law Firm of the Year at the Chambers Asia Pacific and Greater China Region Honours 2026, marking the Firm’s seventh consecutive win and 12th overall award since the distinction was established in 2012.
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SyCipLaw won the Philippine Law Firm of the Year Award in the Legal 500 Southeast Asia Awards 2026. The Firm took home the same award in 2023 and was cited as the Antitrust & Competition Team of the Year in 2020.
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SyCipLaw maintained its Band 1 rankings in the Chambers Global 2026 guide for the following practice areas: Banking & Finance, Corporate/M&A, and Projects, Infrastructure & Energy. The Firm also retained its Spotlight ranking in Banking & Finance: Capital Markets.
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Global research publication WTR1000 has given SyCipLaw a Gold ranking in the 2026 edition of its directory, a ranking the Firm has held since 2021. The WTR1000 research focuses on legal trademark expertise.
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SyCipLaw has been ranked Tier 1 in all practice areas covered by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2026. The Firm is the only Philippine law firm to achieve Tier 1 rankings across all categories in this year’s guide.
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SyCipLaw has been recognized as a Tier 1 firm in Tax Controversy in the recently released 2026 edition of the International Tax Review (ITR) World Tax directory. Additionally, the Firm earned a Tier 3 ranking in general corporate tax, which encompasses all tax advisory matters not specifically categorized in a jurisdiction. The Firm has retained […]
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Chambers and Partners, one of the leading and most trusted legal directories, released its Chambers Asia Pacific 2026 Guide. SyCipLaw maintains its Band 1 rankings in the practice areas covered by the guide.
Read More2025
SyCipLaw received the Country Award for the Philippines at the Lexology Index Awards 2025 (formerly known as the Who’s Who Legal Awards). The Firm has been given this recognition since 2022.
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IFLR1000 recently published its 2025 rankings, recognizing SyCipLaw as a Tier 1 firm in these practice areas: Banking, Capital markets: Equity, Project development, Restructuring and insolvency, M&A, and Project finance.
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SyCipLaw was named Philippine Law Firm of the Year at the asialaw Awards 2025 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, marking the fourth time the Firm has received the award (it was also cited in 2020, 2022, and 2023).
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SyCipLaw maintains its “Outstanding” rankings across all industry sector and practice area categories covered by the asialaw 2025 research.
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SyCipLaw has been recognized as a Tier 1 firm in Tax Controversy in the recently released 2025 edition of the International Tax Review (ITR) World Tax directory. Additionally, the Firm earned a Tier 3 ranking in general corporate tax, which encompasses all tax advisory matters not specifically categorized in a jurisdiction. The Firm has retained […]
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SyCipLaw has been awarded Philippine Law Firm of the Year for the sixth straight year in the Chambers Asia Pacific and Greater China Region Awards 2025. This also marks the Firm’s eleventh win for the same award since 2012.
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SyCipLaw maintained its Tier 1 ranking for Trademark work.
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SyCipLaw has been recognized as a Tier 1 Firm in the following practice areas covered by AsiaIP’s 2025 rankings: Copyright, Patent contentious, Patent prosecution, Trademark contentious, Trademark prosecution.
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SyCipLaw maintained its top-tier rankings in all the categories covered by the Benchmark Litigation Asia Pacific 2025 guide.
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SyCipLaw has been named the Philippine Law Firm of the Year at this year’s IFLR Asia-Pacific Awards, marking its eighth such recognition since the awards were established in 2013. Winners were announced at a gala ceremony held on April 16, 2025 in Hong Kong.
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SyCipLaw maintained its Band 1 rankings in the Chambers Global 2025 guide for the following practice areas: Banking & Finance, Corporate/M&A, and Projects, Infrastructure & Energy. The Firm also retained its Spotlight ranking in Banking & Finance: Capital Markets.
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Global research publication WTR1000 has given SyCipLaw a Gold ranking in the 2025 edition of its directory, a ranking the Firm has held since 2021. The WTR1000 search focuses on legal trademark expertise.
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SyCipLaw retained its Tier 1 rankings in 11 of the practice areas in the 2025 research edition of The Legal 500 Asia Pacific. These practice areas are: Antitrust and Competition, Banking and Finance, Corporate and M&A, Dispute Resolution, Intellectual Property, Labour and Employment, Projects and Energy, Real Estate and Construction, Tax, Technology, Media, Telecoms (TMT), […]
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Chambers and Partners recently released its latest Chambers Asia Pacific 2025 Guide, one of the leading and most trusted legal directories globally. SyCipLaw continues to be a Band 1 Firm in the practice areas covered by the guide.
Read More2024
SyCipLaw received the Country Award for the Philippines at the Lexology Index Awards 2024 (formerly known as the Who’s Who Legal Awards). The Firm has been given this recognition since 2022.
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IFLR1000 recently published its 2024 rankings, recognizing SyCipLaw as a Tier 1 firm in these practice areas: Banking, Capital markets: Equity, Project development, Restructuring and insolvency, M&A, and Project finance.
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SyCipLaw is cited “Outstanding” in all industry sector and practice area categories covered by the 2024 asialaw research. SyCipLaw is the only law firm in the Philippines to attain this distinguished ranking across the board.
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SyCipLaw retained its Tier 1 ranking for its patent work in the recently released Managing IP’s IP Stars 2024 patent rankings. IP STARS ranked more than 850 firms across 51 jurisdictions for this practice area. In May 2024, IP STARS released the firm rankings for trademark practice and practitioner rankings. SyCipLaw was ranked Tier 1 […]
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Tier 1 Firm, Asian Legal Business (ALB) IP Rankings 2024
Gold Ranking, IAM Patent 1000, 2024
SyCipLaw has been awarded Philippine Law Firm of the Year for the fifth straight year in the Chambers Asia Pacific and Greater China Region Awards 2024. This also marks the firm’s tenth win for the same award since 2012.
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SyCipLaw was named Regional Law Firm of the Year in this year’s TrustLaw Awards. The awards celebrate the remarkable pro bono work undertaken by legal teams with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and social enterprises around the world to drive positive change.
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SyCipLaw has been named Philippine Firm of the Year in the Benchmark Litigation Asia Pacific Awards 2024. The firm received the same award in 2021 and 2023. Winners were announced online on May 21.
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SyCipLaw retained its top-tier rankings in the practice areas covered by the Benchmark Litigation Asia Pacific 2024 guide.
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SyCipLaw has been recognized as a Tier 1 firm in Tax Controversy in the recently released 2025 edition of the International Tax Review (ITR) World Tax directory. Additionally, the Firm earned a Tier 3 ranking in general corporate tax, which encompasses all tax advisory matters not specifically categorized in a jurisdiction.
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Global research publication WTR1000 has given SyCipLaw a Gold ranking in the 2024 edition of its directory. The firm enjoyed the same ranking in 2023.
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SyCipLaw retained its Band 1 rankings in the Chambers Global Guide 2024 for the following practice areas: Banking & Finance, Corporate/M&A, and Projects, Infrastructure & Energy. The firm also maintained its Spotlight ranking in Banking & Finance: Capital Markets.
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SyCipLaw retained its top-tier rankings in 12 of the practice areas in the 2024 research edition of The Legal 500 Asia Pacific. These practice areas are: Antitrust and Competition; Aviation; Banking and Finance; Corporate and M&A; Dispute Resolution; Intellectual Property; Labour and Employment; Projects and Energy; Real Estate and Construction; Shipping; Tax; and Technology, Media, Telecoms (TMT).
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SyCipLaw retains its stellar rankings in the Chambers Asia Pacific 2024 Guide, one of the most trusted guides to legal professionals in the region. It continues to be a Band 1 firm in all areas subject of regular rankings.
Read More2023
WTR1000, a leading global research directory focused on trademark practitioners, has given SyCipLaw a Gold ranking in the 2023 edition of the directory. The firm enjoyed the same ranking in 2022.
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Tier 1 Firm, Asia IP Informed Analysis 2023
Gold Ranking, IAM Patent 1000, 2023
Tier 1 Firm, Asian Legal Business (ALB) IP Rankings 2023
SyCipLaw reaffirmed its excellent reputation in Intellectual Property Law for being acknowledged as a Tier 1 law firm for trademark work in Managing IP’s IP Stars 2023 guide.
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Tier 1 Firm, ITR World Tax 2023
SyCipLaw has retained its top-tier rankings in all the categories covered by the research: Commercial and transactions, Intellectual property, and Labor and employment
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IFLR1000 has named 11 SyCipLaw lawyers in the latest edition of its annual “Leading Lawyers” list, a ranking of Philippine lawyers in the financial and corporate practice areas. In addition to the individual rankings, SyCipLaw retained its overall top-tier firm ranking this year.
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SyCipLaw was ranked “Outstanding” in all industry sector and practice area categories covered by the 2023/24 asialaw research, the only Philippine firm able to do so.
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SyCipLaw scored the most top practice rankings for Philippine firms in the recently announced 2023 research edition of The Legal 500 Asia Pacific.
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SyCipLaw maintained its Band 1 rankings in the recently launched 2023 Chambers Global Guide for the following practice areas: Banking & Finance, Corporate/M&A, and Projects, Infrastructure & Energy.
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SyCipLaw maintained its Band 1 rankings in the recently launched 2023 Chambers Asia Pacific Guide for the following practice areas covered by the guide.
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National Firm of the Year: Philippines, IFLR Asia Pacific Awards 2023
SyCipLaw was named the Philippine Intellectual Property (IP) Firm of the Year at the recent Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) and World Trademark Review (WTR) Global IP Awards 2023 held in London, United Kingdom.
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SyCipLaw has been awarded the 2023 Philippine Law Firm for Trademarks at the 14th annual Asia IP Awards held at the historic CHIJMES in Singapore on November 2.
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SyCipLaw was recognized as the “Philippine Firm of the Year” at the Managing IP Asia Pacific Awards 2023 held on July 5, 2023, at the JW Marriott Hotel in Hong Kong.
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SyCipLaw was awarded “Philippine Law Firm of the Year” and partner Carlos Roberto Z. Lopez was named “Philippine Lawyer of the Year” at the 2023 Benchmark Litigation Asia Pacific Awards.
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SyCipLaw has once again been awarded the Philippine Law Firm of the Year at the asialaw Awards 2023/24 held recently at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.
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SyCipLaw took home the Philippine Law Firm of the Year Award at The Legal 500 Southeast Asia Awards 2023, which was held at The Pan Pacific in Singapore on May 11, 2023.
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SyCipLaw has once again been awarded the Philippine Law Firm of the Year at the Chambers Asia Pacific & Greater China Region Awards 2023.
Read More2022
SyCipLaw earned outstanding rankings in Chambers Global 2022, an international guide to the top law firms and lawyers in the world.
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SyCipLaw has been recognized again for its first-rate taxation practice, winning two awards including “Philippine Tax Firm of the Year” at the International Tax Review (ITR) Asia Pacific Tax Awards 2022 held virtually on August 25, 2022.
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SyCipLaw was cited recently in Asia Business Law Journal’s (ABLJ) Philippine Law Awards 2022, having been named Overall Philippine Law Firm of the Year.
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SyCipLaw was named Philippine Law Firm of the Year at the 2022 International Financial Law Review (IFLR) Asia-Pacific Awards, presented in a recent virtual awarding ceremony.
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SyCipLaw was awarded Philippine Law Firm of the Year at the recent asialaw Awards 2022/23 held virtually.
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SyCipLaw is honored to have won Philippine Law Firm of the Year at the Chambers Asia Pacific & Greater China Region Awards 2022, which took place virtually on April 7, 2022.
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SyCipLaw is the Philippine law firm that received the most number of “Tier 1” rankings for 2022 in The Legal 500 Asia-Pacific.
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SyCipLaw has been ranked “Outstanding”, the highest possible recognition, by asialaw in its 2022 rankings for Philippine law firms.
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Top Tier Firm, IFLR1000 Rankings 2022
SyCipLaw retains its Top Tier rankings in this year’s Benchmark Litigation Asia Pacific guide.
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Top Tier Firm, IP Stars from Managing IP 2022
SyCipLaw has received Tier 1 rankings in “Patents” and “Copyrights/Trademarks” categories in the Philippines on Thomson Reuters’ Asian Legal Business (ALB) IP Rankings for 2022.
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Gold Ranking, WTR 1000 2022
Gold Ranking, IAM Patent 1000, 2022
Tier 1 Firm, Asia IP Informed Analysis 2022
2021
Philippine Law Firm of the Year, Chambers Asia Pacific & Greater China Region Awards 2021
SyCipLaw has been recognized as Philippine Tax Firm of the Year in the International Tax Review (ITR) Asia Tax Awards 2021.
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Philippine Firm of the Year, Benchmark Litigation Asia Pacific Awards 2021
SyCipLaw is among the leading law firms across the globe ranked by Chambers and Partners Asia Pacific Rankings 2021. The firm received a “Band 1” ranking in 10 practice areas, making SyCipLaw the only law firm in the Philippines with the greatest number of “Band 1” rankings.
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Band 1 Firm, Chambers Global Rankings 2021
SyCipLaw was ranked top tier level in all the relevant practice areas by the Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2021 ranking, the only Philippine law firm able to do so.
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Outstanding Firm, asialaw Rankings 2021
Top Tier Firm, IFLR1000 Rankings 2021
Top Tier Firm, Benchmark Litigation Rankings 2021
Top Tier Firm, IP Stars from Managing IP 2021
Gold Ranking, WTR 1000 2021
Gold Ranking, IAM Patent 1000, 2021
Tier 1 Firm, Asian Legal Business (ALB) IP Rankings 2021
2020
Philippine Firm of the Year, Chambers Asia Pacific Awards 2020
Ranked as Band 1 Firm, Chambers Asia Pacific Rankings 2020
Top Tier Firm, The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2020
Top Tier Firm, IFLR1000 2020
2019
Band 1 Firm, Chambers Asia Pacific 2019
Top Tier Firm, IFLR1000 2019
Collaboration Award, TrustLaw Awards 2019
Philippine Firm of the Year 2019, In-House Community
Philippine Law Firm of the Year, ABLJ Philippine Law Firm Awards 2019
Best Overall Law Firm of the Year, ABLJ Philippine Law Firm Awards 2019
2018
IP Stars Tier 1 Firm 2018, Managing Intellectual Property
Band 1 Firm, Chambers Asia Pacific 2018
Philippine Law Firm of the Year, Chambers Asia Pacific Awards 2018
2017
Philippine Law Firm of the Year, IFLR Asia Awards 2017
Philippine Law Firm of the Year, Who’s Who Legal Awards 2017
Philippine Law Firm of the Year, ALB Philippine Law Awards 2017
Philippine Law Firm of the Year, asialaw Asia Pacific Legal Practice Awards 2017
Most Responsive Domestic Law Firm, Asian-mena Counsel Firms of the Year 2017
Departments
SyCipLaw’s Banking, Finance and Securities group has been consistently recognized by the financial and business community as the Philippine leader in this practice. It is a mainstay in country surveys as a top choice for local counsel. We represent and advise most of the major banks and in all types of financing transactions and regulatory matters. We have established solid partnerships with them—assisting foreign institutions in establishing local branches, conducting regular legal audits of bank forms and systems, and providing advice on day-to-day operations, as well as significant deals.
Department Head Melyjane G. Bertillo-Ancheta mgbertillo@syciplaw.comSyCipLaw provides a full range of services for corporates. We help clients structure their investments, and establish and maintain corporate vehicles suitable to the unique elements of each commercial venture. We also help clients adapt and reorganize, guiding them through changes in laws and regulations, or as their business plans and objectives evolve. We advise our corporate clients on, and help them manage, compliance and good governance. In this connection, lawyers of our Firm are able to serve as corporate secretaries, assisting the client in managing director and stockholder meetings, share issuances and transfers, record keeping, and complying with reporting requirements imposed by such agencies as the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Board of Investments, Philippine Economic Zone Authority, and the Philippine Stock Exchange. We have the experience and systems for servicing special types of corporates such as public companies, companies possessing secondary licenses or registrations, and non-stock non-profit corporations including educational institutions and foundations.
Department Head Benedicto P. Panigbatan bppanigbatan@syciplaw.comSyCipLaw’s Employment & Immigration department represents clients in compulsory and voluntary arbitrations as well as in adversarial and non-adversarial labor proceedings before labor agencies and the courts. It handles conflicts between labor and management, including strike disputes, mass action controversies, unfair labor practice cases and terminations of employment, both as part of the employee disciplinary process and as a direct result of corporate restructuring, dissolutions and plant closures. We have successfully assisted clients in satisfactorily concluding collective bargaining negotiations and manpower reorganizations involving strategic retrenchment, down-sizing and right-sizing. Our services include labor audits, due diligence and the preparation and review of company policies, personnel manuals, rules and regulations. We also provide lectures and seminars on employment law and labor relations to senior executives and personnel managers in top corporations. For our clients with expatriate staff, we provide professional advice and assistance in the procurement and renewal of the proper visas and work permits.
Department Head Leslie C. Dy lcdy@syciplaw.comSyCipLaw’s Intellectual Property (IP) practice is the largest in the country in terms of client base and range of services offered. These include basic rights protection, such as trademark, copyright, patent and product registration. We help clients administer and maintain their property rights on an ongoing basis through established systems and the support of highly-trained staff. We have expertise in licensing, technology transfers and similarly-focused business transactions. We assist our clients in navigating the legal issues and concerns that have arisen with developments in science and technology, e-commerce and Internet-based transactions law, and have the experience and capabilities to continue providing them with responsive and creative support. Our IP practice has been cited in leading international surveys as a first choice for IPR counseling and as one of the leading IP firms in the Philippines. We are consistently ranked as a Band 1/Tier 1 Firm for our trademark and patent prosecution work, as well as for our trademark, copyright and patent contentious work.
Department Head Anthony W. Dee awdee@syciplaw.comSyCipLaw has a wide-ranging litigation practice in virtually all court levels — from the municipal trial courts and the regional trial courts, to the Sandiganbayan, the Court of Tax Appeals, the Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court, as well as in numerous administrative agencies. The Firm also has a very extensive arbitration practice, being involved in foreign arbitration, international commercial arbitration, domestic arbitration, and construction arbitration. We have over the years handled the most significant, high-value, and complex Philippine commercial law court cases and arbitration, a number of them against or with the Philippine Government.
Department Head Carlos Roberto Z. Lopez crzlopez@syciplaw.comSyCipLaw’s Special Projects Group undertakes the Firm’s project and transactional work, which constitutes the firm’s traditional focus and largest practice area. This includes M&A, privatization, power and energy, mining and natural resources, environmental law, infrastructure, construction, real estate and property development, telecommunications, aviation, shipping, and transportation. Our collective experience covers a broad field. We acted in the sale of the largest US private investment in the Philippines and for bidders for the principal assets sold under the government’s privatization program, including the Philippine flag carrier and the national oil company. We acted for the developer of the country’s first build-operate-and-transfer power station and for the proponents of plants now constituting over 90% of privately-installed capacity. We continue to advise on nationality laws and regulatory and industry issues, including in mining, telecommunications, gaming, and pharmaceuticals, and assist in the construction and development of industrial plants, light industry parks, office buildings and residential condominiums, tollways, and light-rail systems. Our partners have been involved in the purchase, lease, and chartering of aircraft and vessels and many aspects of international trade, including importation and countertrade. Several of our partners act as advisers to boards of major companies, including listed corporations, and provide counsel on a wide range of industry and business issues, including, in the case of family-owned enterprises, wealth conservation and business succession.
Department Head Rose Marie M. King-Dominguez rmmking@syciplaw.comSyCipLaw’s tax department provides the entire range of tax services, from advising on and structuring the tax aspects of corporate transactions to administrative and judicial litigation in relation to tax refunds and defending clients against assessments for both national taxes and customs duties and local taxes. To a great extent, we draw our work from the extensive client base of our firm and assist our corporate departments in the tax aspects of their multi-varied transactions. We would like to think that we are more effective as tax lawyers because of familiarity with corporate transactions. A significant part of our practice in recent years has been defending our corporate clients in the power sector from large real property tax assessments issued by local governments. We also assist our corporate clients in obtaining rulings and with compliance requirements.
Department Head Carina C. Laforteza cclaforteza@syciplaw.comRepresentative List of Clients
Sustainability and ESG Practice
SyCipLaw’s sustainability and environmental, social and governance (ESG) practice is rooted in our commitment to create a positive difference to our clients, the community and the country. Because of our vast experience in practically every aspect of corporate and commercial law, we are well-placed to respond to, and assist clients on various trends in legal practice emerging from ESG and sustainability concerns worldwide.
Our experience in the power sector includes development, financing, construction, acquisition, and sale of various types of renewable energy projects, from solar to wind, hydro and geothermal. Our involvement in sustainable finance includes work in both debt capital markets (i.e., issuances of green and social bonds) and financing for sustainable development-related projects such as microfinance, agriculture and clean water. Our M&A practice includes advising impact investors on various aspects of investing in the Philippines. We have also advised on the tax implications of carbon trading and the taxation of non-profits.
We contribute regularly to studies and publications on the environment, human rights, and access issues. We have acted either as counsel or corporate secretary to social enterprises or non-profit organizations engaged in health care, affordable housing, environmental protection, among others.
SyCipLaw is constantly exposed to sustainable development-related concerns through its pro bono project undertaken through past and present partnerships with TrustLaw (the pro bono arm of the Thomson Reuters Foundation), the Innovation for Social Impact Partnership and Justice Without Borders. This project was awarded Powered by Pro Bono Award at the 2022 TrustLaw Awards. This award highlights how non-government organizations or social enterprises can benefit from pro bono legal advice to scale up their operations, improve the delivery of their social mission or pivot their activities to make a greater impact on the business and people they support.
SyCipLaw also contributed an article on implementing law firm pro bono programs in the Philippines, authored by Managing Partner Hector M. de Leon, Jr. and Partner Ma. Patricia B. Paz-Jacoba.
In 2024, we were named Regional Law Firm of the Year by TrustLaw’s annual awards.
Internally, SyCipLaw promotes ESG through responsible business practices, as demonstrated by the following, among others:
