Hector M. de Leon, Jr.

Hector M. de Leon, Jr., the Managing Partner of SyCipLaw since 2016, joined the Firm in 1988.

He specializes in corporate and commercial law, with a particular focus on equity investments, mergers, and acquisitions (M&A), project development and finance, and complex commercial transactions.

With extensive experience in corporate transactions, Hector has acted as counsel in numerous joint ventures, strategic alliances, asset sales, stock offerings, and project financings. Collaborating closely with SyCipLaw’s team of lawyers, he has played a pivotal role in some of the largest and most prominent M&A deals in the Philippines, several of which have been recognized as “Deal of the Year” by leading international legal publications.

Beyond M&A, Hector provides guidance to clients on market entry strategies, regulatory compliance, transaction structuring, permitting, and tax matters. He also serves as a director and corporate secretary for several Philippine companies. He also served as a legal officer at the United Nations Compensation Commission in Geneva, Switzerland.

While his practice encompasses various sectors, Hector has developed deep expertise in energy, mining, oil and gas, and infrastructure.

Hector has consistently been recognized for his legal expertise. The Chambers Global Guide 2025 has named him an Eminent Practitioner in Projects, Infrastructure, and Energy, while asialaw’s 2024-25 Leading Lawyers list also acknowledges his contributions to the field. For several years, he has also been ranked in Chambers Asia-Pacific’s Leading Lawyers for Business and The Legal 500: Asia Pacific Guide to Asia’s Commercial Law Firms.

Hector handles pro bono work for foundations and non-governmental organizations. In recognition of his pro bono work, TrustLaw (the global pro bono program administered by Thomson Reuters) awarded him its Lawyer of the Year Award in 2018.

In 2019, he received a Distinguished Alumnus Award (Legal Services) from the University of the Philippines Alumni Association.

He teaches civil law at the Ateneo Law School and the University of the Philippines College of Law. He also served as a bar examiner in civil law during the 2022 Philippine bar examinations.