Rex Education Celebrates Atty. Hector M. De Leon Jr., Atty. Nilo T. Divina, and Atty. Tranquil A. Salvador as Asia Business Law Journal’s Philippines Top Lawyers 2025 A-List

Rex Education proudly congratulates three of its distinguished authors—Atty. Hector M. De Leon Jr., Managing Partner of SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan; Atty. Nilo T. Divina, Managing Partner of Divina Law, and Atty. Tranquil A. Salvador, Partner at Romulo Mabanta Buenaventura Sayoc & De Los Angeles—for their recognition in the Asia Business Law Journal’s Philippines Top Lawyers 2025 A-List.

 

According to Asia Business Law Journal, A-List lawyers are “lawyers who are currently the star performers of the Philippines’ legal profession; the lawyers who are personally undertaking the country’s top legal work, crafting the most cutting-edge legal solutions to complex problems, and setting the highest standards in terms of quality, innovation and the ability to handle complex matters.”

 

The journal also defines Legal Icons as “lawyers who are the luminaries of the Philippines’ legal profession; the titans who command the respect of clients and juniors alike; the mentors who lead the Philippines’ most admired law firms and/or legal teams, and who are the country’s most prolific rainmakers.” Among those honored with this distinction are Atty. Hector M. De Leon Jr. and Atty. Nilo T. Divina, who, aside from being part of the prestigious list, are also recognized as Icons.

 

Champions of Legal Practice and Education

 

Atty. Hector M. De Leon Jr. is celebrated nationwide for his dual expertise as a leading practitioner and one of the country’s most prolific and trusted legal authors. His textbooks on Obligations and Contracts, Business Law, and Commercial Law remain indispensable in business programs and law schools. His works on the Philippine Constitution, Criminal Law, and related subjects continue to shape the legal literacy of countless law students and professionals.

 

 

Atty. Nilo T. Divina is equally admired as a premier corporate and litigation strategist and the transformative leader of Divina Law. His authoritative texts on Commercial and Corporation Law are essential references for law students, bar reviewees, and practitioners seeking clarity on complex commercial issues.

 

Atty. Tranquil A. Salvador, a recognized leader in litigation, arbitration, and alternative dispute resolution (ADR), is also an esteemed law professor and author whose works advance the study of Remedial Law. Beyond his practice areas—which include aviation, insurance, mining, and ADR—he has made a profound impact on legal education through his widely respected textbooks and bar reviewer materials such as Footnotes Vol. I: Civil Procedure and Criminal Procedure.

 

“Being recognized as part of the prestigious list and called icons of Philippine law underscores the enduring impact of Atty. De Leon, Atty. Divina, and Atty. Salvador—not only in their respective practice areas, but also in their invaluable contributions to Philippine legal education through their published works,” said Rex Education CEO, Don Timothy I. Buhain. “Their scholarship and leadership align with our aspirations: to nurture minds and transform communities through education.”

 

Rex Education takes immense pride in being the publishing partner of these exceptional legal minds and joins the legal and academic communities in celebrating their well-deserved recognition in Philippine Law and Legal Education.

 

Congratulations, Atty. Hector M. De Leon Jr., Atty. Nilo T. Divina, and Atty. Tranquil A. Salvador—whose work continues to shape the future of Philippine law.

Why the Top Lawyers in PH Choose ACCESS MCLE

As the seventh Compliance Period for Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) for members of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines closes in April 2023, new and exciting programs start to line up for the opening of the eighth period. Most compliant lawyers now enjoy more options as online, traditional, and hybrid learning setups comprise the interesting mix that prioritizes their convenience and personal choices.

Like law practitioners across the globe, learners in the country consider four major factors when choosing MCLE programs to enroll in—topic or content, cost, reputation of MCLE facilitators, and the learning setup.

Always ahead of the times and leading its industry, ACCESS MCLE, a duly recognized learning institution facilitating MCLE courses for local attorneys, has started opening new programs that learners can sign up for the Eighth Compliance Period.

Currently, there are nine available courses, with 16 more to be uploaded.

It is the proponent of online MCLE as it presented the setup for virtual learning for lawyers to the Supreme Court even before the onset of the pandemic.

ACCESS MCLE has even introduced a new version of the online class or synchronous setup. The Flexi-Synch option makes MCLE program schedule identical all year round. Learners who miss a session can catch that same lesson on the same day and time on the following month.

Topics and carefully-selected facilitators

“We aim to make fellow lawyers realize that MCLE is worthwhile and necessary,” said ACCESS MCLE Co-Founder Atty. Ma. Louella M. Aranas. “It has always been our commitment to set the standard higher.”

Since Day 1, ACCESS MCLE has been prioritizing the requirements, needs, and interests of Filipino lawyers. It is continuously working with numerous law experts and legal luminaries to identify and develop programs that would further enrich local attorneys amid significant changes in the judicial landscape.

So far, ACCESS MCLE has offered numerous MCLE courses in seven different categories—updates on substantive and procedural laws, MCLE prescribed subjects, legal and judicial ethics, alternative dispute resolution, legal writing and oral advocacy, trial and pre-trial skills, and international laws.

“ACCESS is committed to delivering new curated topics for the Eighth Compliance Period on top of the courses for the Seventh Compliance Period that remain to be available. Some of our current popular topics are the laws of war; hunger and the right to adequate food, and even the right to die,” Atty. Aranas said.

The institution is equally proud of its roster of lecturers, which include legal luminaries and some of the most credible subject matter experts. ACCESS MCLE has a deliberate selection process for inviting the best lecturers who are real authorities in their respective legal practices. “We take most of our recommendations for lecturers from Dean Ada Abad of Adamson University College of Law,” Atty. Aranas disclosed.

Costs and learning setups

Being the first accredited online on-demand and synchronous MCLE provider in the Philippines, ACCESS MCLE has been instrumental in democratizing continuing legal education for lawyers. It was among the proponents of online MCLE as it had started introducing the virtual learning setup for lawyers even before the onset of the pandemic and before the Supreme Court formally endorsed online MCLE as an option for those meeting compliance.

ACCESS MCLE has even introduced a new version of the online class or synchronous setup. The Flexi-Synch option makes MCLE programs available all year round. Learners who miss a session can catch that same lesson on the same day and time on the following month.

Aside from the reasonable fees per course, online sessions logically help lower compliance expenses by eliminating the need to spend on transportation. Thus, learners from all local regions don’t need to fly to the metro just to attend sessions.

“A huge factor that makes lawyers enroll in an MCLE seminar is the program schedule. It can be hard for a working professional to find time to attend a lecture that directly conflicts with their schedule. Moreover, the lineup of lecturers, topics to be discussed, and rate or pricing are other points that lawyers factor in when making the decision to enroll in a program,” Atty. Aranas summed up.

To learn more about ACCESS MCLE and its programs, visit https://accessonline.ph/.

DTI, DENR Align Policies for Stricter Environmental Standards and Modern Technologies in Steel Industry

QUEZON CITY – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) are pushing for stricter environmental standards and more modern and cleaner technology in steelmaking industry to ensure manufacturers produce quality and safer steel products as well as encourage industries to be environment-friendly.

During a meeting between DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez and DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu last Monday, the agencies agreed to review existing environmental standards and production technologies used in steelmaking, considering reports that several used induction furnace facilities have been set up, which can be more pollutive and produce inconsistent quality and non-conforming steel products.

“What we need in the country are modern, environmentally friendly technologies that will consistently produce quality products,” said Sec. Lopez.

China, which has the top three steelmakers in the list of the top six largest in the world, has phased out and eradicated induction furnaces in 2017 because of its pollutive process and inconsistent quality products manufactured.

“We do not want those used pollutive induction furnaces to transfer to our country,” the trade chief added.

DTI is intensifying its campaign for safer and higher quality steel products; thus, it is reviewing its policies and regulations on this matter.

“This collaboration with DENR will help us in promoting industrial capacity building with the use of advance technology in steel making while protecting our environment. This is also a testament that as we drive economic growth, we encourage responsible businesses in the country,” said Sec. Lopez.

The DTI and the DENR are set to form a Technical Working Group (TWG) to align its policies and strategies in ensuring steelmaking facilities are compliant with environmental standards and product quality. The TWG will likewise review the compliance of steel producers with an online monitoring system linked to the DENR.

According to the Trade Secretary, the move is also in pursuit of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal No. 12: Sustainable Consumption and Production, which is actively pursued in the ASEAN region.

Sec. Cimatu expressed DENR’s commitment in the collaboration. He assured that the Environmental Management (EMB) as well as the Mines and Geosciences Bureaus (MGB) will be in coordination with the DTI-Consumer Protection Group and the Board of Investments (BOI) in this agenda.

Sec. Lopez said that both agencies are studying proposed regulations on the use of secondhand equipment or machineries in the steel industry.  Moreover, a study on the possibility of making the approval for all environmental compliance certificates (ECC) for critical heavy industries like steelmaking and cement be on a national level.  This is to ensure more comprehensive and faster review of ECC applications, as well as enjoining a more intensive environment and production monitoring of steelmaking facilities.

The TWG shall also review the proposed increase in penalties imposed on manufacturers violating environmental standards or the terms and conditions in the ECC.

As for the DTI-Bureau of Philippine Standards (BPS), Sec. Lopez committed that there will be a review on the Philippine Standard (PS) license certification scheme procedures for steel products, possibly including steel billets, and more intensive monitoring at the retail trade level.

Present during the meeting were DENR Undersecretary Rodolfo Garcia, MGB Assistant Director Danilo Uykieng, Metallurgical Technology Division Chief Engr. Juancho Calvez, and EMB Environmental Impact Assessment and Management Division Chief Engr. Esperanza Sajul, DTI Undersecretaries Ceferino Rodolfo and Ruth Castelo, DTI-BPS Officer-in-Charge Engr. Neil Catajay, BOI Governor Angelica Cayas and Director Evariste Cagatan.

LexMeet App Offers Easy Access to Lawyers, Affordable Legal Consultations Right At Your Fingertips

Seeking legal advice on lawyers is now made more convenient and affordable as LexMeet (www.lexmeet.com), a real-time on-demand online legal consultation webspace where lawyers and clients meet to solve legal problems is now launching its mobile application.

Starting November 2018, the LexMeet App can now be downloaded in Google Play (http://bit.ly/LexMeetbeta) and its IOS version will be soon available for download in App Store.

LexMeet solves difficulties on clients getting proper guidance on their problems that need legal remedies. Aside from fake attorneys lurking in the web as well as the nuances of Philippine law, there are also the rampant misinterpretations of common legal issues that just add unnecessary confusion to a prospective client seeking legal advice. In addition, the lack of access—physical or online—to a lawyer also compounds the issue, especially for Filipinos working overseas. All these concerns are what LexMeet wants to address - lawyer and legal service accessibility to the masses -  by making online legal consultations readily available for Filipinos everywhere without breaking the bank.

Using the LexMeet app couldn’t be any simpler. After the client registered their personal details for free, they can purchase credits—for as low as P500- via Paypal, Dragonpay, Coins.Ph and later on Google Pay payment gateways. Clients can initiate a legal consultation request where LexMeet will match their legal problem with a lawyer specialists that meets their requirements. Example, when a client submits his/her legal problem about the title of his/her condominium unit, LexMeet gives him/her a lawyers list with  specialisation in Condominium Law. Clients have to submit in advance their legal inquiries and provide their stories, objectives and questions as well as supporting documents through LexMeet sign-up forms. All consultations are conducted over video or voice call— possibly imposing for non-tech-savvy folk, but nevertheless more effective than a lifeless chat window. Their credits are automatically paid to their matched lawyer after the meeting ends. Ratings and feedback mechanism help ensure that LexMeet’s crowdsourced network of 250 lawyers provide quality consults, which seems to be the case as it boasts over 7,500 clients and counting.

LexMeet, a wordplay on the Latin word for “law” and workplace verbatim for setting office meetings is founded by Atty. Marlon Valderama, Managing Partner of Valderama Law Office and the country's pioneer when it comes to e-lawyering. He introduced the e-lawyering concept as early as 2010 in his law office website, E-Lawyers Online.

“LexMeet serves as the Uber of lawyers, where client can seek lawyer’s advice by a mere click. Instead of a Uber vehicle matching with the nearest rider, LexMeet is where client’s legal problem is matched with the lawyer’s expertise, location and language and we serve as a bridge for them to meet via video or call conference,” Atty. Valderama said.

Since its inception in 2017, Lexmeet serves as the online go-to-place by OFWs and SMEs.

“As we all know, Philippines have more than 10.23 million migrant workers scattered all over the world. With Filipino diaspora, there is a demand for legal services for the legal issues left behind by our migrant workers such as marriage, support and custody issues, inheritance, investments, among others. Also, we have so many SMEs, almost 1M now, who are needing legal guidance from lawyers. The lack of online facility to help our OFWs and SMEs in solving their legal problems is our prime motivation on establishing a primary hub of e-lawyering, ” Atty. Valderama explained.

LexMeet has been recently awarded as the Best Life Helper in 2018 ASEAN Rice Bowl Startup Awards as it was recognize in its promising goal in making legal consultations inclusive for all Filipinos.

Fore more information, visit www.lexmeet.com.