Zambrano Gruba Caganda & Advincula > Manila, Philippines > Firm Profile
Zambrano Gruba Caganda & Advincula Offices
27/F 88 CORPORATE CENTER
141 SEDEÑO STREET, SALCEDO VILLAGE
MAKATI CITY 1227
Philippines
Zambrano Gruba Caganda & Advincula > The Legal 500 Rankings
Philippines > Tax Tier 1
The experienced team at Zambrano Gruba Caganda & Advincula represents various local and foreign clients. It is well-regarded for its work on a wide array of contentious and advisory tax matters. Its impressive mix of clients includes an energy corporation, Fortune 500 companies and other financial institutions. Lily Gruba is a key figure who advises multinational companies on effective strategies for tax planning. Gruba also has considerable expertise in handling cases relating to deficiency tax assessments both at the administrative and judicial levels. Antero Caganda is another leading partner in the tax team; Angelo Advincula advises on a broad spectrum of tax matters such as tax assessments; whilst Jorge Alfonso Melo is skilled at advising on both contentious and non-contentious tax matters. Juan Miguel Victor Dela Fuente, Salvador Andrew S. Tugade and Kimberly Joy L. Baraoidan are also recommended.Practice head(s):
Lily Gruba; Antero Caganda; Angelo Advincula; Jorge Alfonso Melo; Juan Miguel Victor dela Fuente; Salvador Andrew S. Tugade; Kimberly Joy L. Baraoidan
Testimonials
‘All the senior partners are very hands-on and involved in the delivery of legal services to the clients. I like that the firm is very personalised.’
‘The senior partner is reachable and available and senior partners are always involved.’
Key clients
Westcon-Comstor
Armed Forces and Police Mutual Benefit Association Inc. (AFPMBAI)
Hotel Enterprises of the Philippines Inc.
The Keepers Holdings Inc.
Philippine Airlines
Work highlights
- Advised Westcon-Comstor, a leading global technology provider and distributor of business technology, in tax assessments valued at $3.15m and $1m through successfully navigating the intricacies and ambiguities regarding the taxation of software distribution and cloud-based subscriptions in the Philippines.
- Secured a favourable settlement for the Armed Forces and Police Mutual Benefit Association Inc., the mutual benefit organisation of the armed forces, through navigating the application of percentage tax on other related revenues arising from insurance-related activities and reducing payments by 98.2%.
- Acted as counsel to The Keepers Holdings Inc., a publicly-listed retail conglomerate, for the backdoor listing via a share-for-share swap transaction and secured a tax-free ruling from the Bureau of Internal Revenue in one of the largest transactions of this nature for the year worth $80.8m.
Philippines > Banking and finance Tier 3
The team at Zambrano Gruba Caganda & Advincula continues to advise several banks on a number of multi-million dollar loans, mainly in relation to financing projects in the energy sector. Other key areas of work include advising on regular and syndicated loans in the banking sector, while the practice also has a strong emphasis on project financing. Lily Gruba has a wealth of experience in this space, and frequently works with both borrowers and lenders on a broad array of banking matters. Antero Jose Caganda is also skilled at handling a broad variety project financing transactions. Likewise, Angelo Patrick Advincula has a particular focus on project financing, while Jorge Alfonso Melo is well versed in disputes.Practice head(s):
Lily Gruba; Antero Jose Caganda; Angelo Patrick Advincula
Other key lawyers:
Key clients
Philippine Bank of Communications
Asia United Bank
Rural Banking Association of the Philippines
Philippines > Corporate and M&A Tier 3
Zambrano Gruba Caganda & Advincula acts for various local and international clients on a wide range of M&A and corporate deals. Lily Gruba is sought after for her work with multinational companies on various tax planning matters. Antero Jose Caganda is also a key figure, along with Angelo Patrick Advincula. Michael Stephen Lao is another notable member of the team. The group is also experienced in advising on foreign investments.Practice head(s):
Lily Gruba; Antero Jose Caganda; Angelo Patrick Advincula
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘From my understanding, they do not take on additional clients just for the sake of having more clients. They ensure that they have enough resources to manage the requirements of new clients without compromising the quality of service they provide their existing clients.’
‘For certain engagements where the client would want to do things differently from what standard industry practice dictates, Atty Gruba would make it a point to listen to what the client needs and finds solutions to help the client achieve what they want.’
‘Atty Gruba does not settle for what is easy… she ensures that what her client asks for is thoroughly considered when recommendations are made.’
‘Antero’s team is very responsive, hard-working, and very customer oriented.’
Key clients
A Philippine energy generation company
A Tung Chingco Manufacturing Corporation
The Keepers Holdings Inc
Work highlights
- Acted as legal counsel in the acquisition and investment of a renewable power generation facility and the entry of a major investor valued at $17.9m.
- Represented A. Tung Chingco Manufacturing Corporation on the sale of its canning and manufacturing assets to a competing sardine company.
- Represented Keepers Holdings Inc in acquiring a 50% stake in a foreign beverage and distillery company and providing guidance on tax implications and deal structuring.
Philippines > Dispute resolution Tier 3
Philippines > TMT Tier 3
A strong choice for virtual asset service providers, Zambrano Gruba Caganda & Advincula regularly assists its clients in obtaining operator of payment licenses. Antero Jose Caganda and Angelo Patrick Advincula are also key members of the team.Other key lawyers:
Key clients
Wise Philippines Inc.
HitPay Payment Solutions Inc.
Magpie Inc.
Several Commodities and Forex Companies
Work highlights
- Assisted Wise Philippines Inc. in acquiring an acknowledgement certificate for a component of the Computerized Accounting system.
- Acquired an Operator of Payment (OPS) license from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the national central bank for the client, HitPay Payment Solutions Inc.
- Advised several commodities and foreign exchange companies in the Philippines on expanding operations in the country.
Zambrano Gruba Caganda & Advincula > Firm Profile
The firm: ZGLaw was founded in 1993 by the late Atty Daisy G Zambrano and Atty Lily K Gruba, who is the firm’s managing partner. In 2002, Atty Antero Jose M Caganda and Atty Angelo Patrick F Advincula were admitted to the partnership. In 2011, Atty Jorge Alfonso C Melo joined the firm as its fourth partner, followed by Atty Juan Miguel Victor C dela Fuente in 2013.
In 2016, the firm name was changed to Zambrano Gruba Caganda & Advincula. The firm continues to grow in size and in its practice fields while keeping its core values of excellence, diligence, innovation and service foremost.
Recently in 2017, ZGLaw agreed to collaborate and enter into a strategic alliance with WongPartnership LLP, one of the top law firms in Singapore and the region, with practices in China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar and the Middle East.
Areas of practice: ZGLaw is a mid-sized, full-service law firm representing and advising various local and foreign clients in the Philippines. In the past years ZGLaw has been consistently recognised by its peers and legal publications as a recommended firm in the following practice areas: taxation, banking and finance, corporate and M&A, dispute resolution.
Taxation: the firm specialises in both litigious and non-litigious matters in taxation. For litigious matters, the firm handles claims for tax refunds or issuance of tax credit certificates, and cases for cancellation of deficiency tax assessments. For non-litigious matters, the firm handles the tax audit process, tax compliance, and reconciliation for and settlement of deficiency tax assessments.
Banking and finance: the firm is regularly consulted by domestic universal and commercial banking institutions on tax, operations, compliance and other related matters. As external counsel, the firm is regularly engaged by its client-banks to document multimillion-dollar loan transactions.
Corporate and M&A: the firm acts as adviser and counsel for businesses setting up offices in the Philippines. It is likewise on retainer by hundreds of companies for corporate housekeeping and regular corporate matters. In M&A, the firm acts as adviser and transaction counsel for multimillion-dollar asset and share acquisition deals.
Dispute resolution: the firm handles civil and criminal litigation before the lower courts, the Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court for its various clients. It likewise participates in arbitration proceedings in local and foreign arbitration tribunals. The firm currently handles numerous tax cases before the Court of Tax Appeals and the Supreme Court.
Main Contacts
Department | Name | Telephone | |
---|---|---|---|
Arbitration | Jorge Alfonso C Melo | ||
Arbitration | Angelo Patrick F Advincula | ||
Banks, banking and finance | Lily K Gruba | ||
Banks, banking and finance | Antero Jose M Caganda | ||
Business and company formation | Antero Jose M Caganda | ||
Business and company formation | Jorge Alfonso C Melo | ||
Constitutional | Joaquin G Bernas | ||
Corporate | Lily K Gruba | ||
Corporate | Antero Jose M Caganda | ||
Energy | Angelo Patrick F Advincula | ||
Foreign investment | Antero Jose M Caganda | ||
Foreign investment | Angelo Patrick F Advincula | ||
Government bidding and tenders | Angelo Patrick F Advincula | ||
Intellectual property | Antero Jose M Caganda | ||
Joint ventures | Antero Jose M Caganda | ||
Joint ventures | Angelo Patrick F Advincula | ||
Labour | Juan Miguel Victor C dela Fuente | ||
Labour | Artemio P Calumpong | ||
Litigation | Jorge Alfonso C Melo | ||
Litigation | Artemio P Calumpong | ||
Mergers, acquisitions and divestitures | Lily K Gruba | ||
Mergers, acquisitions and divestitures | Antero Jose M Caganda | ||
Tax | Lily K Gruba | ||
Tax | Angelo Patrick F Advincula | ||
Tax | Juan Miguel Victor C dela Fuente |
Lawyer Profiles
Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
---|---|---|---|
Mr Angelo Patrick Advincula | Commercial Law, Commercial Litigation and Arbitration, Government Policy, Taxation. | View Profile | |
Mr Antero Jose Caganda | Corporate Law, Tax Advisory, Banking. | View Profile | |
Juan Miguel Victor De La Fuente | Taxation, Corporate Practice. | View Profile | |
Prof Lily Gruba | Commercial Transactions, Banking, Tax, Mergers and Acquisitions. | View Profile | |
Mr Jorge Alfonso Melo | Court Litigation, Dispute Resolution, Special Projects. | View Profile |
Staff Figures
Number of lawyers : 24Languages
English Filipino Fookien MandarinOther
Contacts : Antero Jose M Caganda Contacts : Angelo Patrick F AdvinculaDiversity
As part of the Firm’s Corporate Social Responsibility, the Firm renders legal services to several non-stock non-profit religious institutions. The Firm’s legal services generally comprise legal advisory in all aspects of their day-to-day operations, which includes tax advisory, assistance in securing Certificate of Tax Exemption Rulings from the Philippine Bureau of Internal Revenue, and general corporate work and compliance. Notably, the Firm has been assisting these organizations in successfully defending them in various tax audits conducted by the Philippine Bureau of Internal Revenue.
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