Our Corporate & Business Law practice assists entrepreneurs and established companies with Philippine regulatory requirements. Whether you are registering a new business, structuring a joint venture, or resolving shareholder disputes, we provide legal guidance based on the Revised Corporation Code and applicable regulations.
Browse our services in this practice area, or contact us to discuss your legal matter.
End-to-end assistance with SEC and DTI registration, including selection of the optimal corporate structure (corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, or One Person Corporation) under the Revised Corporation Code.
Preparation and review of commercial contracts including supply agreements, service contracts, distribution agreements, and memoranda of agreement to protect your business interests.
Advisory on board governance, corporate housekeeping, annual reportorial requirements to the SEC, and compliance with the Revised Corporation Code (RA 11232).
Structuring and documentation of joint venture arrangements and partnership agreements, including profit-sharing mechanisms, management rights, and exit strategies.
Guidance for foreign investors on equity restrictions under the Foreign Investments Act, the Negative List, and compliance with the Anti-Dummy Law (CA 108) and other relevant regulations.
Assistance with local government permits, Mayor's permits, barangay clearances, and compliance with industry-specific regulatory bodies such as the BOI and PEZA.
Resolution of intra-corporate disputes including oppression of minority shareholders, deadlocks, derivative suits, and disputes over corporate control, with representation before the SEC and regular courts.
Comprehensive legal due diligence on target companies covering corporate records, contracts, litigation exposure, regulatory compliance, and title to assets.
Guidance on trademark registration with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL), trade secret protection, and IP licensing arrangements.
Drafting and negotiation of commercial lease contracts for office spaces, retail locations, and industrial properties, ensuring compliance with the Civil Code and the Rent Control Act where applicable.
You share the facts, and we assess the legal landscape. For employees with labor cases, the initial consultation is free. For other matters, consultation fees apply.
We review the relevant facts, applicable law, and documentary evidence to identify the legal options available to you.
We represent you through negotiation, settlement, or litigation as appropriate, keeping you informed of developments throughout the process.
“John Marti and his team are true professionals. Punctual with his appointments and is well versed with the law. He was an asset in our dealings and truly acted with our best interest in mind. His fees were reasonable as well. We will continue to use his services and highly recommend him.”
Joseph G.
via Google
Use these guides and glossary entries to understand the issue before a consultation. They are currently under internal legal review.
A practical guide for founders deciding whether a sole proprietorship, partnership, or corporation better matches ownership, governance, and liability goals before registration begins.
Read the guide →A practical guide for foreign nationals and mixed-nationality families reviewing property, business, and document-planning issues before they commit money or sign key agreements.
Read the guide →DTI registration is the usual registration route for a sole proprietorship operating under a business name. It is different from SEC registration, which is for corporations and partnerships. In practice, the legal question is not simply which office handles the paperwork, but whether the entrepreneur's intended business model, ownership structure, and liability risk fit a sole proprietorship at all. Many businesses outgrow the initial structure quickly because that decision was never analyzed properly.
SEC registration refers to the registration of a corporation or partnership with the Securities and Exchange Commission. It is usually the right route when a business will have multiple owners, share-based ownership, or a more formal governance structure. From a search-intent standpoint, the most valuable explanation is that SEC registration is a structure decision before it is a filing process. The legal and tax consequences of choosing the wrong form can outlast the registration itself.
Articles of incorporation are the core formation document of a corporation. They identify the corporation's name, purpose, principal office, incorporators, capital structure, and other matters required for registration. In practice, problems arise when founders copy a template without aligning the corporate purpose, ownership structure, and capitalization with what the business will actually do after registration. That mismatch can create avoidable compliance and amendment costs later.
A clean title is a practical real-estate term used to describe a title that appears free from liens, adverse claims, annotations, or ownership defects that could interfere with a sale, transfer, or financing. It does not mean a buyer should stop at reading the title itself. Due diligence usually requires checking tax declarations, unpaid taxes, identity documents, authority to sell, possession issues, and the history of the property documents surrounding the transaction.
Related areas of law that complement Corporate & Business.
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