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Faced with setbacks and many uncertainties stemming from the pandemic and a shrinking economy, many companies were forced to shrink operations and cut costs, even their own manpower. While it may be tempting to take a “wait and see” approach and put plans on hold until conditions are more stable, DivinaLaw Managing Partner Nilo T. Divina’s visionary leadership has not only kept the Firm safe and intact, but he has steered DivinaLaw on to new horizons.
With his unwavering faith, undaunted courage and unflinching hope, Nilo continued investing in the future and in his people. Since the pandemic began, not a single employee has been laid off, each one has received a salary increase, and DivinaLaw has only grown bigger in terms of manpower and office space. From 59 lawyers, the Firm now has 82. The number of non-legal staff also increased from 55 to 69. With its growing manpower, the Firm had to acquire 800 sqm. of additional office space. Moreover, against the odds, the Firm has added more than 100 new clients since the pandemic lockdowns started in March 2020. As managing partner of the Firm, Nilo has been a pillar of strength and a father to his people. He showed his unwavering support by providing free transportation to-and-from the office, giving cash aids during lockdowns and other monetary benefits and in various ways, and ensured his people have access to COVID-19 vaccines. By always keeping his people in mind, Nilo continues to demonstrate why DivinaLaw is one of the best employers in the legal industry.
Amidst the on-again off-again lockdowns that continue to hamper the economic recovery of the Philippines, Nilo T. Divina, who is also the Dean of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Faculty of Civil Law, released two books on Commercial Law to make legal education accessible for all – from law students, Bar reviewees, members of the bar and bench, and the general public. The books are not only comprehensive in scope and easy to comprehend even for non-lawyers; these are also sold at the very affordable price.
“Questions & Answers on the Revised Corporation Code” – the first book written on the RCC - was launched in 2020 and was made available as an e-book in 2021. In his foreword for the book, then Philippines Supreme Court Chief Justice Diosdado M. Peralta hailed it as “a well-curated legal resource” and “a useful tool in navigating the new state of Philippine corporate law.”
In 2021, “Divina on Commercial Law: A Comprehensive Guide” (Vol. 1 & 2) was released. Described as like having a legal retainer at one’s fingertips, the two-volume work contains annotations of various pieces of legislation in simple language and structured in a Q and A format to foster apprehension and easy recall.
Even as a book author, Nilo’s generosity also shines. A sizeable portion of the royalties from his recently released books are donated to the Philippine Association of Law Schools, while the rest will augment his scholarship fund for deserving law students. Aside from these books, Nilo also makes the law accessible to all through his “A Dose of Law” a bi-weekly column at the Daily Tribune, one of the widely-circulated dailies in the country. The column celebrated its third-year anniversary in 2021, and with over 400 published articles about a wide range of legal topics to date, the column boasts of readership in five out of seven continents, with at least 1 million page views on the Firm’s website. Nilo’s generosity is also renowned among students and members of the academe. Aside from sponsoring the paid Zoom accounts of professors of the UST Faculty of Civil Law for online classes, he also gave each law student an internet subsidy last school year. This is on top of the annual scholarships he has provided since he became the dean of the institution.
Nomination Title: Nilo T. Divina, Managing Partner
