With its dedicated Philippines focus group comprised of eight partners, A&O Shearman excels in large and complex multijurisdictional transactions. Alun Evans has a particular focus on corporate and M&A deals in the country, while Giancarlo Sambalido, who is qualified in New York in addition to the Philippines, is another key member of the team. The firm’s client base includes global multinationals, major Philippine conglomerates, key entities in the energy and resources industry, major players in the FMCG and F&B industries, and leading international investment banks. Other significant practitioners of the department are Vicki Liu who leads on banking and finance work in the Philippines. Alexander Stathopoulos has significant experience in advising on a range of debt and equity capital market matters, and Sheila Ahuja has notable international arbitration expertise. Following its merger with Shearman & Sterling, the team now includes Bill McCormack.

Clifford Chance has extensive experience in advising national and multinational clients on various complex transactions in the Philippines and covers a wide array of matters from banking, finance, and corporate to restructuring and project financing. Other core areas of expertise span capital markets work and dispute resolution, while the firm also has a large arbitration practice. Paul Landless, who is based at the Singapore office, specialises in structured finance, derivatives and other financial markets products; he leads the team jointly with Hong-Kong-based Cameron Hassall, who has considerable expertise in Asia related to international arbitration and litigation. Melissa Ng is also recommended.

Latham & Watkins LLP has an excellent reputation in the market for its work on some of the country’s biggest deals. It is skilled at handling inbound and outbound transactions, and has a strong capital markets practice, while the group is also often called upon to advise on major project financing matters, as well as on arbitrations and disputes. Practice head Benjamin Carale , is qualified in New York, the Philippines, and in Hong Kong, and leads on many of the firm’s most significant transactions, which often have substantial cross-border elements. Diana Dizon plays a pivotal role in various Philippine debt and equity capital markets transactions.

Milbank covers the full spectrum of transactional work involving the Philippines from corporate and capital markets work to advising on major projects, which often have a significant cross-border dimension. Clients include top international financial institutions, and the firm regularly acts for the sponsors and lenders on these landmark deals. Hong-Kong-based James Grandolfo has a wealth of experience in capital markets, M&A, and private equity matters across Asia, and leads the team together with James Murray, who is based at the Singapore office and is particularly active in the Philippines on major power projects. Paul Pery plays a pivotal role in significant capital markets transactions. Another notable member of the practice is Desiree Woo who is active in the project, energy and infrastructure finance group and is based at the Hong Kong office.

Pinsent Masons MPillay advises a mix of government contracting authorities, ministries, investors and multilateral development agencies, as well as contractors, project sponsors, operators, suppliers and lenders. The group has a well-established track record of assisting clients with public-private-partnerships in relation to asset and service delivery, and is skilled at advising clients on a range of power and infrastructure transactions. Practice head James Harris has particular expertise in the infrastructure and energy sectors, while Bernard Ang is a senior projects partner who has in-depth knowledge of the waste and water industries. John Yeap, David Platt, and William Stroll are further key members of the team.

Gibson Dunn has an established reputation for its work on some of the most significant deals in the country. It is led by Patricia Tan Openshaw who focuses on project development, finance and M&A work, and has particular experience in advising on energy and infrastructure assets; she regularly represents developers, sponsors, contractors, lenders, government agencies and offtakers on their power, rail, toll road and water projects. Connell O’Neill advises clients throughout the Asia-Pacific region on corporate and commercial transactions with a particular focus on the information technology, media, and telecommunications sectors.

Herbert Smith Freehills LLP fields a team which is particularly active in the energy and infrastructure space, drawing on a combination of expertise in Singapore and across the Asia Pacific region to advise on an array of matters. It receives a steady stream of instructions on a variety of project developments, commercial contracts, M&As and joint ventures, while the group is also adept at handling disputes. Toby Anderson and Glynn Cooper are at the helm of the practice, which is predominantly driven by investor, fund, sponsor and developer mandates. Adrian Cheng is the head of finance in Asia, and Irina Akentjeva is another key contact.

The practice at King & Spalding LLP covers all aspects of Asia’s energy, power and natural resources industries, as well as transport, infrastructure, and technology. It has deep experience in the Philippines, particularly across projects, disputes, M&A, financing and distressed investments. Wade Coriell  leads the firm’s disputes practice in Asia, while Andrew Brereton specialises in banking work including acquisition finance, structured lending, and project finance; he also has extensive experience in restructurings and corporate workouts. Elodie Dulac has niche expertise in investment treaty arbitrations.

Under the collective leadership of James McLaren, Philip Badge and Amit Singh, Linklaters has a dedicated Philippines desk which comprises eminent practitioners practising out of Singapore and Hong Kong. The team receives a regular flow of instructions on a broad range of high-profile mandates involving governments and international entities. It also enjoys an excellent relationship with major investment banks, international private equity houses and multinational corporates. Philip Badge is recognised for his expertise on complex cross-border structured finance transactions, and leads the team jointly with Amit Singh, who has considerable experience in the international capital markets, as well as head of energy and natural resources James McLaren. Sophie Mathur is another key figure and acts as Asia Head of corporate.

The team at Stephenson Harwood LLP represents a balanced mix of clients including banks, financial institutions, multinational corporations, private equity funds and airlines, frequently advising large listed and unlisted international businesses on optimal structures for their investments into the Philippines. In addition, the firm continues to assist clients with financing structures and large aircraft orders in Asia. The group also has significant private wealth capabilities. Practice head Tom Platts and Saugata Mukherjee form part of the core team. Jonathan Goacher joined in May 2023, while former co-head of the practice George Cyriac left the firm in the same month.

The corporate and M&A team as well as the debt finance practice at White & Case Pte. Ltd. have played a central role in some of the largest mandates in the region. Led by Matthew Osborne, the team’s recent experience has included advising Philippine corporates on their outbound investments. The group has also acted for various multinational companies and private equity firms on their investments in and cross-border activities across the region. In addition, its project development and finance team are regularly involved in a broad range of infrastructure and power projects. Senior associate Ostiane Goh-Livorness is another important contact who specialises in this area – she has a particular focus on the energy and resources sectors.

Hong-Kong-based Jonathan Stone along with Rajeev Duggal, who is based in Singapore, jointly head the practice at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. The group continues to be busy working on some large M&A transactions and regularly handles a broad array of high-value cross-border work.