Rafael A. Morales
Managing Partner



Email: ramorales@primuslex.com








|  Professional Experience:

  • Managing Partner, SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan
  • Head, Banking Finance and Securities Practice Group, SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan

 

|  Education:

  • Master of Laws, University of Michigan (1978)
  • Bachelor of Laws, University of the Philippines (cum laude and Class Valedictorian, 1974)
  • Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, University of the Philippines (cum laude, 1970)

|  Qualifications:

  • Admitted to the New York State Bar in 1986
  • Admitted to the Philippine Bar in 1975, ranking 4th place

|  Practice Areas:

  • Commercial Law and Corporate Services
  • Banking, Finance and Securities
  • Trade, Investments, Mergers and Acquisitions
  • Islamic Finance
  • Tax
  • Regulatory and Compliance
  • Energy, Mining and Natural Resources
  • Telecommunications and Transportation

 

Mr. Morales is a renowned corporate law practitioner specializing in banking and financial law, project financing, M&A, securities transactions and contract law. He has had much recognition for his legal work, including citations in Euromoney Legal Media Group’s “Guide to the World’s Leading Banking Lawyers” and Asian Legal Business’ “List of 100 pre-eminent Asia-Pacific Lawyers.” He has been cited as a leading lawyer by IFLR1000, Legal 500, Chambers Asia Pacific, Asialaw Profiles and Who’s Who Legal. Chambers Asia Pacific considers him as an Eminent Practitioner in Banking and Finance. 

Mr. Morales carries with him a wealth of experience gained not only from his legal work in the Phllippines, but also from stints abroad. He trained as a foreign attorney at Rosenman Colin Freund Lewis & Cohen in New York (1978-1979). He later on became a foreign attorney at Anderson Mori & Rabinowitz in Tokyo (1984-1986). He was also a visiting professor at the School of Law of La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia (Summer, 2007). 

Mr. Morales was president of the Inter-Pacific Bar Association, an organization of lawyers from more than 65 jurisdictions and with interest in the Asia-Pacific region. He is a member of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, the Philippine Bar Association, the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines, the New York State Bar Association and the American Bar Association. 

He authored two books: The Philippine General Banking Law (Annotated) and The Philippine Securities Regulation Code (Annotated), as well as numerous legal articles.