Guozun Law Firm Philippines Office Officially Established — A Chinese-Invested Law Firm in the Philippines

In April 2025, Guozun Law Firm’s Philippines Office officially completed registration and commenced operations in Manila, the capital of the Philippines. As an important strategic component of Guozun’s global legal service network, the establishment of the Philippines Office is intended to fill the gap in localized, full-chain cross-border legal services arising from two-way economic and trade exchanges between China and the Philippines, and to provide professional, compliant, and efficient full-process legal support for Chinese enterprises investing and operating in the Philippines, Philippine local enterprises cooperating with China, and multinational institutions carrying out regional business expansion.

I. Core Overview of the Office

Guozun’s Philippines Office is based in Manila and extends its services across the entire Philippines, serving as a core legal service hub developed by Guozun for the Southeast Asian market.

The office’s core team consists of senior lawyers who possess dual qualifications in both Chinese law and Philippine law and are familiar with the commercial rules and cultural contexts of both China and the Philippines. The core members all have decades of local practice experience in the Philippine legal market, have been deeply involved in major projects and landmark dispute cases across various industries in the Philippines, and possess comprehensive and precise insight into the Philippine legislative system, judicial procedures, regulatory policies, industry practices, and commercial ecosystem, together with extensive judicial resource reserves across all fields and full-process operational capabilities for major projects.

Relying on Guozun headquarters’ mature cross-border legal service system and global resources, and combining these with the localized practice capabilities of its local team, the office removes information barriers and implementation obstacles in China-Philippines cross-border legal services, forming a core service capability characterized by “Chinese commercial perspective + precise local implementation.” It is able to comprehensively cover clients’ full range of legal needs in relation to investment and operations in the Philippines and effectively prevent and resolve cross-border legal risks.

II. Core Areas of Practice

Guozun’s Philippines Office has built a comprehensive legal service system covering all dimensions and the full service chain. Its core practice areas are clearly divided into ten categories, with the specific service content as follows:

(I) Cross-Border Investment and M&A

1. Cross-border investment structure design and compliance review for foreign investment access

2. Full-process services for greenfield investment, equity/asset acquisitions, and joint venture/cooperation projects

3. Legal and commercial due diligence, drafting of transaction documents, and commercial negotiations

4. Deal closing support, post-investment compliance management, and risk handling

5. Customized investment solutions across multiple industries

(II) Infrastructure and Construction Project Services

1. Full-process services for EPC turnkey projects and BOT/PPP/BOOT model projects

2. Project investment and financing structure design and compliance review of bidding and tendering procedures

3. Development of construction contract systems, performance management, and claims/counterclaims

4. Full-process handling of project completion acceptance and construction disputes

5. Support for projects in highways, rail transit, ports, energy, municipal works, and other sectors

(III) Corporate Compliance and Risk Control

1. Data compliance, anti-corruption and anti-commercial bribery compliance, and tax compliance

2. Import/export and customs compliance, environmental compliance, and antitrust compliance

3. Establishment of internal compliance systems and comprehensive review of compliance risks

4. Compliance training, emergency response, and specialized services for regulatory response

(IV) Dispute Resolution, Litigation, and Arbitration

1. Representation in civil and commercial litigation, administrative litigation, and criminal defense before courts at all levels in the Philippines

2. Resolution of China-Philippines cross-border civil and commercial disputes and international investment disputes

3. Full-process representation in arbitration proceedings before major domestic and international arbitration institutions

4. Cross-border recognition and enforcement of Chinese and foreign court judgments and arbitral awards

5. Tailored and implemented diversified dispute resolution solutions

(V) Capital Markets and Financial Services

1. IPOs in the Philippine securities market, refinancing for listed companies, and bond issuance services

2. Asset securitization, cross-border syndicated loans, and project/trade finance services

3. Compliance services for financial leasing, financial derivatives transactions, and payment institutions

4. Foreign exchange control compliance and specialized response to financial regulatory authorities

5. Full-process legal services for banks, securities firms, insurance institutions, fintech companies, and related entities

(VI) Full-Chain Intellectual Property Services

1. Application, registration, and maintenance of trademarks, patents, copyrights, and trade secrets

2. Intellectual property licensing and transfer, and global strategic planning

3. Intellectual property due diligence, brand protection, and handling of infringement disputes

4. Unfair competition litigation and customs protection services for intellectual property

(VII) Real Estate and Natural Resources Services

1. Due diligence on land title and full-process compliance for real estate development

2. Property acquisition and disposal, and compliance for commercial real estate leasing and operations

3. Full-process services for mining rights, oil and gas resources, and new energy project development

4. Environmental approval and compliance management, and resolution of disputes over natural resource rights

(VIII) Employment, Labor, Immigration, and Visa Services

1. Compliant drafting of labor contracts, employee handbooks, and internal rules and regulations

2. Compensation and benefits design, compliant layoff optimization, and labor dispute handling

3. Union negotiations, collective bargaining, and design of equity incentive plans for senior executives

4. Compliance for cross-border personnel secondment, work/business visas, and permanent residence applications

(IX) Family Wealth Management and Private Legal Services

1. Cross-border family wealth planning and establishment and operation of family trusts

2. Compliance for global asset allocation and cross-border tax planning

3. Cross-border inheritance and will arrangements, and marriage and family legal services

4. Identity planning and supporting legal services for high-net-worth clients

(X) Specialized Legal Services for Key Industries

1. Covering new energy, cross-border e-commerce, digital economy, and high-end manufacturing

2. Covering modern agriculture, shipping and logistics, tourism and hospitality, and healthcare

3. Providing tailored specialized legal services based on industry-specific regulatory characteristics and commercial pain points

III. Practice Standards and Service Principles

Guozun’s Philippines Office strictly complies with the lawyer practice rules and industry standards of both China and the Philippines, adheres to the professional principles of professionalism, rigor, objectivity, and confidentiality, and has established standardized service procedures, a full-process quality control system, and a strict conflict of interest review mechanism.

The office always takes the lawful rights and interests of clients as its core priority, proceeds on the basis of facts and in accordance with the law, and assigns a dedicated professional team to each service need to ensure professionalism, precision, and efficiency in service delivery, providing clients with legal service solutions that are practical and predictable.

As China-Philippines economic and trade cooperation continues to deepen and the scale of two-way investment and industrial cooperation steadily grows, market demand for professional and localized cross-border legal services between China and the Philippines continues to rise. The establishment of Guozun’s Philippines Office has further improved Guozun’s legal service network in the Southeast Asian region.

In the future, the office will continue to deepen its presence in the local Philippine market, continuously strengthen its professional team and upgrade its service capabilities, expand the boundaries of its services, build a professional bridge for China-Philippines cross-border legal services, and provide ongoing, stable, and professional legal support for two-way economic and trade cooperation and the high-quality development of industries between China and the Philippines.