Company: Divina Law Offices, Makati City, Philippines
Company Description: DivinaLaw is a leading full-service law firm in the Philippines established in 2006. We take pride in advocating and practicing dynamic lawyering—prompt, proactive, and result-oriented. We offer depth and range in experience and resources and a professional, collaborative work ethic—qualities that clients appreciate in an emerging and challenging market like the Philippines.
Nomination Category: Company / Organization Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Company of the Year - Legal - Medium-size
 Nomination Title: DivinaLaw
- Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes in length about the achievements of the nominated organization since 1 January 2022, OR written answers to the questions for this category? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the nominated video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this first question: Briefly describe the nominated organization: its history and past performance (up to 200 words):
Total 200 words used.
DivinaLaw is a leading full-service law firm in the Philippines. Established in 2006 by the law expert Atty. Nilo T. Divina, the firm started with only five lawyers specializing in different areas of legal practice. As the firm takes pride in advocating and practicing dynamic lawyering – being prompt, proactive, and results-oriented – DivinaLaw became one of the largest law firms in the Philippines, with more than 100 lawyers in its roster and counting.
The firm’s practice covers a wide range of Philippine law. The litigation practice includes corporate, criminal and civil litigation, intellectual property, alternative dispute resolution, estates and trusts, immigration, labor and employment, elections, administrative regulation, and maritime law. The corporate practice includes banking and finance, construction, energy, mergers and acquisition, foreign investments, securities, corporate rehabilitation, insurance, public-private partnerships, mining and natural resources, energy, utility regulation, intellectual property, sports, entertainment, and taxation.
DivinaLaw’s clients include leading companies in banking and finance, manufacturing, retail, power, oil and gas, education, healthcare and insurance, realty and property development, energy, and technology. The firm’s lawyers are some of the most qualified and experts in their respective legal fields. DivinaLaw also recruits only the top graduates from leading law schools in the country.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this second question: Outline the organization's achievements since the beginning of 2022 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 250 words):
Total 241 words used.
DivinaLaw has achieved numerous heights in various aspects of the firm’s growth in the past years. Some of the notable achievements of the firm from 2022 to 2023 are as follows:
- The firm had an astonishing 55% client YOY growth rate from only 23% in 2021-2022. The firm also acquired clients that are major players in the banking and finance, energy, real estate, and manufacturing industries.
- As of 2023, the firm has more than 1,150 clients and is engaged by almost 800 companies.
- DivinaLaw received a total of 11 awards – two of which were Law Firm of the Year Awards for 2022 and for 2023 by the Asia Legal Business. We also won 2 Gold Stevie IBA Awards (Executive of the Year (Legal) and Social Video) and 1 Silver Stevie for Great Employers.
- The firm grew in both manpower and office space. By 2023, the firm had 100 lawyers and 86 staff, and occupied one and a half floors of the office building.
- DivinaLaw also produced three topnotchers in the 2022 and 2023 Philippine bar examinations – the 19th, 8th, and 1st placers were all then-underbar associates of the firm and now some of the leading litigators appearing before the court one case after the other.
- DivinaLaw’s digital presence also increased throughout the years which has helped the firm acquire clients. In fact, 50.6% of 2023’s client inquiries happened due to the firm’s visibility in the digital sphere.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this third question: Explain why the achievements you have highlighted are unique or significant. If possible compare the achievements to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the organization's past performance (up to 250 words):
Total 248 words used.
DivinaLaw has stood in the ranks against law firms in the country that has been for established over 100 years. In its only 18 years of existence, the firm has proven its credibility through the quality of its lawyers, accolades received, and cases handled which made significant impacts in society.
In April 2023, a Supreme Court decision was made in favor of the firm for successfully assisting and giving a small municipality a fighting chance to prove its claim in a territorial dispute against two Goliath cities.
In July 2023, the firm obtained the very first anti-arbitration injunction in the Philippines through its novel argument on public policy as a ground for opposing the enforcement of an emergency arbitrator’s order in a dispute between a foreign company managing a hotel, a local corporation which owned the hotel, and the client which owned the lot where the hotel is built.
The firm acted as legal adviser to over 150 Renewable Energy (RE) projects owned or to be developed by at least 10 RE clients.
The firm was also instrumental in the establishment of a pioneer digital bank in the country.
DivinaLaw is the Philippine firm with the strongest digital presence, with over 40,000 organic followers on Facebook, over 1,600 on Instagram, and over 20,000 followers on TikTok.
To give back to the community, the firm conducted 2 free legal clinics, serving 41 Malabon City residents in July 2022, and 99 Caloocan City residents in December 2022.
- You have the option to answer this final question: Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Total 16 words used.
https://www.divinalaw.com/
https://www.facebook.com/divinalawph/
https://www.instagram.com/divinalawph/
https://www.tiktok.com/@divinalawph/
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