Practice Area

The Firm has a strong Commercial Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution Team (ADR Team) with its Dispute Resolution (DR) Head and Senior Partner being a Court of Appeals mediator, and its ADR Team Head being an accredited arbitrator of the Department of Justice’s Office of Alternative Dispute Resolution (DOJ-OADR), a trustee and accredited arbitrator of the Philippine Dispute Resolution Center, Inc. (PDRCI), the premium arbitration center in the Philippines, as well as PDRCI’s Deputy Secretary General and head of the Training and Education Committee. Two (2) Partners and one Senior Associate are also trained arbitrators of PDRCI. One of the Partners is also a trained mediator, File Counsel and Tribunal Secretary of PDRCI, while one of the Senior Associates is a trained File Counsel and Tribunal Secretary of PDRCI.

In addition, a Partner in the DR and ADR Team is also a trained arbitrator of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, as well as a trained Tribunal Secretary of the Hong Kong International Arbitration Center.

The unique background of the Partners and Associates of the ADR Team as both advocates and neutrals allow them to approach arbitration and ADR matters referred by clients from the perspective of both advocate and neutral. These dual perspectives not only allow the Team to analyze evidence, formulate strategies, and present client’s claims and defenses as advocates building their client’s case. At the same time, the ADR Team, culling from their respective experiences as neutrals or assistants to neutrals, are also able to anticipate the key points and matters that the neutral will look for in resolving the disputing parties’ claims and defenses.

Regardless of the subject matter of the disputes involved, the ADR Team pride themselves in delivering prompt, practical and commercially viable solutions to all disputes referred to them by the Firm’s clients.

Arbitration and ADR is key practice area at MVGS. The Firm regularly represents clients in ad hoc and institutional commercial arbitrations, domestic and international, as well as construction arbitration before the Construction Industry Arbitration Center (CIAC).