AREAS OF PRACTICE
Mergers & Acquisitions
M&A is a top specialization of the Firm and its lawyers.
Founding partner, Elmer B. Serrano, is known for his role in the consolidation and shaping of the country’s banking and financial sector, having advised on the merger of Equitable Banking Corporation and the then behemoth PCI Bank, and later, what turned out to be the largest banking M&A transaction of its time – the Equitable-PCI Bank and Banco de Oro merger – creating what is today the biggest bank in the Philippines, BDO Unibank, Inc. (BDO). Over more than two decades, Atty. Serrano has been instrumental in the successful completion of one of merger or consolidation each year in the banking sector.
The Firm’s lawyers also have extensive experience in handling complex acquisitions, and are regularly tapped by publicly-listed companies in their acquisitions and strategic divestments of equity interests in subsidiaries and affiliates.
Banking and Finance
Banking and Finance is an industry and practice area specialization of the Firm. The unique combination of lawyer profiles and client roster of the Firm sets it apart from other leading Firms in the Philippines. All the Firm’s lawyers have from the start of their legal careers been very involved in the banking sector. The Firm’s lawyers, over the years, have acted as counsel to numerous local and international banks, for some of the most significant loan transactions in the country.
Capital Markets
The Firm’s lawyers have extensive experience in securities law and capital markets and have advised on some of the most notable equity and debt issuances and public offerings in recent years.
Real Estate and Construction
The Firm boasts a roster of leading real estate companies, not only in the Philippines but in the region, as clients. They also handle private partnership projects for the development and operation of commercial mixed-use projects and regularly advise on the acquisition of coveted landholding or leasehold rights in some of the prime spots in the country. The Firm’s lawyers were also counsel to power companies, real estate developers and have advised on multi-billion credit facilities used for the funding of projects.
Technology, Media and Telecommunications
The Firm advises companies in the tech industry, with clients including a leading provider of integrated electronic payment processing solutions in the banking and finance industry, an emerging SOC and cybersecurity service provider, and the country’s sole designated payment system management body.
With extensive experience spanning across practice areas, the Firm has been tapped to handle investments in the telecommunications industry - advising on every stage of transactions. The Firm also assists fintech companies in securing licenses from the BSP.
The Firm’s lawyers also regularly advise on Data Privacy, providing guidance to DPOs in the banking and finance sectors among others. Their intellectual property expertise also complement legal practice in the media industry. They are also adept at preparing and reviewing data sharing agreements, outsourcing contracts, software and API licensing agreements, master service agreements and the like.
Intellectual Property
The Firm’s lawyers have extensive experience in the trademark registration and inter partes proceedings with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines. They regularly advise clients on trademarks and other intellectual properties in the course of handling deals and transactions. The Firm also advise clients in the media and entertainment industry on IP rights protection.
This emerging practice of the Firm already gained international recognition, having been ranked as a Leading Firm in IP by a leading publication.
Project Finance and Project Development
The Firm regularly advise clients on projects and acquisition financing, drawing from their expertise and experience in the specialty areas of M&A and Banking and Finance.The Firm’s lawyers are also adept at public private partnership projects as an offshoot of their expertise in fields of corporate law.
Antitrust and Competition
The Firm’s lawyers have been at the forefront as they saw the inception and evolution of competition law in the country. The Firm’s M&A lawyers are true practitioners of Competition Law, specifically Merger Control. The Firm’s lawyers have represented clients in all stages of Philippine Competition Commission merger control processes – from pre-notification consultations, Phase 1 and Phase 2 review, and even voluntary commitment negotiations.
Restructuring and Insolvency
TThe Firm handles a broad range of undertakings from debt restructuring, corporate restructuring to insolvency proceedings. As leading experts in the field and industry of Banking and Finance, lawyers of the Firm are also the counsel of choice to some of the most notable restructuring transactions in recent years.
