Ara Patrice P. Rillera

Ara Patrice P. Rillera is a member of the Firm’s Corporate Services, Special Projects, Intellectual Property, and Employment and Immigration departments.

She has worked on various intellectual property (IP) and employment matters, and has assisted clients with incorporation and post-incorporation corporate compliance. She has also worked on mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in several industries, including those involving investment companies, business process outsourcing companies, and fintech companies.

Ara’s experience in IP includes assisting in intellectual property registration within and outside the Philippines, review and registration of franchise agreements and technology transfer agreements, and in drafting of contracts and agreements to preserve and protect proprietary information and clients’ rights in certain inventions and works and other related IP rights.

Her M&A experience involves conducting due diligence on and documentation of M&A of various companies, including: a multi-million-peso beauty and cosmetics company, a convenience store franchise chain, various nationwide a private express and/or messenger delivery service operators, international hospitality casual dining and coffeehouse chains, and various non-bank BSP-supervised financial institutions, among others.

Ara has also assisted with incorporation, post-incorporation compliance, and corporate housekeeping of companies across various industries, including distributorship, retail, property holding, manufacturing, business process outsourcing, and information technology, among others. She also advises clients on general regulatory requirements and assists on various corporate transactions.

As a member of the Employment and Immigration department, Ara regularly provides advice and assistance to local and international clients on various employment-related issues, such as labor standards compliance, restructuring and reorganization, employment contracts, policies and handbooks, data privacy, industrial relations, and administrative disciplinary proceedings. She has assisted in drafting and reviewing contracts relating to labor and employment, such as employment contracts, secondhand agreements, independent contracting agreements, and non-disclosure agreements. In addition, Ara assists clients on immigration work, direct hiring, and overseas deployment matters.