Legal Awards 2018

22 APAC / 2018 Legal Awards , From its humble beginnings as a 16-lawyer firm in 1987, Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos (Picazo Law) has become one of the largest and most well-respected law firms in the Philippines. Today, as a full-service firm of about 60 lawyers Picazo Law is now a leader in the Philippine capital markets, banking and finance, and mergers and acquisitions practice. It has also established expertise in the practice areas of real estate and construction; energy and natural resources; gaming, entertainment and hospitality; immigration; intellectual property; labor; litigation; dispute resolution and remedial management; ports, toll ways and other utilities and services; privatization; tax; telecommunications; mass media; and information technology and business process outsourcing. Specifically, within the capital markets space, for which the firm has been awarded, 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, LG180024 Best Corporate & Capital Markets Law Firm 2018 - the Philippines A leader in the Philippine legal industry, PicazoBuycoTanFider&Santos draws on the expertise of its committed team to offer its clients high-quality support across a wide range of practice areas. Having recently recognised the firm in the 2018 APAC Legal Awards, APAC Insider Magazine felt it was time to profile it and offer our readers a fascinating insight into the secrets behind the success of this esteemed legal practice. bond offerings, and hybrid securities issuances of large Philippine corporations, banks and other financial institutions. The firm is retained counsel to many listed companies and actively assist in compliance with reportorial, disclosure and other continuing listing requirements of the PSE and the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). In the corporate law space, the firm 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 SEC, registration of foreign investment with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), processing of pertinent work visas with the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation (BID) and DOLE work permits of expatriate officers and staff, securing business permits and licenses from local government units (LGU), and tax registration with the BIR. Additionally, Picazo Law are experts on a wide range of commercial transactions, such as corporate acquisitions, mergers, joint ventures, capital restructuring, and privatization of government-owned or controlled corporations or assets, as well as various public-private partnership (PPP) projects. The firm is continuously involved in landmark investments, joint ventures, and M&A of major Philippine players and foreign investors in various industries in the country. Believing in the nobility of the legal profession, Picazo Law closely adheres to strict ethical standards anchored on its core values of integrity, excellence, honesty and meritocracy. The firm’s dedicated team are committed and loyal to their valued clients, and the business itself fosters a culture of fairness and equity in the workplace. As such, the practice celebrates individual talent and hard work, rewarding performance and prizing the loyalty of its team. Being based in the APAC region afford practices such as Picazo Law many exciting opportunities to take advantage of as well