28/09/2026
Congratulations to Mary Aubbrey Leigh B. Lim-Barreras, Senior Partner of VAL, on being named Young Lawyer of the Year at the ALB Philippine Law Awards 2026.
The recognition reflects an already exceptional body of work across M&A, corporate and commercial law, banking and finance, fintech, technology, competition, regulatory compliance, and cross-border transactions.
Among Aubbrey’s recent and significant accomplishments:
• Leading the Philippine legal workstream for a major proposed pharmaceutical acquisition, coordinating the M&A, regulatory, competition, government-contracting, and cross-border aspects of a highly complex transaction involving a heavily regulated industry;
• Advising and helping scale a technology-enabled financing business in the Philippines, including the development of its regulatory compliance framework across SEC, BSP, AMLC, data privacy, consumer protection, and fintech regulation;
• Leading the integration of two major medical-device companies, involving an asset-for-share transaction, the movement of more than 400 employees, multiple regulatory approvals, PEZA incentives, and competition law clearance, all completed within an accelerated timetable;
• Serving as Founding Partner, Senior Partner, Risk Management Partner, and Ethics & Independence Partner of Inicio Law, then a member firm of the KPMG Law Network, where she helped build the firm and led key quality, risk, and independence initiatives;
• Completing her Master of Law at the University of Cambridge, with specialisms in Law & Technology, International Financial Law, Corporate Finance, and Competition Law, as a Chevening and Cambridge Trust Scholar;
• Contributing to the Asian Development Bank’s work on protecting non-profit organizations from money laundering and terrorist financing, including leading the drafting of a regulatory framework later adopted by the Philippine SEC;
• Being recognized by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific for her work in TMT, Corporate and M&A, and Projects and Energy; and
• Continuing to contribute beyond private practice through teaching, mentoring, and community service.
Aubbrey’s career reflects a rare combination of technical excellence, commercial judgment, multidisciplinary expertise, leadership, and public service.
At a relatively early stage of her career, she has already led sophisticated transactions, helped build institutions, contributed to regulatory reform, and earned recognition both locally and internationally.
Congratulations, Aubbrey, on a truly well-deserved recognition!
