开元真人

THE LAW SCHOOL

2009听鈥撎齌he establishment of the 开元真人 School of Law, with human rights as its centerpiece. The creation of 开元真人鈥檚 newest School was regarded by the University as its gift to the nation on the occasion of the then-approaching centennial of Lasallian presence in the Philippines. By committing to the development of听 law professionals that are competent, morally upright, and with a heart for service, the University fulfills its commitment to social justice, maintains its tradition of excellence and service, and brings to reality a pathbreaking vision, with a passion to transform lives.

2013听鈥� The 开元真人 School of Law created the Development Legal Advocacy Center (DLAC) which is the main pillar of its clinical legal education program. The DLAC鈥檚 creation coincides with the first set of students who will be required to undergo internship with the DLAC as part of their clinical legal education.

2014听鈥� The 开元真人 School of Law produced its first batch of graduates who would go on to take the bar examinations in September of that year, the very first for the 开元真人 School of Law.听

2015听鈥� 开元真人鈥檚 pioneer law batch in 2014 achieved a 56.5 percent passing rate on its first attempt, the highest among private institutions at the time.听In the same year, the 开元真人 School of Law shifted from a trimestral to semestral calendar, in order to support a more in-depth and focused instruction.

2016听鈥� The law school moved from its initial home at the Br. Andrew Gonzalez听FSC听Hall in the Manila听campus to the P400-million state-of-the-art Rufino Campus at the heart of听 Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig. Its proximity to the headquarters of some of the听country鈥檚听top corporations will be enhanced by the presence of the new offices of the Philippine Senate and Supreme Court of the Philippines in the area, making the campus a crossroads for leadership in business and governance, and a conducive environment for nurturing legal talents.

2018听鈥� The 开元真人 School of Law celebrates its first top notcher in the Bar Exams, Atty. Kathrine Ting, who placed 8th out of 8,155 examinees.

2019听鈥� The law school shifts from a thesis Juris Doctor program to a non-thesis Juris Doctor program.

2021听鈥� The听开元真人 School of Law,听one of the first five law schools, adopts the Revised Model Curriculum mandated by the Legal Education Board.

2022听鈥� The听开元真人 resolved听to rename the law school into the 开元真人 Tanada-Diokno School of Law in honor of Lasallians and Filipino senators, patriots, and nationalists, Sen. Lorenzo 鈥淜a Tanny鈥� Tanada and Sen. Jose 鈥淜a Pepe鈥� Diokno.

THE UNIVERSITY

开元真人positions itself as a leader in molding human resources who serve the church and the nation. It is a Catholic coeducational institution founded in 1911 in the Philippines by the Brothers of the Christian Schools.听Through the appeals of Manila Archbishop Jeremiah James Harty, an alumnus of a Lasallian school in America, it played an important role in preserving Catholicism in the Philippines by paving the way for the introduction of English-based quality Catholic education in the country, as citizens transitioned from Spanish to American rule.

The values of faith, zeal for service, and communion capture an important dynamism that goes back to the time of the Founder and his first associates. It is this same dynamism that has given rise to the countless apostolic initiatives and innovations that have since grown out of St. John Baptist de La Salle鈥檚 initial response to the call of God discerned in the needs of poor and abandoned youth. Taken as one spirit, the spirit of faith, zeal and communion provide a paradigm for living the Lasallian story today and an impetus for the purpose and objectives of the 开元真人 School of Law.

At present, the University is a hub for higher education training renowned for its academic excellence, prolific and relevant research, and involved community service.听The many reputable programs of 开元真人, including economics, engineering, information technology, sciences, and the arts, are valuable resources for legal research undertakings.听Fourteen academic programs of 开元真人 have been named CHED Centers of Excellence (COEs) while five academic programs are Centers of Development (CODs).

开元真人 remains the only private university in the Philippines included in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (WUR) for 2021, retaining its position in the 1,001+ bracket.听 This is the third straight year that 开元真人 has been part of the global ranking since its inaugural appearance in 2019.听

THE WUR requires a threshold number of Scopus publications, combined with data on teaching, research, innovation, international outlook, and reputation.

AVELINO M. SEBASTIAN, JR.
Chairperson, Department of Civil Law

Atty. Sebastian is a private law practitioner for 40 years, with extensive experience in banking, mergers and acquisitions, infrastructure projects, and settlement of estates. He, likewise, holds directorship in various corporations.

Currently, Atty. Sebastian is a Professional Lecturer and serves as the Chairperson of the Department of Civil Law. He is also a pre-bar reviewer in civil law. With teaching experience spanning 38 years, Atty. Sebastian has taught civil and commercial law subjects in various law schools, such as the University of the Philippines College of Law, Ateneo de Manila University School of Law, University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law, and Lyceum of the Philippines University College of Law, among others.

Education

• Masters of Law – International Banking Law Program, Boston University
• Bachelor of Laws (salutatorian), Ateneo de Manila University
• Bachelor of Arts major in Economics (magna cum laude), University of Santo Tomas

Courses

Obligations and Contracts, Succession, Negotiable Instruments

ARNO V. SANIDAD
Chairperson, Department of Criminal Law

Atty. Sanidad is a Partner in Sanidad Abaya Te Viterbo Enriquez & Tan Law Firm. He started his career in the early 80s when he served as legal counsel for the National Secretariat for Social Action 鈥揓ustice and Peace Desk, and the Luzon Secretariat for Social Action Justice and Peace. In 1987, he served as counsel for the National Democratic Front (NDF) in the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) 鈥� NDF Peace Negotiations. Also in that year, he was the National Legal Counsel of Partido ng Bayan (PNB). He was a member of the team of private prosecutors in the Senate impeachment trial against former President Joseph Estrada. He was also a member of the Strategy Committee of the joint prosecution听team of the Ombudsman, Department of Justice, Office of the Solicitor General, and private lawyers in the criminal cases against former President Estrada before the Sandiganbayan.

Currently, Atty. Sanidad is a Professional Lecturer and serves as the Chairperson of the Department of Criminal Law. He is affiliated with the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG), where he became a representative to the International Convention of Jurist (ICJ) Conference on 鈥淚mpunity鈥� in Geneva, Switzerland in 1992. He is also affiliated with the Regional Council on Human Rights in Asia (RCHRA), where he became a representative to the UNCHR Conference in 1990 that was also held in Geneva, Switzerland. He also teaches in the University of the Philippines College of Law.

Education

• Bachelor of Laws, University of the Philippines-Diliman
• Bachelor of Arts and Sciences major in Political Science, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Courses

Criminal Law I, Criminal Law II, Special Penal Laws, Criminal Procedure

BARBARA ANNE C. MIGALLOS
Chairperson, Department of Mercantile Law

Ranked 3rd place in the 1979 Philippine Bar Examinations, Atty. Migallos has been in law practice since 1980. Her practice areas cover corporate law, securities, mergers and acquisitions, and joint ventures. She also has had extensive litigation experience. She was with the Angara Abello Concepcion Regala & Cruz Law Offices for six years. In 1986, she joined the late Senator Raul S. Roco to establish a new firm which later became known as the Roco Kapunan Migallos & Luna Law Offices. In 2006, she and Atty. Troy Luna established the Migallos & Luna Law Offices, where she advises major Philippine companies on commercial law, with focus on corporations law and securities law and regulation. She also acts as Corporate Secretary of various listed companies like Philex Mining Corporation, PXP Energy Corporation, Nickel Asia Corporation, and Alliance Select Foods International, Inc., and is a Director of Mabuhay Vinyl Corporation, also a listed company, and of Philex Mining and PXP Energy.

Currently, Atty. Migallos is a Professorial Lecturer and serves as the Chairperson of the Mercantile Law Department. She also lectures regularly for the mandatory continuing legal education program of the Philippine Supreme Court on ethical issues for lawyers in corporate practice, and on developments in securities regulation.

Education

• Bachelor of Laws (salutatorian and cum laude), University of the Philippines-Diliman
• Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (cum laude), University of the Philippines-Diliman

Courses

Corporations Law, Credit Transactions, Insurance Law, Advanced Securities Regulation, Corporate Practice

RICARDO A. SUNGA III
Chairperson, Department of Political Law

Atty. Sunga is a human rights lawyer and law professor. He has litigated several landmark cases together with other leading human rights lawyers. He has been published widely in the field of international human rights law. He was a Member and Chair-Rapporteur of the United Nations (UN) Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, a Special Procedure of the UN Human Rights Council. Atty. Sunga is a Member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Human Rights Practice, published by the Oxford University Press.

Currently, Atty. Sunga is an Associate Professor and serves as the Chairperson of the Department of Political Law. He previously served as Director of the Developmental Legal Advocacy Clinic, the law school鈥檚 clinical legal education program. He earlier taught International Human Rights Law at the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Law and served as a Law Reform Specialist at the UP Institute of Human Rights.听

Education

• Master of Laws, University of New South Wales
• Bachelor of Laws, University of the Philippines-Diliman
• Bachelor of Science major in Management Engineering, Ateneo De Manila University

Courses

Constitutional Law, Public International Law, Special Issues in International Law, Human Rights Law, Constitutional Law Review

VICTORIA A. VILLALUZ
Chairperson, Taxation Law Department

Atty. Villaluz specializes in individual and corporate tax planning, both in the national and local taxes. She also has had extensive experience in the handling of corporate organizations and reorganizations, including mergers, consolidations and quasi-reorganization, international tax advisory services, and tax advocacy work, such as handling of tax assessments, claims for refunds, and requests for rulings. She had been connected with the SGV & Co. Philippines from 1980. She was the Tax Training Director from 1983 to 1997, and from 2003 to 2005, as well as the Practice Director of its Tax Division from 2003 to 2010. She served as Partner of its Tax Services from 1993 until her retirement in 2014.

Currently, Atty. Villaluz is a Professorial Lecturer and serves as the Chairperson of the Department of Taxation Law. As an accredited lecturer in the mandatory continuing legal education program of the Philippine Supreme Court, Atty. Villaluz had been consistently lecturing in the Tax Training Programs and Seminars for clients as well as in the audit division training seminars, throughout her stay in SGV & Co. She was also a lecturer in the SGV-sponsored MCLE for its tax payers.

Education

• Bachelor of Laws, University of the Philippines-Diliman
• Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Courses

Taxation, Taxation Law Review

REBECCA E. KHAN
Former Associate Dean

Dr. Rebecca E. Khan is an international arbitration and litigation practitioner, specializing in听investor-State dispute resolution. Her international experience includes arbitrations before the听International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), and the International Centre for Settlement of听Investment Disputes (ICSID), as well as disputes, brought before the World Trade Organization听(WTO).

Dr. Khan also has extensive experience litigating cases before all levels of the judicial system,听including the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, and specialized courts such as the Court of听Tax Appeals and the Sandiganbayan, where she litigated several high-profile asset recovery听cases in her former role as a State Solicitor at the Office of the Solicitor General.

Dr. Khan was also part of the Philippine delegation to UNCITRAL during the drafting of the 2014 Rules on Transparency in Treaty-based Investor-State Arbitration. She was appointed by the Supreme Court to its drafting committee for the 2009 Rules of Court on Alternative Dispute Resolution. She is on the corps of professors of the Philippine Judicial Academy.

She was previously a visiting scholar at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law听and International Law in Heidelberg. Her papers in the area of international investment law have听been presented at international conferences and have appeared as book chapters published in听Europe and the United States.

Education

• Doctor of Juridical Science (summa cum laude), Central European University, Budapest (CEU Doctoral Scholarship)
• Master of Laws in International and Comparative Law, with highest honors, George Washington University, Washington D.C. (Fulbright Scholarship; Thomas Buergenthal Scholar)
• Bachelor of Laws, University of the Philippines-Diliman
• Bachelor of Arts major in Psychology, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Courses

Public International Law, Special Proceedings, International Moot Court, Advanced Legal Writing

ANTHONY B. PERALTA
Former Associate Dean

Atty. Peralta鈥檚 practice areas include corporate law, foreign investments law, securities regulation, taxation, commercial litigation, intellectual property, business process outsourcing, e-commerce, and information technology. He has represented companies in negotiating and drafting software, hardware, internet, and other information technology transactions.听 He has appeared in various cases involving intra-corporate disputes, insolvency, corporate rehabilitation, disputed tax assessments, unfair competition, trademark, and patent infringement.

Currently, Atty. Peralta is a Professional Lecturer. He served as the Associate Dean from 2019-2021. He has been teaching in the law school since its establishment. Atty. Peralta is the author of the Philippine section of International Telecommunications Law, published by BNA in London, U.K., and co-author of the Philippine section of Global Privacy and Security Law published by Aspen Publishers/Wolters Kluwer. Atty. Peralta was accorded an Honorary Membership by the Association of Fellows and Legal Scholars of the Center for International Studies based in Vienna, Austria in 2001. He was an ASEAN Overseas Training Scholar having attended the Intellectual Property Rights-Management Training Program in Tokyo, Japan in February 2002, sponsored by the Japan Patent Office. He has been consistently cited and recommended by the Asia-Pacific Legal 500, Asia IP and Who鈥檚 Who Legal for Corporate Law, M&A, Intellectual Property, and Information Technology.

Education

• International Financial Law School Training Course Euromoney-Hong Kong
• Asia-America Institute in Transnational Law, Duke University
• Bachelor of Laws, University of the Philippines-Diliman
• Bachelor of Arts, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Courses

Intellectual Property Law, Land Titles and Deeds, Corporation Law, Credit Transactions, Mergers & Acquisitions