Category Archives: Senior Associates

Aaron Sanchez is a senior associate of the Dispute Resolution Department of the firm. He handles commercial disputes involving civil litigation and/or arbitration, government investigations, and criminal prosecution and defense. He advocates before the trial courts, various government agencies, the Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court. He also renders advice on transactional and regulatory matters involving mergers and acquisitions.

Aaron’s work deals with a wide array of industries, including energy, natural resources, construction, distribution, real estate, mining, and telecommunications.

Aaron studied law at the University of the Philippines (UP) and obtained his Juris Doctor in 2018. He was a member of the Order of the Purple Feather, the UP College of Law’s honors society, and served as an editor of the Philippine Law Journal, Volume 90. For his undergraduate degree, he studied Economics at UP and graduated magna cum laude in 2013. Aaron was admitted to the Philippine bar in 2019 and joined the firm in the same year.

Madelyn May Ong Chang is a senior associate who is a member of the Securities Department. Her practice focuses on securities, capital markets, and mergers and acquisitions.

Madz assists in advising issuers and underwriters in securities transactions. She also provides legal advice on doing business in the Philippines, data privacy, and competition law. Madz represents domestic and foreign clients before administrative agencies and quasi-judicial bodies such as the Securities Exchange Commission, the Philippine Stock Exchange, Inc. and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. She has reviewed and drafted contracts and other transaction documents and coordinated with various regulatory agencies in relation to registration, licensing, and compliance matters.

Madz received her bachelor’s degree in Management, major in Legal Management and minor in Project Management, from the Ateneo de Manila University in 2012. She received her juris doctor degree from the same university in 2018 where she graduated Salutatorian. She was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 2019 and joined the firm in the same year.

Denise is a senior associate whose current practice focuses on corporate law, competition law, securities, taxation, and foreign investments.

Denise Anne V. Sales represents domestic and foreign clients before administrative agencies and quasi-judicial bodies such as the Securities Exchange Commission, Department of Trade and Industry, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Insurance Commission, Competition Commission, and Bureau of Internal Revenue. She has reviewed and drafted contracts and other transaction documents, conducted due diligence for different transactions, and coordinated with various regulatory agencies in relation to registration, licensing, and compliance matters.

Denise also advises clients on various aspects of taxation, commercial, and civil law, including matters related to securities, investments, competition, and mergers and acquisitions.

She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Economics, minor in English Literature from the Ateneo de Manila University in 2012. She thereafter received her Juris Doctor degree from the Ateneo de Manila University School of Law in 2016 where she graduated with honors. She was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 2017 and joined the firm in the same year.

Eleanor Joan S. Zosa is a Senior Associate with the Dispute Resolution Department of the firm.  She is also a member of the Project Development & Finance, Technology, Media, & Telecommunications, and General Corporate Departments. 

She has represented clients in disputes and transactions involving construction, oil and gas, renewable energy, mining, aviation, gaming, tourism, real estate, automotive, insurance, shipping, healthcare, strict product liability, land reform, indigenous rights, shareholder rights, corporate rehabilitation, data privacy, intellectual property, shipping, distributorship agreements, legislative franchises, sovereign rights and immunities, and taxation.

Ely handles international and domestic arbitrations as well as arbitration-adjacent court proceedings. She has successfully applied for and secured interim measures of protection from Philippine courts to preserve the rights of parties prior to the commencement of arbitration. She has acted in recognition and enforcement matters and assisted in the setting aside of arbitral awards in foreign jurisdictions. Ely also handles civil, commercial, criminal, tax, and administrative litigation, having represented clients in Philippine courts, including the Supreme Court. She has also represented clients in proceedings before various key and specialized administrative agencies under the Philippine Executive Department, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Department of Trade and Industry, and the Philippine Competition Commission.

Ely works on corporate matters, including securities and capital markets, having assisted issuers and underwriters in securities offerings, both in general and under more specialized regulations specific to certain industries. She also renders advice in navigating complex regulatory spaces to identify, assess, and avoid relevant risks. She drafts and prepares contracts and other transaction documents in assisting clients to accomplish commercial objectives while ensuring compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

Ely was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 2018. She graduated with a Juris Doctor degree in 2017 from the University of the Philippines College of Law and was a recipient of a Dean’s Medal for Academic Excellence. She was a Chairperson of the Philippine Law Journal.  In the Jessup competition, she was also a recipient of both a Hardy C. Dillard award and a Richard A. Baxter award for excellence in memorial writing internationally, and, nationally, was a twice-ranked oralist, including Best Oralist of the final rounds.

Nash is a senior associate whose practice currently focuses on Taxation, Corporate Law, and Project Development & Finance.

Nash advises foreign and local investors on setting up and running their businesses in the Philippines, assisting them regarding capital structures, taxation, and obtaining business incentives. She participates in numerous transactions involving cross-border acquisitions, joint-ventures, and foreign investments and participates in due diligence exercises, contract negotiations, and review of the transaction documents.

Her work includes representing clients before various key offices of local government units and regulatory agencies, including the Bureau of Internal Revenue, Securities and Exchange Commission, and Department of Trade and Industry.

Nash received her bachelor’s degree in accountancy from the University of Santo Tomas in 2009 and became a certified public accountant in the same year. She received her juris doctor degree from the Ateneo de Manila University School of Law in 2015 where she graduated with second honors. She was admitted to the Philippine bar in 2016 and joined the firm in the same year.

JV is a senior associate who focuses on various fields of legal practice, including mergers and acquisition, labor, land, regulatory, securities, and corporate law.

JV was an Assistant Secretary in the Department of Agrarian Reform and a part-time lecturer on land laws with the De La Salle University College of Law.  As Assistant Secretary, he steered the legal department of the entire national agency, among several other critical functions.  He was exposed to, and took part in the drafting of, various government regulatory rules pertaining to land and its use during the Aquino administration.

JV received his bachelor’s degree in Political Science (minor in European Studies) and master’s degree in Global Politics from the Ateneo de Manila University in 2005 and 2006, respectively.  He received his juris doctor degree from the University of the Philippines in 2010.  He was admitted to the Philippine bar in 2011 and joined the firm in 2016.

Claudia is a senior associate who works with several practice groups, including Securities, Project Development and Finance, and Corporate Banking.

Her practice presently spans several practice areas, from corporate law, competition law, and securities transactions. Claudia assists in advising issuers, shareholders, and investment banks on securities offerings, many of which involve Securities and Exchange Commission. She has also assisted in advising clients on various competition law matters and in completing several merger notifications to the Philippine Competition Commission.

Claudia’s corporate practice also extends to project financing and registration of foreign investment in nationalized industries. She has also assisted in advising domestic and foreign clients on various corporate deals and transactions involving cross-border mergers and acquisitions, corporate structuring, and regulatory compliance.

Claudia was the captain and member of the Philippine team to the 2013 and 2014 Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot competitions. In 2013, She and her team garnered an Honorable Mention for their Respondent’s Memorandum. In 2014, she and her team advanced as 16^th Finalists in the competition.

Claudia obtained her bachelor of arts degree from Georgetown University in 2011. She graduated with honors from Ateneo de Manila University School of Law in 2015 and was the recipient of the second Best Thesis Award for her thesis entitled “Demystifying Dominance: Establishing Legal Parameters for Abuse of Dominance.” She was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 2016 and joined the firm in the same year.

Peterson U. Poon is a senior associate whose practice focuses on banking and finance, litigation and arbitration, and general corporate law.

Peter has advised clients on a wide range of issues including corporate reorganization, debt and equity financing, doing business in the Philippines, data privacy, and compliance with anti-money laundering laws. He represents clients, both domestic and foreign, from the banking, insurance, gaming, and real estate industries, among others. He assists clients on licensing and regulatory matters with government regulators such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, and the Bureau of Internal Revenue. Peter also has experience representing clients before various judicial and quasi-judicial agencies in civil and criminal cases.

Peter received his bachelor’s degree in Management Honors, magna cum laude, from the Ateneo de Manila University in 2012. He obtained his Juris Doctor degree from the University of the Philippines in 2017. In law school, he competed in the Jessup International Moot Court Competition, where he was a National Champion, Best Oralist of the preliminary and final rounds, and recipient of the Dillard and Baxter Awards for excellence in memorial writing. He was admitted to the bar in 2018 and joined the firm in the same year.

Careen Alexandria J. Henares is a senior associate whose practice currently focuses on corporate law, project development and finance, and corporate banking.

Cara advises both domestic and foreign clients on various issues such as data privacy and security, consumer protection, mergers and acquisitions, antitrust and competition, corporate reorganizations, and general corporate matters. Her work includes due diligence exercises, review of transaction documents, and coordination with various regulatory agencies. She represents clients before governmental agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, Department of Trade and Industry, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, and Philippine Competition Commission.

Cara received her bachelor’s degree, major in Political Science with a minor in English Literature from Ateneo de Manila University in 2012. She thereafter received her juris doctor degree from the same university in 2016 where she graduated with second honors. She was admitted to the Philippine bar in 2017 and joined the firm in the same year.

Sienna Flores, a senior associate, is a member of the firm’s Litigation & Arbitration department. She handles international and domestic arbitrations, both institutional and ad hoc. She has represented clients in arbitration disputes from various industries including construction, energy, power transmission, water, insurance, automotive, real estate, and treasury software.

Sienna also handles civil, commercial, criminal, and administrative cases. She has represented clients before the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, trial courts, administrative agencies, and quasi-judicial bodies, including the Office of the City Prosecutor, Department of Justice, Bureau of Immigration, National Labor Relations Commission, Commission on Human Rights, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Securities and Exchange Commission, Intellectual Property Office, Insurance Commission, and Land Registration Authority. 

Sienna also handles various family law matters involving estate settlement, probate proceedings, wills and succession, guardianship, spousal and child support, custody, and separation of properties. 

Sienna received her bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the Ateneo de Manila University in 2007. She thereafter received her Juris Doctor degree, with honors, from the same university in 2011. She was admitted to the Philippine bar in 2012 and joined the firm in 2016.