From its humble beginnings as a 16-lawyer firm in 1987, Picazo Law has become one of the largest and most well-respected law firms in the Philippines.
Full-service Firm
Now a full-service firm of some 60 lawyers, Picazo Law has established expertise in the practice areas of: banking and finance; capital markets; energy and natural resources; estate planning; gaming, entertainment and hospitality; immigration; intellectual property (IP); labor; litigation, other dispute resolution and remedial management; mergers and acquisitions (M&A); ports, tollways and other utilities and services; privatization; real estate and construction; tax; telecommunications, mass media, information and communications technology, and business process outsourcing.
Banking and Finance
Picazo Law acts as counsel for many banks and leading financial institutions in the Philippines. Picazo Law is proud of its expertise in negotiations and documentation for various loan and financing transactions, including syndicated loans, project finance, corporate notes and bonds, whether as counsel for the banks or for the issuers or borrowers. Many of these transactions involve top tier Philippine companies, and the biggest Philippine and foreign banks as well as multilateral lending institutions and sovereign guarantee and export credit agencies. Some of these transactions have received awards and citations locally and internationally.
Business Services
Picazo Law provides legal services necessary to establish and do business in the Philippines, and ensure compliance with all legal conditions and regulatory requirements. These include incorporation of the appropriate investment vehicles with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), registration of foreign investment with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), processing of pertinent work visas with the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and work permits of expatriate officers and staff from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), securing business permits and licenses from local government units (LGUs), and tax registration with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR). Picazo Law also provides corporate secretary services to thousands of Philippine corporations and branches of select multinational companies. Picazo Law actively assists clients (listed companies, public companies and companies holding secondary licenses) comply with the reportorial, disclosure and other continuing listing requirements of the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and other government agencies.
Capital Markets
Picazo Law has actively participated in initial public offerings (IPOs) of the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE). It has also handled various securities transactions, including rights offerings, follow-on offerings, top-up offerings, bond offerings, and hybrid securities issuances of large Philippine corporations, banks and other financial institutions. Picazo Law is retained counsel to many listed companies and actively assist in compliance with reportorial, disclosure and other continuing listing requirements of the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Energy and Natural Resources
Picazo Law is counsel to power (traditional and renewable) and oil companies. Picazo Law is also counsel to several mining companies and is involved in their mining and exploration projects not just in the Philippines, but also in different parts of the world.
Estate Planning
Picazo Law advises on estate planning for individual clients and for officers of its client companies, and on the establishment of trusts.
Gaming, Entertainment and Hospitality Industry
Picazo Law was counsel to Bloomberry Resorts and Hotels Inc. from the time it applied for and acquired its provisional license from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), to the construction of its integrated entertainment facilities, and the start-up and operation of its Solaire Resort and Casino.
Immigration
Picazo Law also handles immigration as it aids its clients in securing visas from the Bureau of Immigration (BI), work permits from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) clearances.
Intellectual Property (IP)
The intellectual property practice of Picazo Law includes intellectual property registration, assignment, licensing, protection and enforcement.
Labor
Picazo Law advises clients on a host of labor concerns and handle labor cases before the Labor Arbiters and the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) involving various matters, such as unfair labor practices, labor standard cases and money claims both for management and employees. It assists clients establish employment policies, compensation packages, organizational structures and labor manuals that provide for terms and conditions in accord with law. Picazo Law has a solid track record in handling collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiations and labor relations conflicts, including strikes and lockouts.
Litigation, Other Dispute Resolution and Remedial Management
Picazo Law handles various kinds of litigation and dispute resolution matters such as civil, commercial, rehabilitation, insolvency, administrative, criminal, arbitration, including construction arbitration, mediation and special proceedings, settlements of estates and family law. Picazo Law appears in all courts, quasi-judicial and administrative agencies, and other fora in the Philippines. The practice also includes matters affecting personal rights and family interests, such as those pertaining to civil status, property relations and family law issues. Picazo Law also assists clients in formulating and implementing remedial management strategies.
Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A)
Picazo Law is an expert on a wide range of commercial transactions, such as corporate acquisitions, mergers, joint ventures and capital restructuring. Picazo Law is continuously involved in landmark investments, joint ventures, and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) of major Philippine players and foreign investors in various industries in the country.
Ports, Tollways and Other Utilities and Services
Picazo Law has been counsel to the International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) in negotiation and implementation of its contract for the development and operation of the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT). Picazo Law has gained valuable experience in dealing with the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) and other regulators. Picazo Law have also assisted Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC) and its subsidiaries in their various toll road projects in the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia. MPTC now accounts for, in the aggregate, the longest toll road network, for a Philippine company.
Picazo Law has served as counsel to various participants and bidders in many privatization projects involving government securities and assets. Picazo Law also has expertise in build-operate-transfer (BOT) and public-private partnership (PPP) projects in, among others, energy and power, utilities and services.
Real Estate and Construction
Picazo Law provided counselling for various real estate projects, ranging from the tallest commercial building to the tallest residential condominium building, the biggest low-cost housing developer, the largest Philippine real estate transaction - The Fort Bonifacio privatization, and modernization of the biggest regional airport in the Philippines, also the first successful airport privatization project.
Tax
The tax practice of Picazo Law covers all areas of tax planning and tax counselling, including estate planning and tax litigation. Picazo Law has secured landmark resolutions of issues involving the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), such as the case involving capital gains realized from the sale of listed shares done outside the stock exchange.
Telecommunications, Mass Media, Information and Communications Technology, and Business Process Outsourcing
Picazo Law is counsel for major telecommunications companies PLDT and SMART, and several information and communications technology companies, including system/software developers, value-added service providers, business process outsourcing, and internet service providers.