Former partners from SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan have left the firm to establish a new full-service law firm in the Philippines.
The new firm, Morales Justiniano Pena & Lumagui, is jointly formed by managing partner Rafael Morales alongside partners Jose Justiniano, Emmanuel Peña, Romeo Lumagui Jr and Franco Noel Manaig.
The new setup will focus on several practice areas including investments and M&A, intellectual property, commercial law and corporate services, litigation and dispute resolution, employment and immigration, special projects and tax law as well as banking, finance and securities law.
SyCip is ranked in tier 1 at IFLR1000 across practice areas including banking, energy and infrastructure, project finance, capital markets, M&A and restructuring and insolvency. It is expected to vote for its new managing partner in May.
Rafael Morales is also cited as a leading lawyer in IFLR1000 with expertise in capital markets, banking and M&A.