Corporate Law Firm in Metro Manila, Philippines

Duran & Duran-Schulze Law (“DDS Law”) is a premier, full-service corporate and commercial law firm in the Philippines. While headquartered in Metro Manila, with its principal office in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), Taguig, we cater to domestic and foreign business entities, investors, and executives across the country. 

With a profound mastery of the Revised Corporation Code (R.A. 11232), the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC), the Foreign Investments Act (R.A. 7042), and other laws and regulations, we bring over a decade of experience in company incorporation, registration, and corporate compliance. 

We guide enterprises of all sizes—as well as individual entrepreneurs—from initial inception through market expansion and corporate restructuring. Through strategic consultations, we clarify market entry, capitalization requirements, and regulatory standings to deliver tailored legal solutions aligned with specific operational needs. Read more about our law firm here>>>

Corporate and Commercial Law Core Practice Areas

Our core practice areas under corporate and commercial law include the following:

• Company Incorporation and Business Registration: Incorporation and registration of domestic and one person corporations (stock and non-stock), foreign branch offices, regional operating headquarters (ROHQs), representative offices, and local partnerships with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), local government units, and statutory agencies. 

• Corporate Secretarial Services and Regulatory Compliance: Acting as resident Corporate Secretary, preparing board resolutions, secretary’s certificates, and minutes of meetings, maintaining corporate books, filing General Information Sheets (GIS) and Annual Financial Statements (AFS), and managing routine SEC, DTI, and PEZA compliance and registration amendments.

• Taxation and Corporate Structuring: Tax mapping assistance, securing tax clearances, applying for tax incentives (via BOI or PEZA under the CREATE Act), and handling corporate tax registrations and assessments with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR). 
• Mergers, Acquisitions, and Restructuring: Legal due diligence, drafting and negotiating Share Purchase Agreements (SPAs), Asset Purchase Agreements (APAs), joint ventures, corporate reorganizations, and securing statutory merger approvals.

• Commercial Contracts and Transactions: Drafting, reviewing, and negotiating complex commercial instruments, including Lease Agreements, Vendor Contracts, Employment Agreements, Franchise and Licensing Agreements, and Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs).

• Trademark Registration and Intellectual Property: Conducting trademark availability searches, filing registrations with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL), managing trademark renewals, and drafting technology transfer and licensing agreements to protect corporate brand assets.

• Data Privacy Compliance: Aligning corporate operations with the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (R.A. 10173) and managing Data Processing System (DPS) and Data Protection Officer (DPO) registration compliance with the National Privacy Commission (NPC).

• Labor and Employment Relations: Drafting comprehensive company policies, handling termination compliance, and representing the management in labor disputes, illegal dismissal cases, and single-entry approach (SEnA) conferences before the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC). 
• Notary Public Services: Providing legal authentication, acknowledgment, and notarization of corporate resolutions, certificates, commercial contracts, deeds, and other statutory instruments required for corporate transactions and regulatory filings.

Corporate Legal Team 

Atty. Marie Christine Duran-Schulze, the firm’s Managing Partner, commands the Corporate Legal Team. In addition to her expertise as a corporate legal practitioner, she holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and is a seasoned entrepreneur, notably serving as the co-founder and president of the prominent business consulting firm, FilePino, Inc. Under her leadership, a high-caliber team of in-house corporate counsel and dedicated compliance specialists delivers comprehensive, strategically aligned legal support at every stage of the corporate lifecycle. Check our lawyers’ page here>>>

Client Engagement and Journey

Guided by principles of transparency and efficiency, Duran & Duran-Schulze Law utilizes a structured five-stage engagement lifecycle. The process begins with an intake inquiry and custom cost proposal, advancing to the execution of a formal Engagement Agreement.

Following the secure settlement of initial fees, a dedicated corporate handling attorney is assigned to deploy the legal strategy and deliver routine progress updates. Upon the successful resolution of the matter, the firm completes a thorough offboarding phase that features a final financial accounting and the secure return of all original documents. Read more about our structured client lifecycle here>>>

Corporate Legal Consultations

To secure strategic legal guidance, enterprises and investors may schedule a formal online or onsite consultation directly through this booking link or by contacting the firm via email at info@duranschulze.com. Advisory sessions are structured into dedicated time allocations—including 30-minute and 1-hour blocks—to address specific transactional, operational, or regulatory matters efficiently.

Functioning as an initial intake and corporate diagnostic session, this formal consultation allows the firm’s corporate counsel to review operational facts, examine material disclosures, outline viable regulatory or structural remedies, and assess associated commercial risks and procedural costs. 

Under Philippine law and the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability (CPRA), all financial data, proprietary strategies, and trade disclosures shared during this session remain strictly protected under the Attorney-Client Privilege.