The heart and soul of Sapalo Velez Bundang&Bulilan (SVBB) was forged in its early years in the mid 1970s by the vision and leadership of its founders, classmates Eugene A. Sapalo, both of the Ateneo School of Law batch 1967. Abandoning promising careers in their respective law firms, Ignacio S. Tan decided to form, on that fateful day of August 1, 1976, the Tan & Sapalo Law Offices, then at the Fi
lcapital Building (now Allied Banking Corporation Building), Ayala Avenue, Makati City. In line with the expertise of its co-founders, the Tan &Sapalo Law Offices specialized in intellectual property and admiralty/maritime practice. In 1977, the firm’s excellence in the field of intellectual property was further enhanced with the arrival of distinguished Intellectual Property lawyers Jaime G. Velez, leading to the formation of the “Tan Sapalo Manzano & Velez Law Offices.”
The year 1987 saw the departure of Ignacio S. Sapalo from the firm, and his appointment as Director of the then Bureau of Patent, Trademarks, and Technology Transfer (“BPTTT”), now the Intellectual Property Office. As Director of the BPTTT, he led the group that crafted Republic Act No. 8293, the Intellectual Property Code, and authored a book entitled “Background Reading Material on Intellectual Property Law in the Philippines” published by the World Intellectual Property Organization. With his momentary absence, the firm became known as the “Tan Manzano & Velez Law Offices”. After his stint as Director of the BPTTT, Ignacio S. Sapalo rejoined the firm in 2000 and took over its management. Under his stewardship, the firm formulated these goals – to be the best intellectual property law firm in the country, a champion of seafarers’ rights, and provider of pro-bono legal services to the poor. Together with partner Teresita C. Velez, many significant changes were implemented, including the hiring of new top-caliber lawyers, expansion of the office space to accommodate the growing number of lawyers and staff, and the automation of various internal office processes, thereby enabling the firm to adapt to the vicissitudes of the rapidly evolving legal landscape. Taking its vision of championing seafarers’ rights to heart, the firm, in 2005, entered into a formal collaboration with the AOS, an office of the Episcopal Commission of Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant people (ECMI) of the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of the Philippines for the promotion and protection of seafarers’ rights. In 2006, the firm came to be what is now known as SVBB, with the promotion of Augusto R. Bundang, a former Associate Lawyer of the firm experienced in litigation, licensing, and intellectual property practice, and Neptali L. Bulilan, a lawyer-engineer and former patent examiner, as name partners. And in 2010, Romeo H. Duran, highly specialized in corporate, tax, and immigration practice, was admitted as partner, and now heads the firm’s Corporate & Tax Department. In the same year, the firm was recognized by the respected Asia IP Magazine as the “2010 Philippine Trademark Firm of the Year”. At the core of the firm’s thrust is the expansion into other areas of law practice, setting-up of strong regional networks through the opening of branches in strategic/key cities of the country. Thus, August 8, 2003 saw the opening of the firm’s first branch in Iloilo City; next was the branch in Cebu City, inaugurated on August 5, 2005; then came the office in Cagayan de Oro City, inaugurated on June 27, 2006; and recently, the office in Davao City, inaugurated on August 8, 2009.
