SyCipLaw announces the appointment of retired Senior Partner Imelda A. Manguiat as Of Counsel to the Firm, effective February 1, 2026.
In her 38-year career with the Firm, Imelda (or Imee) built an impressive practice focused on corporate and commercial law, spanning a range of industries and areas such as energy, infrastructure, and real estate. During this time, she led numerous high-value projects and represented key clients of the Firm.
Imee obtained her law degree from the University of the Philippines, placing ninth in the 1987 Bar Examinations – the only woman in the top ten. She joined SyCipLaw in 1988, and later worked on secondment for two years in Anderson Mori in Tokyo as a foreign attorney. For many years, she helped lead the secretariat of the Pacific Rim Advisory Council, an international alliance of law firms, of which SyCipLaw was an active member. She became a partner of the Firm effective January 1997.
Imee is a Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Directors, and a trustee of the Advancement for Rural Kids Philippines Foundation, Inc. (ARK), which she has supported and worked with in various capacities for several years. ARK is a foundation that co-invests alongside farmers and other communities in the developing world, towards food security and sustainability goals.
Before her retirement this year, Imee played many important roles in SyCipLaw’s leadership. She served for several years on the Firm’s Executive Committee as well as its Finance and Retirement Committees. She headed Corporate Services, one of the Firm’s key practice areas, until her retirement. In these various roles, she championed many impactful organizational initiatives while working and training younger lawyers of the Firm. She is one of the Firm’s most respected partners and mentors.
The Firm looks forward to Imee’s continued guidance and support in her new role as Of Counsel.
