“Do ordinary things with extraordinary love,” one of Mother Theresa’s most enduring quotes, encapsulates Dyan’s mindset when it comes to her personal life and more so, in her work and clients. While Dyan is known for her tireless volunteer efforts and community outreaches for terminally ill children, and formation work for her alma mater during her personal time, at the workplace, she is equally known for her zeal in attending to her clients’ needs. Her genuine compassion for her clients drives her to pursue each undertaking with excellence, regardless of the scale. Whether it is an international arbitration proceeding, a case to be argued in the Supreme Court, or a simple term-loan agreement or demand letter, Dyan treats all her cases with the same level of vigor and meticulousness, which is highly appreciated by her discerning clients. These clients have been instrumental to Dyan’s notable professional accomplishments, such as her rapid promotion to senior associate in the country’s top litigation firm and her promotion as one of the youngest senior officers in one of the Philippines’ largest banks.  

Dyan began her legal career specializing in complex commercial litigation and arbitration cases, spanning industries such as telecommunications, power, oil & gas, water, infrastructure, financial services, and real estate development. In just her first two years as an associate, she represented, initiated, and successfully concluded two domestic arbitration cases, which upheld a 25-year, multi-million Operating Agreement of a mining claim and an Asset and Sale Purchase Agreement, and won over US$ four million for her clients. 

Following these successive wins, Dyan’s determination to better protect her clients’ rights plus her desire to help them win legal battles even before they go to court, led her to shift to commercial and corporate law. True to form, Dyan met the challenge head-on by concurrently earning a Master of Laws degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law, where she graduated with distinction while receiving a business and law certificate from the Wharton School of Business, where she completed courses in corporate finance, private equity, and mergers and acquisitions. Armed with her LLM, Dyan focused on corporate finance and capital markets and spearheaded the formation of an institutional and transaction advisory team within a leading publicly-listed Philippine bank. She advised on numerous trust, treasury, commercial, and institutional banking transactions, and drafted, reviewed, and revised syndicated loan agreements and corporate note issuances for various multi-billion projects. With her experience in commercial litigation and mastery in corporate transactions, Dyan can provide seamless bespoke solutions that always prove invaluable to her clients.  

Highlights:

• Represented and defended the Republic of the Philippines against excessive claims arising from a canceled international airport project seeking payment and interest of approximately US$500 million  
• Represented and defended an electric distribution utility from a suit seeking a refund of approximately US$175 million 
• Successfully defended members of the Board of Directors of a leading water utility in the Philippines from a criminal complaint seeking a refund of approximately US$150 million 
• Represented and defended the Republic of the Philippines in an international arbitration on an alleged violation of energy concession agreements claiming tax exemption of approximately US$2.8 billion  
• Advised the bank in its participation in a US$1.4 billion syndicated long-term loan facility for the largest integrated Philippine casino operator and reviewed all relevant documentation for the project