WELCOME TO THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF MONTECLAR SIBI &
TRINIDAD LAW OFFICES!

MST-LAW is composed of highly experienced, ethical and competent lawyers-partners who have blazed, and continue to blaze their trail as leaders in the highly competitive field of law practice in Cebu, as well as in the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, and the academic community. The FIRM is backed by a combined experience of more than forty (40) years of law practice in the Philippines.

MST-LAW had its simple beginning when Alan Chiongbian Trinidad (ACT), a graduate of USC Law Class of 1981, put up in 1982 a very small law office at the then Gorones Building, in front of Basilica del Sto. Niño Osmeña Blvd., Cebu City. Despite being small, the law office was operated under the guiding principles of "Ethics, Diligence and Competence" in the practice of the profession. At that time, the bulk of practice of the law office was primarily concentrated on corporate and land cases.

In 1984, Arnulfo Cabreros Sibi, Jr. (ACS) joined the firm as ACT's associate attorney right after passing the Bar Examinations.

In 1985, Alex Luna Monteclar (ALM), a fellow member of USC Law Class 1981, also joined as Partner of the FIRM. A short time afterwards, ACS was promoted as Partner and MST-LAW was BORN.

In 1990, another classmate of ACT and ALM, Gabriel Torero Ingles (GTI), joined the FIRM as Partner, right after his seven-year stint as associate attorney of Palma & Associates. GTI later on became the Dean of the College of Law of the University of San Carlos, while ALM teaches Civil Law, Civil Procedure and Special Civil Actions in the same university.

In 1999, a brilliant lady-lawyer in the person of Elsa Roldan Divinagracia (ERD), a former associate of ACCRA and a member of the Bar of the State of New York, U.S.A. became the last Partner to join the firm". Thus, from Monteclar Sibi & Trinidad Law Offices (MST-LAW), the FIRM amended its Articles of Partnership and became known as "MONTECLAR INGLES DIVINAGRACIA SIBI & TRINIDAD LAW OFFICES" (MIDST-LAW). Around the same time, the FIRM also hired an associate attorney in the person of Daryl Bretch Largo (DBL).

ERD's stint with the FIRM, however, was rather short-lived. In 2001, she resigned from the FIRM and eventually moved on to conquer greater heights. The following year (2002), GTI also bid the FIRM farewell after having been appointed by the Judicial and Bar Council as a Regional Trial Court Judge of RTC Branch 58, Cebu City. As it was in the beginning, therefore, the FIRM reverted back to its former name, MST-LAW.

In the same year (2002), DBL resigned from the FIRM to embark on his own private law practice. Previous to that, other people, namely GEMMA ALVIZO-LADION (now the Civil Registrar of Talisay City), Claire Atillo, and Leonito Bacalando, Jr. (now with ACCRA Davao) had once become part of the FIRM's family before moving on to seek other greener pastures.

Finally, in the middle and later part of 2002, the FIRM welcomed into its fold two energetic young lawyers in the persons of MENDULFO CENIZA PINTOR, JR. (MCP) and MARK ELTON CHIU GARROTE (MEG). And with the very reliable and always dependable auxiliary personnel in the background, composed of CHRISTINA ILUSTRISIMO, AIREEN DALAUTA, HAZEL BARGAMENTO and HERMOGENES GODINEZ, JR., the team is now complete.

The FIRM has gone a long way since 1984 when it was formally organized by three idealistic and ambitious young lawyers. From being a very small and virtually unknown law office handling only corporate and land cases, the FIRM has gradually transformed itself through the years to become one of the most established Law Firm in Cebu. It now has a state-of-the art, fully furnished, and fully air-conditioned office located in the Ground Floor, Eastern Shipping Lines Building M.J. Cuenco Avenue comer Magallanes St., Cebu City (just across the historical Plaza Independencia). Moreover, ever flexible and eager to address with competence the clients' every legal concern, the FIRM now handles all types of cases (see "Areas Of Practice ").

Despite its numerous successes in the field of private law practice, however, and its undisputed distinction of being the only Law Firm in Cebu whose Partners have gone on to conquer the IBP Presidency (ALM became President of the IBP Cebu Chapter from 1995-1997; GTI was President of the IBP Cebu City Chapter from 1997-1999 and ACT became President of the IBP Cebu Chapter from 2001-2003), the FIRM is far from resting on its laurels. It continues to live by its guiding principles and will never cease to honor its firm commitment to give its clientele and all prospective clients the same uncompromising standard of ethical legal service that has brought the FIRM to where it is today.

MONTECLAR SIBI & TRINIDAD LAW OFFICES

VISION

A law firm that is results-oriented, independent, competent, effective, efficient and worthy of the trust and confidence of the public; and lawyers who provide quality, ethical, accessible and cost-effective legal service to our people, who put a premium on integrity, competence and mastery of the law over legal maneuvering and underhanded practice, who are willing and able to answer the call to public service, and who believe that the attainment of justice should be the ultimate goal of every practitioner in law.

MISSION

1.To win cases solely on the merits, totally refraining from using underhanded practice such as capitalizing on one's connections to sway judgment;

2.To provide legal assistance to those who are in need of legal representation, regardless of color, creed, social status, political or religious affiliation;

3.To defend the poor and the oppressed and not to decline legal services to the needy;

4.To firmly establish the firm as the epitome of virtue, integrity, good moral character and legal competence in the legal profession;

5.To serve both local and foreign clients, thereby broadening the base of the firm's clientele;

6.To constantly update the law firm's library and collections of legal publications in order to keep abreast with the latest statutes, decrees, Supreme Court circulars, and other issuances pertinent and indispensable to the exercise of the profession;

7.To gain mastery of the other specialized areas in law, including but not limited to, immigration cases, Intellectual property cases, intra-corporate cases and other specialized areas.

8.To offer quality legal service to the public that is at par; if not better, than the services offered by big and well-known local and international law firms.