‘Brods’ take on business of lawyering

Carlos Alfonso “Caloy” Ocampo — Photos by Romy Homillada

When Carlos Alfonso “Caloy” Ocampo and Manolito “Manix” Manalo, founders of Ocampo & Manalo Law Firm, decided to set up shop 20 years ago, it was to experiment with an idea: To be a solutions-driven firm with a strong focus on business law.

“I told [Manix] from day one: Let’s not be in the typical mode of punching holes in the plans of others just to show that we know the law. The objective is to understand the business of the client, and be solutions-driven. We need to understand their business and complement it in a way that would provide them with many options so they can flourish,” says Ocampo.

The pair had been working for Air Philippines when they decided to venture out on their own. Ocampo was then vice president and general counsel for the airline, and Manalo corporate counsel. With a friendship that dates back to their years as law students at the University of the Philippines, it felt natural for Ocampo to ask Manalo to join him in setting up the firm.

“When we were able to set up the airline already, I felt our job had been completed,” says Ocampo. “And lo and behold, when Manix agreed with me that it was time to go back to active law practice, there were a number of airline clients who lined up. They needed franchises, foreign airlines needed to get their feet on the ground. They provided us with our first batch of clients.”

Taking on one project at a time, the two found that their solutions-driven approach became highly appreciated by clients—despite the challenge of being young in a field where experience is the usual benchmark of success.

“We were in our late 20s, early 30s at the time. Initially, when we would meet with prospective clients, they would say, ‘oh I didn’t know you were that young.’ That was a disadvantage at the start, but at the same time we took it as a plus because we made it known to the client that we had the energy, the dynamism to help them with their needs,” Manalo says.

Manolito “Manix” Manalo

“Now, 20 years later, we’re trying to look as young as we can with our white hair,” he adds, chuckling. “I suppose you notice this in doctors’ or lawyers’ offices: They would hang their university credentials on the walls. In our case, we refused to do so because that would be an indication [of our age].”

Their strong expertise in business law and commercial litigation stood out, nonetheless, and soon gained them more clients. Today, they have a list of over 150 clients in industries such as banking and finance, food and beverage, hotels and resorts, manufacturing, medical services, retail and distribution, mining, power, IT, telecommunications, media, real estate, construction and transportation.

“The growth of many of our clients … is a big reason why we grew. We bet on them, they bet on us,” Ocampo says. “What we had going for us was we were able to churn out some projects that even the big boys, the institutional firms, had difficulty accomplishing.”

He cites as an example the case of Air Philippines, which became one of their clients, too:

“At the time, Philippine Airlines was monopolizing the industry. That was before [Executive Order] 500, which slightly opened up the airways, happened. We fought Philippine Airlines to allow Air Philippines to come in and allow other carriers to follow. So in a way, we were trailblazing where no lawyer would go, because no lawyer wants to take on a crusade that could end up dead. But we were young, brazen enough to do so.”

Still, the pair remain humble, crediting not themselves for their accomplishments, but for the strong sense of teamwork of the full-service law firm.

“One of the things I’m most proud of is the good work of our relatively young crew. It was enough to attract some Forbes 500 companies, and [some of] the Philippines’ Top 1,000. It took us only around seven years to be noticed by international publications,” Ocampo says.

The firm currently has around 20 lawyers, many of them with less than three years’ professional experience. Ocampo and Manalo serve as mentors, holding weekly meetings with them to enhance their solidarity. They feel fortunate, they say, today’s young lawyers now look up to them, the way they used to do so with their role models in the industry.

“When we were starting, we said, we want to be like this law firm—I won’t mention which one—because they don’t have a padrino. Now I’m hearing younger firms saying, we want to pattern ourselves after you. So we must be doing something right,” Manalo says. “That, to me, is more valuable than any award or recognition.”

The two say they feel awkward attaching the title “attorney” to their names; it’s not even in their business cards. They prefer to stay low-key, and simply allow the firm to do what it has done best all these years—to let their work speak for itself. (And they still don’t display their diplomas in their offices).

As they celebrate their 20th anniversary, the fraternity brothers and kumpadres believe they now need to be “more focused” when it comes to the projects they take on. Renewable energy, Ocampo says, is one area they would like to explore more.

“If you ask all the businessmen, ‘What do we need here?’ [They say] ‘Well, if we just had the basic infrastructure of a developed country… we’ll take care of the rest,’” Ocampo says. “So if I were to pick one thing to lend our expertise to, it would be energy infrastructure. If we could help in setting up, become more self-reliant as far as energy is concerned, I think the next generation will know what to do. We’ll be in good hands.”

And to take the company forward, they stick to their original vision: To always provide clients with the best solutions for their company.

“Even now, when I read legal opinions, I always look at the bottom part: Okay, so after you’ve cited the law and possible implications, where are your recommendations? Where’s your solution? Make a bet. A lot of the younger lawyers are afraid to put down their recommendations because they feel it’s none of their business. Yes, it’s true, the decision always lies with the client when it comes to commercial matters, but they need your inputs. If you’re not going to flesh out what will happen with option 1 vis à vis options 2 and 3, you’ve not done your job as a lawyer,” Ocampo says. “It’s another way of saying, put your heart into your work.”