The firm’s lawyers are highly respected by their peers for providing sought after legal guidance to leaders of our nation, captains of industry, and even the common man. All 21 partners, together with the firm’s associates and non-legal personnel, who count among the very best in the profession, are bound by a commitment to deliver the highest quality of service to help the firm’s clients attain success and contribute to nation building.
Together, practicing law as one firm, Cruz Marcelo and Tenefrancia provides unparalleled legal representation in various fields of law as a full-service firm.
Ours is a true partnership of accomplished professionals dedicated to building a legal institution that will carry on the torch of professionalism, meritocracy and mutual respect that transcend individual interests – principles befitting true practitioners of the noble profession of law.
Our core partnership values translate into our governance principles and are both integral to ensuring that our lawyers are able to deliver the highest quality of service to help our clients attain success.
Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia is an enduring legal institution founded on the core values of integrity, professionalism, meritocracy, and mutual respect in providing unparalleled legal representation in various fields of law that extends to the broader context of Philippine Society.
We are committed to consistently deliver the highest quality of effective legal representation that efficiently meets every client’s needs, observing the highest professional standards, through a continuous enhancement and development of expertise, coupled with an understanding of the client and its business, in an environment that fosters creativity, mutual respect, and teamwork.
Our Litigation and Dispute Resolution practice is best known for delivering results in must-win high stakes disputes. Our practice is characterized by Creative solutions, Mastery of the legal terrain, and unwavering Tenacity — from “bare-knuckle” litigation, to coordinated and multi-pronged campaigns that meet the client’s needs.
Beyond providing in-depth legal solutions to complex legal and business issues and transactions that protect and add value to each client’s interests and business objectives, the firm functions to guarantee clients quality and timely service according to their needs.
All these are hinged on the group’s expertise on the nuances of corporate and commercial law, as well as each lawyer’s skill in negotiating and closing deals.
The firm renders comprehensive advice and assistance to both corporations and individuals on Philippine immigration and citizenship laws.
Our lawyers’ in-depth expertise in immigration laws, rules and regulations and extensive experience in appearing before various Philippine governmental agencies involved in the implementation and enforcement of immigration laws allow us to expeditiously secure for our clients the proper Philippine visas and employment permits, such as, but not limited to, Pre-Arranged Employee’s 9(g) Visas, Temporary Visitor’s 9(a) Visas, Special Non-Immigrant 47(a)(2) Visas, Alien Certificate of Registration Identity Cards (ACR I-Cards), Special Work Permits, Provisional Work Permits, and Alien Employment Permits. Where necessary, we also liaise with Philippine embassies and consulates in foreign jurisdictions to assist clients in obtaining the proper visas that will enable them to travel to and work in the Philippines.
The firm also provides timely assistance to foreign individuals in obtaining quota and other types of immigrant visas, retiree’s visas, Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) medical clearances and Emigration Clearance Certificates and also advises and represents clients in downgrading of visa applications, the acquisition, recognition and reacquisition of Philippine citizenship, naturalization proceedings as well as deportation and exclusion proceedings, including the issuance or lifting of hold departure orders and inclusion or deletion from the immigration blacklist.
In this knowledge-based age, the protection, enforcement and commercialization of Intellectual Property rights are indispensable to economic development. Our IP lawyers are best known for their ability to provide excellent and effective legal services covering the full spectrum of IP practice.
Our IP practice includes, but is not limited to, the following:
Our IP Department directly provides value-added services, such as patent drafting and IP litigation, without need of outsourcing work to external consultants or general litigators.
Our lawyers have strong backgrounds in Physics, Chemistry, and Engineering, among others, which qualifications are further sharpened by participating in international courses such as the Patent Surgery Course administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization, the FICPI South East Asian Patent Drafting Course, and the technical courses sponsored by the Japan Patent Office.
Some of our lawyers are registered patent agents after passing the Patent Agent Qualifying Exam jointly administered by the IPO and the European Patent Office in the chemical and non-chemical fields. Our paralegals are likewise technical specialists with backgrounds in Applied Physics, Biology, and Healthcare.
While most Philippine IP firms are mere local agents of foreign applicants, we have taken a more proactive role and assisted local inventors, particularly those from state universities, file their patent applications locally and in other countries. We have also managed patent and trademark application filings in multiple jurisdictions for foreign clients.
Our patent practice is not limited to patent filings. Patent litigation is inevitable in patent protection. In this regard, our Patent Group allows the bridging of technical expertise and legal skills which enables us to formulate effective legal strategies in patent litigation.
Our Labor Law practice covers issues concerning labor standards compliance, labor relations and social legislation.
The lawyers are highly-trained practitioners with wide-ranging experiences in providing legal, practical, efficient and viable solutions to complex labor-related issues and concerns. They offer unparalleled professionalism in giving prompt and quality assistance to our clients’ needs.
Telecommunications and ICT are progressive fields that require market players to keep abreast with the latest developments to remain competitive. With continuously emerging technologies such as value-added services and digital television, the legal landscape of telecommunications and ICT is forever changing.
Through the years, the members of our firm have developed a dynamic and wide-ranging expertise in handling all legal aspects of telecommunications and ICT. Our firm provides clients with legal advice, as well as representation before the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), Department of Transportation and Communication and Congress in applying for and securing licenses, certificates of public convenience and franchises. Our firm also represents clients in litigation before the NTC and the judicial tribunals. Moreover, our mergers and acquisitions experience in the telecommunications industry includes negotiating, structuring and documenting acquisitions of equity in telecommunications entities and of telecommunications assets, such as frequencies, licenses and franchises.
Our firm’s family law practice provides counsel on all aspects of family relations, such as pre-nuptial agreements and property relations, adoption and child custody, annulment of marriage, legal separation, wills and succession planning, and even the most difficult and delicate issues such as paternity disputes and domestic violence.
