The Legal 500

Within Banking and finance, Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos is a second tier firm,

Name partner Antonio Picazo of Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos has a strong reputation, and the team is experienced in transactional, regulatory, project finance, as well as export credit and guarantees. The firm represents an impressive range of clients, including Banco de Oro, Citibank, HSBC, ING Bank, UBS, BNP Paribas Investments, Goldman Sachs and Sun Life Insurance. Estrelita Gacutan and Adelina Gatdula are praised for their ‘known expertise and competence in the field’.

Within Capital markets, Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos is a second tier firm,

Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos is active in both debt and equity capital markets work and often advises the Philippine SEC on the development of new rules. Gabriel Dee, Cynthia dela Paz and Cristina Palma Gil-Fernandez are recommended.

Within Corporate and M&A, Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos is a second tier firm,

Established in 1987, Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos has a strong foothold in the Philippine corporate market and is regularly instructed on joint ventures, privatisations, restructurings and M&A, as well as day-to-day commercial advice. Clients include ABC Development Corp, Petron Corp, Mitsubishi, San Miguel, Toyota Motors, Kirin Brewery and Pilipinas Shell Petroleum. Name partner Antonio Picazo is recommended.

Within Dispute resolution, tier 5

Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos has a good track record in commercial disputes, and name partners Silverio Benny Tan and Purisimo Buyco are both active on this front.

Within Employment, Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos is a third tier firm,

Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos is highly experienced in contentious and non-contentious matters, and regularly negotiates on behalf of clients with trade unions and the Department of Labour. Purisimo Buyco heads the team.

Within Immigration, Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos is a second tier firm,

Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos is experienced in a broad range of immigration matters, including securing visas, clearances and work permits.

Within Intellectual property Other recommended firms

Within Legal market overview,

There have been few changes to the legal market since 2010, and the country’s three largest full-service firms, Angara Abello Concepcion Regala & Cruz Law Offices (ACCRALAW), Romulo and SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan, continue to dominate most areas of the market. Baker & McKenzie affiliate Quisumbing Torres is also gaining an increased market share, while slightly smaller firms, such as Castillo Laman Tan Pantaleon & San Jose and Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos, are seen as very good alternatives to the big three, especially among foreign firms who need to refer work. Several major international firms have dedicated Philippines desks, typically working out of offices in Singapore and Hong Kong. A review of these can be found in the Foreign Firms table.

Within Projects and energy, Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos is a second tier firm,

Gemma Santos and Cristina Palma Gil-Fernandez are among the key partners at Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos. The firm acts for several major energy and mining companies, including Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp, Petron, Manila Electric Company and Phoenix Petroleum.

Within Real estate and construction, Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos is a first tier firm,

Cynthia dela Paz heads the quality team at Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos, which is regularly involved in major real estate acquisitions, developments, leases and dispositions.

Within TMT, Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos is a second tier firm,

Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos has a good reputation for its work in the telecoms and media sectors, with major clients such as Philippine Long Distance Telephone, ABC Development Corp and Radio Veritas. Alex Erlito Fider is recommended.

Within Tax Other recommended firms