Angara Abello Concepcion Regala & Cruz Law Offices (ACCRALaw)

Mr. De Guzman is currently the Managing Partner of ACCRALAW. He specializes in labor and employment law. He advises his clients on the labor impact of mergers and acquisitions, the preparation and audit of outsourcing agreements, employee pension plans and rules, and the conciliation, mediation and arbitration of labor and employment disputes.

Mr. De Guzman handled the labor aspect of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System Privatization which brought about the successful transition of thousands of employees from government service to private employment. He successfully litigated a number of suits involving employers where the Supreme Court upheld the exercise of management prerogatives, including the enforcement of Company rules, the administration of compensation schemes, the resolution of wage distortions, and the resort to outsourcing arrangements.

Mr. De Guzman authored the Philippine chapters of:

“Handbook on Global Recruiting, Screening, Testing and Interviewing Criteria”, published by Kluwer Law International/International Bar Association; “Guide to International Labor and Employment Law”, published by Lexis Nexis/Littler Mendelson Global; and, “Restrictive Covenants and Trade Secrets in Employment Law”, published by the American Bar Association.Mr. de Guzman regularly conducts lectures on labor and employment law, and is frequently requested to conduct in-house seminars and lectures on labor issues. He is also a regular lecturer of the Center for Human Resource Management of the People Management Association of the Philippines.

Mr. De Guzman delivered the following talks:

“Notes on Philippine Employment and Productivity”, held at the 47th Annual Conference of the People Management Association of the Philippines, in Cebu City (2010); “Emerging Challenges for People Managers in Call Centers”, held at the International Contact Center Conference in Manila (2010); “Current Issues on Philippine Employment Law”, held at the Seminar on Essentials of Employment Law in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (2008); “Employment Law in the Philippines”, held at the Seminar on Asian Employment in Singapore (2007); and, “Enforcement of Restrictive Covenants”, held at the Asialaw Intellectual Property Forum in Hongkong (2006).Mr. de Guzman served as one of the Employer Representatives to the National Tripartite Industrial Peace Council in 2011. He also holds key positions in various institutions such as the Inter-Pacific Bar Association and the Human Resources Working Group of the National Competitive Council.

In 2018, Mr. de Guzman was recognized as one of the Leading Lawyers in the field of Employment by the Legal 500 Asia Pacific. He was also considered as a Band 1 Lawyer in the field of Employment by the Chambers Asia-Pacific and Chambers & Partners in 2018. Similarly, he was considered as a Leading Lawyer in the field of Employment by the Asia Law Profiles in 2018. He was also awarded as the Best Labor and Employment Lawyer of the Year by the Legal 100 Asia Awards in 2018.

Mr. de Guzman was recognized by Asialaw Profiles as a Distinguished Practitioner in the practice area of labor and employment in 2019.

He was regarded as a “Leading Lawyer,” and was recommended for the practice area of Labor and Employment in the Asia Pacific Legal 500 for 2020.

English Pilipino

Mr. de Guzman was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 1983 and is a member of the Makati City Chapter of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.

Course on American and International LawCenter for American and International Law, USA, 2005

Bachelor of LawsUniversity of the Philippines, 1982

Bachelor of Science in PsychologyUniversity of the Philippines, 1977