Bryan V.

Philippine Attorney | Labor Compliance for Companies Hiring Remote PH

If you're hiring in the Philippines, the mistake that costs the most is the one nobody tells you about until it's too late: your "independent contractor" is legally your employee, and terminating them triggers backwages, separation pay, and an NLRC case you'll fight from another time zone. I'm a Philippine lawyer (Roll No. 100817) and I spend most of my time on exactly this problem for US, Australian, and European companies with people on the ground here. WHAT I MOST OFTEN GET CALLED FOR • Misclassification risk review. Your contractor agreement says one thing; the Labor Code's four-fold test says another. I tell you which one a Philippine labor arbiter would apply, and what it would cost you. • Terminations. How to end a relationship with a PH-based worker without walking into an illegal or constructive dismissal claim. This is the call most clients wish they'd made two weeks earlier. • Contractor structuring. Redrafting agreements so the independent-contractor relationship survives scrutiny, rather than only reading that way on paper. • When things go wrong. A worker goes rogue, threatens your reputation, or demands payment. I handle the demand letters and tell you honestly which threats have legal teeth and which don't. • Statutory compliance. SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG, and what your exposure actually is if you've never registered. HOW I WORK • Fixed-fee proposals that state the steps, the risks, and the cost before you commit. No hourly surprises. • Plain English. You'll get an answer you can act on, not a memo you need a second lawyer to interpret. • I'll tell you when you don't need me. If the fix is a two-line contract edit, I'll say so. OTHER PHILIPPINE MATTERS I HANDLE Extrajudicial remedies: Sending formal demand letters, cease and desist letters, channeling all communications to me as the lawyer instead of handling them yourself. Corporate & Commercial: SEC registration, Articles and bylaws, permits, BIR compliance coordination with your US accountant, ToS and EULA drafting, legal due diligence for acquisitions and property investments. Intellectual Property: Trademark, copyright, and patent applications and disputes. I act as Resident Agent on Record and respond to Provisional Refusals under the Madrid Protocol. DMCA takedowns. Data Privacy: Privacy notices, PIAs, breach response SOPs, DPO registration under the Data Privacy Act. Real Property: Title transfers, Deeds of Sale, Extrajudicial Settlements, estate tax processing, and pre-purchase due diligence. Also a licensed real estate salesperson (PRC No. 9266). Disputes: Debt collection, ejectment and title recovery, small claims, cyber estafa complaints, family law petitions. MY LEVERAGE: - I can see the risk before it becomes a dispute - I understand the client's business, especially if it is a BPO/Offshore Client as I've worked for them since 2010 - I can make a decision when there is no perfect legal answer - Certified Clio Administrator by Clio Academy (I have used Clio Manage to manage my own firm) Message me with your situation. If it's outside what I do, I'll tell you that too.