Rashel Ann Pomoy, Partner & Deputy Group Head, Villaraza & Angangco LawRashel Ann Pomoy, Partner & Deputy Group Head
Doing business in the Philippines is driven by the nation's strict employment mandates and the constitutionally enshrined principle of labor protection. These stringent requirements push employers of all sizes to seek specialized partners that can help them effectively navigate the space and achieve desired hiring outcomes.

Enter Villaraza & Angangco (V&A) Law, a full-service law firm with a portfolio of services ranging from corporate and commercial law, labor and intellectual property management, taxation and litigation and dispute resolution. It also provides legal support for power and energy, telecommunications, and information technology.

V&A Law is provides legal solutions that consider a firm's business and legal aspects. This holistic approach has driven it to support some of the leading employers in the Philippines and attract multinational clients seeking reliable support for their expanding footprints. Complimenting this is its top-notch intellectual property department that drives V&A Law's value in the high-tech industries.

"We always set up some time to understand a client's problem and their business. After the initial meetings, we develop a proposal and work closely with them to onboard the best-suited solution for their needs," says Rashel Ann Pomoy, partner and group head of V&A Law.

Multiple accolades exemplify V&A Law's strong litigation and dispute practice. It won the employment law firm of the year for two consecutive years, between 2020 and 2022, and was published by Vantage Asia's renowned Asia Business Law Journal. These awards validate its position as a reliable legal firm in the evolving employment practice landscape.

One of V&A Law's key differentiators is its proficient team of legal and non-legal experts. During the pandemic, when talent shortages disrupted all industries, its workforce's innate and long standing expertise enabled V&A Law to maintain the business continuum and support employers in coping with emerging changes.

Fostering a talented workforce from the start, V&A Law hires lawyers from top schools like the University of Philippines and Ateneo de Manila University, where it regularly organizes intensive training and programs for young lawyers. This approach influences promising students to attend hearings and negotiations to get a peek into the commercial and corporate employment law arena and drives them to pursue a career in the domain by joining its ranks.

We always set up some time to understand our client’s problem and their business. After the initial meetings, we develop a proposal and work closely with them to onboard the best-suited solution for their needs

V&A Law has ignited many success stories across diverse cases. In one instance, the firm assisted a client with worker classification problems. Several suits were filed against the firm’s client, claiming significant compensation.

For this case, V&A Law adopted a multi-pronged approach to proving the client was not the actual employer of the complainant. It understood the problem and dealt with the employees and workers who filed the complaint and simultaneously moved to implead their actual employer. This case was not purely an employment issue as it involved commercial matters as well, but V&A Law's multi-disciplinary practice and instrumental strategies made it possible to separate the two cases and deliver desired outcomes.

Successes like these position V&A Law as a leader in legal services. Currently, it is handling the new case issued by the Supreme Court of the Philippines concerning food delivery riders, which will have massive impacts on the larger gig economy.

Moving forward, V&A Law aims to continue assisting clients in dispute resolution with its highly trained legal staff that can holistically handle employment, labor, corporate, and commercial law cases.