Associates
Francis’ practice areas include litigation and dispute resolution, including commercial arbitration, taxation and general corporate matters.
Francis obtained his undergraduate degree in Legal Management, Minor in History, from Ateneo de Manila University in 2014. He graduated from De La Salle University College of Law in 2021 and was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 2022.
Prior to joining C&G Law, Francis worked as a Senior Associate at Sycip, Gorres, Velayo & Co., working in the International Tax and Transaction Services group, where he handled tax due diligence work relating to international mergers & acquisitions, as well as tax advisory work (i.e. tax treaty relief applications, tax compromises, and corporate structuring).
In law school, Francis competed in various moot arbitration competitions. He competed in the 2019 and 2020 FDI Arbitration Moot Competition. In the 2019 edition, Francis ranked in the Top 30 Advocates in the Asia-Pacific region, and was later ranked 22nd best advocate at the Global Rounds; he would repeat this in the Global Rounds in the 2020 edition. Following this, he also coached his university’s teams in the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot and the FDI Arbitration Moot Competition. Upon his graduation, he was honored with DLSU-COL’s “Most Outstanding Mooter” award. In October 2022, he won the 2nd Runner Up Prize in the HKIAC’s HK45 Essay Writing Competition, writing on the topic of arbitration in the blockchain ecosystem.
Qualifications
- De La Salle University College of Law, Juris Doctor (Class of 2021); Ateneo de Manila University, Bachelor of Science in Legal Management, Minor in History (Class of 2014).
- Admitted to the Philippine Bar in 2022.
Experience
Francis has assisted in a range of matters, including:
- Rending legal opinions and advisories on general corporate law, tax, energy, and regulatory matters;
- Conducting due diligence in mergers & acquisitions; and,
- Handling cases in various civil, commercial, and labor dispute matters.
Membership
- Member, Integrated Bar of the Philippines (2022 – present)
- Associate Member, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (2021 – present)